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LEARN THE LINGO

All The Cement & Concrete Terminology You Need To Know

Aggregates
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• ​Inert granular materials such as sand, gravel or crushed stone that account for up to 75% of the total value of concrete.

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Crazing

• Produce a network of fine cracks on a surface.

​Curing

• The process of maintaining satisfactory moisture content and temperature in freshly cast concrete for a definite period of time immediately following placement.

Efflorescence

• In chemistry, efflorescence (which means "to flower out" in French) is the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating. The essential process involves the dissolving of an internally held salt in water, or occasionally in another solvent.

Floating

• A concrete float is a tool used to finish a concrete surface by making it smooth. In addition to removing surface imperfections, floating will compact the concrete as preparation for further steps.

Ghosting

• Ghosting or shadowing lines can occur from the substrate when applying a cement-based coating. Any profile or porosity difference on the substrate can create shadow lines, this often happens when applying a coating over tiles. Proper preparation steps will prevent the ghosting from happening.

Gunite

• If you are installing a pool in your backyard, there are many types to choose from. A popular choice is a gunite swimming pool because it is highly durable and it can be created in just about any shape. Gunite pools use a rebar framework that is sprayed over with a concrete and sand mixture.

Marbelite

• A marbelite lining is a high strength cement coating for swimming pools. Cemcrete's marbelite is called PoolCrete.

​Mortar

• Mortar is a workable paste used to bind building blocks such as stones, bricks, and concrete masonry units together, fill and seal the irregular gaps between them, and sometimes add decorative colors or patterns in masonry walls.

Mottling

• Smears or variation in colour made more prominent through trowelling.

Overlay

• A thin coating that is applied to existing concrete and is therefore perfect for renovations. See CreteCote.

Pinhole

• A very small hole.

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Screed

• A simple cement mixture that is installed on a surface bed (substrate) of concrete; the same surface you install under traditional floor coverings –such as tiles, carpets or wooden floors – or thin layers of decorative cement, like CreteCote.

Self-levelling screed

• The same as a screed, but with a runnier consistency that is easily smoothed out.

Skim-coat

• Skim-coating is the process of applying a thin layer of material, such as cement, over a wall or floor to even out the surface. This process is a good way to prepare a cracked and uneven cement for painting or other finishing.

Stucco

• Fine plaster used for coating wall surfaces or moulding into architectural decorations. See SatinCrete and CemPlaster.

​Substrate

• A solid concrete base, usually 100mm thick, with added-in stone and steel that forms the foundation of any floor. The surface should be structurally sound and free of cracks and defects, grease, oil, wax, carpet glue, dust or anything that might interfere with adhesion. 

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