CONCRETE SURFACE BLEMISHES
BY R. G. KINNEAR
*This report was prepared by Mr. Kinn-
ear when he was a member of the
Construction Research Department of
the Cement and Concrete Association.
Mr. Kinnear is now working with the
Civil Engineering Research Associa-
tion in London.
T her are many factors that will af-
fect the appearance of concrete,
but before these can be discussed
intelligently, the blemishes them-
selves must be accurately identified
and classified. This article, based on
research conducted at the Wexham
Springs Laboratories of the Cement
and Concrete Association, London,
classifies the surface defects.
In this report, the blemishes are
classified according to whether they
occur before or after the formwork
is stripped, and a distinction is
made only between discoloration
and physical irregularities.
The term “discoloration” is used
to describe all blemishes which are
Impurities discoloration from pyrites.
distinguished by variations in color
or shade, irrespective of the scale of
the defect. “Physical irregularities”
refers to all mechanical imperfec-
tions including damage to the fin-
ished surface. Physical irregularities
may, of course, be accompanied by
associated discoloration. Similarly,
s e ve ral blemishes are known to
change in character and seve ri t y
from the time that they are first ob-
served. In such a case the definition
listed here applies to the earliest
known form of the defect. This
means that some of the commonest
names for blemishes have been
omitted from the following lists.
Such omissions are deliberate, how-
e ve r, since most of these blemishes
are now known to be either multi-
ple defects, or different forms of the
basic blemishes defined.
Types of blemish
The following types of discol-
oration are known to occur before
formwork is removed:
1. Oil discoloration: cream or
brown discoloration of the surface
skin only.
2. Hydration discoloration: va ri a-
tion in shade of the surface matrix,
usually with gradual transition from
light area to dark area but occasion-
ally with definite boundary.
3. Retardation: dark surface ma-
trix lacking in durability.
4. Dusting: light dusty surface
lacking in durability.
5. Dye discoloration: variation in
color of the surface matrix, the color
being foreign to the constituent ma-
terials of the concrete.
6. Cement discoloration: va ri a-
tion in matrix color.
7. Sand discoloration: variation in
warmth of color, particularly of
Cement discoloration on adjacent
faces using the same formwork,
release agent and aggregates.
browns and ye l l ow s, amplified by
tooling the surface.
8. Transparency: mottled appear-
ance, as if the coarse aggregate
showed below the concrete surface.
The following discolorations are
evident only sometime after form-
work removal:
1. Drying discoloration: variation
in shade occurring after removal of
the forms.
2. Efflorescence: white bloom on
the concrete surface.
3. Impurities discoloration: irreg-
ular discoloration from within the
concrete mass, e.g., pyrites, rust dis-
coloration.
4. Contamination: irregular dis-
coloration by the deposition of for-
eign matter or external chemical re-
action; discoloration by weathering
is included in this category.
The following examples of physi-
cal irregularities are known to occur
before formwork is removed:
1. Honeycombing: coarse, stony
surface lacking in fines.
 2. Blow-holes: small, regular or ir-
regular individual cavities normally
not exceeding 15 mm diameter
(9/16 inch).
3. Grout loss: sand-textured areas
devoid of cement; usually associat-
ed with hydration discoloration.
4. Scouring: washed out channels
in the surface with exposed sand
or stone particles.
5. Alignment variation: discrep-
ancy in line or level.
The following examples of physi-
cal irregularity may occur either be-
fore or after formwork removal.
1. Scaling: local removal of the ce-
ment matrix.
2. Form scabbing: adhesion of the
f o rm w o rk surface to the concrete;
scabbing includes the removal of
barrier paints.
3. Mechanical damage: chipping,
spalling or raveling of arrisses and
abrasion of the surface.
4. Cracking: any crack in the sur-
face, continuous or interrupted.
5. Crazing: a network of fine sur-
face cracks.

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