At the risk of getting an admonition from my friend the moderator, I just wanted to say just last evening I had a visit from the 2 principals.
They did in fact agree with one of you knowledgeable fellows that it was in fact "spalling" and was worked while too wet.
A promise was given that all avenues would be tried to alleviate the issue including decorative cover with taking it all up as a last resort.
We'll see.
Thanks to all for the advice and help. It was very much appreciated.
Roscoe aka Rick
Knowledge is like money, the less you talk about it the more people assume you have.