Frequently Asked Questions
What does CLEVA CRETE do to concrete?
CLEVA CRETE is an exceptional vapour and waterproofing admixture used for flooring finishes.
Our technology grabs the bleed water and turns it into a gel. This gel makes the concrete a bit ‘stickier’ to screed at times and in certain conditions.
Many concrete finishers have noticed no difference to normal concrete placement, others have stated that a 32MPa feels like screeding a 40.
You’ll also notice the slump will marginally pull back when CLEVA CRETE 842 is in the concrete. This does vary according to each individual mix design.
CLEVA CRETE makes it a lot easier to bull float and final finish. Most guys find that they can finish the concrete and get it dead flat much earlier than usual.
What are the general advantages of CLEVA CRETE?
- It completely waterproofs concrete
- It gives a superior finish
- It lessens the usual shrinkage
- It lowers the heat of hydration
- It reduces DEF and ASR and
- stops slab curl
- stops surface dust
Then, over the structure’s life cycle, it also stops or reduces carbonation, chloride and sulphide ingress from destroying the concrete.
Pouring in extreme weather?
CLEVA CRETE technical department recommend that all advice given by the Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia is adhered to when pouring in cold, dry, hot, and windy weather.
In hot and windy weather, does the concrete need to be kept wet to stop plastic shrinkage cracking?
Because CLEVA CRETE stops any capillaries from forming it typically doesn’t crack on top or shrink anywhere near as much as other concrete, but as there will be tension on the very top surface when drying quickly on a warm or hot day there will be a lot less surface tension if it is kept wet in such conditions.
Does CLEVA CRETE make the concrete go off faster?
The concrete will set 13 to 17% quicker. There isn’t any need to be concerned about this, a shorter morning tea is all it usually takes. CLEVA CRETE just increases the setting time rather than decreases it like crystal growth technologies do.
How does it compare with other waterproofing options?
CLEVA CRETE creates a beneficial gel for the concrete without turning the concrete into areas of jelly-like substance that takes its time to go off. Compared to crystal growth options, finishing will occur 1 to 2 hours earlier as opposed to 2 to 4 hours later.
When compared to Caltite, it is different in the sense that it is not a hydrocarbon, is not toxic or carcinogenic and has no smell or odour that you might find offensive to work with.
Does the slump stay the same when the concrete has CLEVA CRETE in it?
The slump is different from mix design to mix design, but it will generally increase the slump.
Please be aware that when the concrete truck rolls up to the pump and the concrete slump appears high, it likely does not require as much water as you might ordinarily add. The slump is likely right where you want it, so be careful not to overwater and affect engineering and warranty requirements.
How does CLEVA CRETE affect the way I finish my concrete?
As it cures from the inside out it is easy to get used to the change very quickly. On large slabs finishing can happen around an hour earlier than normal due to setting 13 to 17% faster. When you do get to finish off, you will seldom need any water to do so, even though there will be little to no bleed water.
Can you still get a burnished finish when CLEVA CRETE is in the concrete?
Yes, the nano sized particles of calcium silicate hydrate that are produced fill any voids in the concrete’s matrix with a resultant dense hard finish.
The reason why many end users often want a hard burnished finish is to densify the concrete. CLEVA CRETE is a great densifier for concrete, better than most on the market.
How long has it been around?
The technology itself is thousands of years old. It was re-visited 100+ years ago for the Hoover Dam project by the American Army Corps of Engineers. They used it in a powder form which worked very well for them, however with modern batch plants we have found that this technology in a dry powder form competes for the water at the batching process, so CLEVA CRETE was formulated in a liquid.
This technology has been used in Australia for over twelve years now, on projects including large scale warehouses, aquariums, hospitals, ambulance stations, aged care facilities, levee banks, many schools and day care facilities and high-end residential buildings.
What price should we allow for using CLEVA CRETE on a project?
CLEVA CRETE 842 technology is a far superior tech that completely controls moisture issues in concrete. This makes it a fully warranted product so on-site quality control is imperative and dosage is by computer either during the batching process, or on-site as requested, protecting the full warranty, you and your client.
As all states price differently, CLEVA CRETE does not set the price in stone, it’s best to contact your special projects coordinator in your state direct to find out the exact price per cube.
CLEVA CRETE’s RRP for:
CLEVA CRETE 842 MVRA is $51 per cubic metre (Resolves moisture vapour egress)
CLEVA CRETE 842-WP is $77.45 cubic metre (Waterproofing to stop ingress/egress)
CLEVA CRETE 842-RP is $93.75 cubic metre (Corrosion inhibitor plus waterproofing)
What are the payment terms?
Payment terms are strictly 7 days from the date of invoice.