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All The Cement & Concrete Terminology You Need To Know

Accelerator

•   A chemical substance added to a concrete mix that speeds up the setting time and thus the curing time.

Admixture

• A material added to cement or concrete to modify its properties, such as workability, waterproofing, or drying time.

Aggregates​

• Granular materials such as sand, gravel or crushed stone that account for up to 75% of the total content of a concrete mix.

​Bonding Agent / Slurry

• A material used to improve adhesion between old and new concrete surfaces or between different types of materials.

​Broom Finish

• A surface texture achieved by dragging a broom over freshly placed concrete, creating a slip-resistant finish commonly used for sidewalks and driveways.  ​

Burnished Concrete

• The process of smoothing and shining the surface of cement using friction and heat, typically with a high-speed burnisher or steel trowel, to create a dense, polished-like finish without using coatings or waxes.

Capillary Action

• The upward movement of moisture through porous cement or masonry. 

Cement-Based

• A material made primarily with cement as a key ingredient. Common in products such as screeds, coatings, or plasters that rely on cement for strength and durability.

Cementitious

• A technical term describing materials that contain cement as a main ingredient; they harden and gain strength through hydration or similar chemical reactions.

Compressive Strength

• The capacity of a cementitious material to resist pressure or weight that could cause it to become compacted or deformed. Measured in MPa (megapascals).

Control Joint

• A deliberately placed groove in concrete to allow for controlled movement due to shrinkage or temperature changes. 

Crack Bridging

• A term for a coating or membrane’s ability to remain intact and flexible over small moving cracks in the substrate.

Crazing

• Produce a network of fine cracks on a surface.

​Curing

• The process of maintaining correct temperature and moisture conditions in cement to achieve strength and durability through hydration.

Damp Proofing

• A treatment to resist the passage of moisture; often applied below surface finishes such as screeds or overlays.

Damp-Proof Course (DPC)

• A physical or chemical barrier placed just above the foundation, under the first row of bricks, to prevent moisture from rising into the wall.

Damp-Proof Membrane (DPM)

• A moisture-proof plastic or rubber layer applied to floors or walls to prevent water ingress. In flooring, it is often installed between the foundation and the concrete slab.​

Densifier

• A penetrating concrete sealer that chemically reacts with the minerals in concrete to form a hard, dense surface. It enhances abrasion resistance, reduces dusting, and slightly reduces porosity while preserving the natural look of concrete.

Efflorescence

• A white powdery deposit that forms on the surfaces such as concrete or brick due to water evaporation, leaving behind dissolved salts.

Expansion Joint

• A planned gap in concrete or masonry that allows for movement caused by temperature or moisture changes - preventing cracks and keeping structures like roads, floors, and walls safe and intact.

Flexural Strength

• The ability of concrete to resist bending or cracking under load. While concrete is strong in compression, it's weak in bending, so it often needs reinforcement (like steel) to perform well in structures like beams and slabs. 

Floating

• The act of finishing a concrete surface by making it smooth. In addition to removing surface imperfections, floating will compact the surface for a good high strength finish.

German Schmear 

• A technique where a thin layer of cement is brushed over brick for a rustic, whitewashed look that lets natural texture show through. CemWash is perfect for achieving this effect. 

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

• A concrete mixture sprayed through a high pressure hose, around a rebar framework, producing a dense, hard layer. It is a popular choice for swimming pools because it is highly durable and can create just about any shape of pool. Gunite is also used in construction for lining tunnels as well as for structural repairs.

Hairline Cracking

• Commonly observed in freshly placed concrete due to rapid loss of water from the surface, after placing and before hardening of the concrete.

Hydrophobic

•  A property of a substrate that repels water. Instead of absorbing water, the water forms a bead on the treated surface, and simply runs off. 

Imprinting

• Decorative cement finishes that are patterned or textured to resemble brick, slate, stone, or other materials, offering an aesthetic alternative for floors and walls.​

Latent Moisture

• Moisture trapped within a substrate (such as a screed or concrete slab) that may not be visible on the surface but can migrate upward over time, affecting cement finishes, adhesives, or coatings.

Marbelite

• A cement-based marble plaster, specifically formulated as an interior pool finish, designed for application to gunite or hand-packed concrete pool shells. 

Mechanical Key

• Refers to roughened surfaces or textures that enable proper adhesion of a new coating layer to an existing surface.

Microcement

•  A cement and polymer-based coating which is applied in thin coats to floors, walls, or other surfaces to recreate a concrete look. 

Mohair Roller

•  Short-pile 100% mohair roller, suggested as the best tool to use when applying Cemcrete sealers onto smooth surfaces.

Moisture Meter

• A device used to measure the moisture in cement screed and plaster substrates to determine if the moisture content is low enough in order to apply a Cemcrete finish.

Monolithic

• Refers to a construction method where concrete elements, such as foundations and slabs, or screed and Colour Hardener, are cast as a single, continuous piece with no joints.

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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 colours or patterns in masonry walls.

Mottling

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

Negative-Side Waterproofing

• A method where waterproofing is applied to the side of the structure opposite the source of water ingress. 

Non-Slip Additive

• A fine material mixed into sealers to provide texture and slip resistance; especially important in wet or outdoor areas.

Overlay

• A thin layer of cementitious or polymer-modified material applied over an existing concrete surface to improve appearance and durability.

Pinhole

• A small hole formed in a coating as trapped air escapes from the substrate or the coating itself during application.

Polished Concrete

• A high-gloss finish obtained by mechanically grinding and polishing concrete surfaces to expose aggregates while enhancing durability and aesthetic appeal. ​

Positive-Side Waterproofing

• Waterproofing applied to the side of a structure that faces water pressure, typically the exterior surface, like the outside wall of a basement, to prevent water from entering.

Reactive Stain

• An acid-based stain that chemically reacts with minerals in concrete or cementitious surfaces to create permanent, variegated colour effects. Ideal for achieving mottled or marbled finishes.

 
Retarder

• An admixture used to slow the rate of curing of concrete.

Rising Damp

• Moisture rising from the ground into walls or floors via capillary action, often in older buildings with faulty damp-proofing. Signs include salt deposits, flaking paint, damp smells, and blistering.

Salt Migration

• The movement of soluble salts through cement or masonry due to moisture movement. When the water evaporates, white salts (efflorescence) remain, which can damage finishes.

 
​Scarifying

• The process of using spinning metal blades on a machine to remove the top layer of a concrete surface, characterized by its more aggressive approach compared to grinding.

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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-coating

• A fine mortar applied thinly (5 mm or less) to even out the surfaces of a wall, and prepare it for painting or finishing.

Slurry Coat

• A thin, pourable mix of cement and water (sometimes with additives) used as a base bonding layer or waterproofing barrier.

Stucco

• A decorative render consisting of aggregates, a binder, and water, applied in coats or as a plaster, to create a beautiful natural cement finish. 

Subfloor Moisture

• Moisture trapped beneath a floor finish, usually in the concrete slab or screed. High levels can cause coating failures such as blistering, delamination, or failure of cement-based floor finishes if not properly managed.

​Substrate

•  A solid, underlying layer onto which the Cemcrete decorative coating is applied. For example: screed, plaster bricks, etc.

Surface Profile

• The roughness or texture of a substrate, often assessed to determine the proper preparation needed for good adhesion of coatings.

Tanking

• The process of waterproofing spaces like basements or wet rooms by applying a barrier to walls and floors to stop water ingress. 

Tensile Strength

• The ability of a material to resist cracking or breaking when being pulled or stretched. Concrete and cement-based coatings are usually strong under compression but weak in tension, so they often need reinforcement (like steel bars) to improve their tensile strength and prevent cracking.

Trowel

•   A small handheld tool with a flat plate, used to apply and smoothly spread mortar or plaster.

Trowel Finish

• A smooth, dense surface finish achieved on concrete or plaster using a steel trowel.

Trowel Lines

• Distinctive dark lines made by the application movement while applying a micro cement finish with a trowel. 

Underlayment

• A preparatory layer between the subfloor and final finish, such as a self-levelling compound that creates a smooth, stable surface for subsequent applications.

​Vapour Barrier

• A layer that resists moisture diffusion through surfaces, often used in floors, basements, and wet zones before applying cement finishes.

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