What do you call this condition? What do you think causes it? Poor troweling? Looking for the proper term. The top of the finished slab is flaking/spalling off in spotty areas visible in the garage. This is new construction.
Was it over concrete?
Was it clean at the time of application?
When you got a peice off what did the back look like?
It lookes like there was check cracks in the 2nd picture indicating it dried out to fast when it was put on.
It’s not anything that was applied. It is the raw slab itself.
Does it have plastic under it?
usualy they keep the slab wet so as not to let it dry too quickly, maybe they finished on a friday, an no one watered it 'til monday. pretty dry in texas.
Hope so.
Sounds reasonable. Could be.
Many times when they strip forms there are honeycombs. The masons will then spread on a thin finish coat. Painters spray over that and many times that is what falls out. It is a cosmetic issue and not something I would be too worried about. Unless there is water under there. Then that is a different story.
I have talked with a few flat workers in te kc metro and they some times have problems with that in basement floors.
When the moisture gets worked back to the top and it causes spalling of the very top like in your pics. From over troweling the cement.
John…I call it scaling.
They probably tried to bring the fat back for a better finish after it was partially cured.
This is the top of the slab (not the sides), in the garage. The only visible area. Trying to gain some insight as to what the condition might be called and potential causes.
I like it! Most likely.
Now we’re talking.
I am slow!
It looks like a case of the finishers getting on the slab to late, it was setting up fast and in order to finish the concrete you apply alot of pressure on the trowel to bring up some “butter” (some even dribble water on the slab) to make a nice finish. The problem is that going back and forth with alot of pressure on the trowel you can “burn” the concrete and this will be the result.
Steve
Looks like over trowelling. Brought too much of the “soup” to the top and left the aggregate behind.
Parking overloaded bass boats on the slab will cause this also. 
I guess that looks like it may have been caused by some soupy, buttery, fatty s h i t or something, huh? 
it could have been on friday and caused by a yeast/barley infection!
i’m with the friday, done just befor beer:30.
Too much water in the mix. Got too cold?