Why Use Accelerating Admixtures? Accelerating admixtures are used to speed up the set time and increase the early strength of concrete. Accelerators are most frequently used in the winter months to allow final finishing operations to take place within a reasonable time after the concrete is initially poured. Main Types of Accelerators: ASTM Classifications Type […]

Water Reducing Concrete Admixtures Just as the name implies, these are chemical admixtures that are added to the concrete in order to reduce the amount of water. Why Use Water Reducing Concrete Admixtures? These chemicals decrease the necessary amount of water in the concrete while still maintaining the workability/slump of the concrete. Water Reducing Admixture

What is an Admixture? An admixture is anything added to concrete other than aggregates, cement, water, or fibers. Why Use Admixtures? Admixtures allow the attributes of the concrete to be adjusted based on the conditions of the project site or to achieve desirable characteristics during the finishing and curing phases. Some of the benefits admixtures

What is Vapor Barrier? A plastic sheet that is placed between the base and the concrete slab. Always placed beneath the rebar or wire mesh and on top of the gravel base. The sole purpose of the vapor barrier is to prevent moisture from penetrating through the concrete. When to Apply Vapor Barrier: The application of

A common issue on job sites is the decision on whether to pour an old concrete truck or send it back. In the past, concrete contractors have tried to sneak old trucks into the pour, but today we have third party testing companies that test the concrete batches. So, the question is… When is a

Let’s go over some basic physics…   What is Tension?   Consider the rope in the image above. The two forces are both pulling on the rope in opposite directions. This action is putting the rope in tension.   What is Compression?   Now consider the spring in the above image. The two forces are

There are two steps in choosing your stamped concrete patio design: Pattern & Color. Below is a walk through of how to choose both. Pattern The first step in designing your stamped concrete patio is choosing a stamp pattern. Below is a list of concrete stamp patterns provided by Brickform – A Division of Solomon Colors, Inc and used

Although it may be tempting to pour concrete on frozen subgrade to save time on a project, this can lead to major issues down the road for a few primary reasons. 1.) Settlement Some soils are susceptible to expansion when they freeze. Thus, when this frozen soil thaws it will cause settlement to occur. Settlement is one

What is an Isolation Joint? An isolation joint is a separation of an existing concrete slab from a new concrete slab or wall. A piece of expansion joint (usually ½” wide and made of cork or recycled fiber material) is placed against the existing concrete slab and when the new concrete slab is poured, this expansion joint separates the

Unless the concrete contractor that built the concrete driveway designed it to withstand loads heavier that regular passenger vehicles, the answer is NO. Concrete driveways are typically poured four inches thick, giving the concrete driveway enough strength to withstand loads of regular vehicles (up to approximately 8,000lbs). A fully loaded concrete truck can weigh over 70,000lbs, almost nine times