How it works

BetterMud is affordable insurance against these common concrete problems:

• Shrinkage Cracks

• Cold Joints

• Moisture Vapor Transmission

• Coating Failure

• Concrete Dusting

• Curling in Concrete Slabs

• Concrete Consolidation

The BetterMud admixture was originally designed to be used as an integral waterproofing agent for concrete, since the majority of concrete degradation occurs during the winter. The idea was to waterproof concrete, which would prevent the concrete from becoming critically saturated. Critical saturation is the amount of water that needs to be present within the voids (or airpockets) in order for an ice crystal to form and for freeze-thaw damage to occur. The BetterMud admixture creates a type of gel which keeps the water in the concrete when it’s poured. Not only does water not escape from inside the concrete using BetterMud, as Kermit Brown demonstrates in this amazing video in the link below. Once the concrete is placed and finished, water can’t penetrate the surface because the BetterMud admixture promotes not only waterproofing, but superior curing during the hydration process. That’s why, years ago, when concrete was poured, engineers insisted on keeping the concrete wet using burlap and straw in order to pond water on the surface until the concrete was fully cured.

In addition to enhanced curing using BetterMud, plastic shrinkage cracking, generally known as “spider cracking” is virtually eliminated and cracking, in general, is greatly reduced, primarily because of the slow curing process. Because no bleed water comes to the surface when using the BetterMud admixture, the surface integrity is greatly enhanced. Concrete finishers no longer have to work on concrete surfaces with bleed water present, nor do they have to add extra water to the surface in order finish the concrete without the slab “getting away” from them.