Magnesite flooring was a popular choice for apartment blocks and high-rise buildings in the 1920s and 1980s. Made with magnesium carbonate and asbestos fibres or wood shavings, it was considered a lightweight and soundproofing material.
But as these buildings age, moisture can accumulate and cause structural damage. To keep your building’s structure strong, this blog will show you how to fix things correctly.
You should constantly look for anything uneven, bubbling, or cracked on the surface of your carpet or vinyl overlays. Walking over certain sections produces a hollow sound that indicates the topping material has reached the end of the line. Along the edges of the floor, you might be able to smell musty air or see wet spots.
In worse cases, the floor starts to heave or lift because the steel reinforcement that has rusted is getting bigger. These early signs prevent the underlying concrete cancer from spreading throughout the whole apartment layout.
Before doing any actual physical repairs to the subfloor, a good engineer must check it. This diagnostic phase helps determine whether the damage is localised or widespread in the whole unit. The technician carefully pulls back the failing top layers to test for steel reinforcement mesh below.
You can do a full magnesite flooring repair on your property to prevent internal steel oxidation and slab collapse. If the team is experienced, they will identify all structural problems before installing new finishes.
The actual repair process starts with a systematic, safe removal of all the magnesite from the slab surface. Because older mixtures often contain asbestos, contractors must adhere to very strict hazardous material disposal procedures. The bare concrete is then prepared with shot-blasting tools to expose the damaged areas.
Once exposed, workers chip away the broken concrete to reveal the cracked structural steel bars underneath. The rusted sections are cleaned, treated with anti-corrosive primers, or completely replaced if the structural integrity is compromised.
After the concrete cancer has been treated, the slab must be completely sealed to keep water out in the future. To prevent dampness from rising onto the new floor coverings, technicians apply a commercial-grade, liquid-applied epoxy moisture barrier to the entire floor. When the moisture barrier cures, a self-levelling cementitious underlayment is poured to create a flat floor.
This new topping completely replaces the old topping and does not add much weight to the building’s structure. The result is a smooth, safe, and highly durable foundation for any modern floor finishes.
Wet areas like bathrooms and laundries need waterproofing seals to keep water from moving in and out of dry rooms. Always check sliding balcony door tracks for leaks that could cause water to pool along your internal slab edges. If you have any internal plumbing leaks or flash flooding, immediately dry the affected floor coverings with commercial dehumidifiers.
Any chloride residues that are dormant won’t be able to get back into the steel mesh if the concrete foundation is bone dry. A little environmental control is required to ensure your newly repaired subfloor remains structurally sound for the rest of your life.
Magnesite repair is a slow, methodical process, so it can be worked on safely to maintain its health and longevity. After remediation, you can install new floor boards, tiling, or carpets without subfloor failure. The treated concrete slab resists moisture and chemical breakdown for decades. Focusing on structural repairs protects your real estate investment and helps you feel more secure.
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