Concrete
Concrete – After the Concrete is Laid
Concrete Myths Some people think that concrete is strong enough the day after it is laid……..WRONG Some people think that concrete ‘dries’……..WRONG Hardening of concrete is a complex chemical reaction which requires time and moisture. Concrete takes at least a…
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Concrete – What is It?
Concrete is an artificial stone that you can make yourself. It has four ingredients that all contribute to the overall strength. Large stones (Aggregate) – The aggregate provides shear strength to the concrete. In other words the concrete has to…
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Concrete – Preparing The Base
It seems to me that many people think that a concrete driveway or path will cover any number of shortcuts and other sins. Well if you want a good finish, that will last, you need to make sure that preparation…
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Concrete – Cracking
One of the inevitable facts about concrete slabs is that there will be some cracking. One of the sayings in concrete design is “ All concrete cracks…..the purpose of reinforcement is to hold the broken bits together.” So what does…
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Concreting – Bar Chairs
No we are not talking about seats in a pub. Bar Chairs are used to make sure the steel reinforcement in concrete ‘sits’ in the right place. Here is a typical plastic ‘chair” And here is a different type. Getting…
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Concrete – Reinforcement Mesh
Purpose of Steel Mesh Reinforcement A lot of people believe that the steel mesh adds substantially to the strength of concrete paving. This is a myth! The truth is large areas of concrete paving will crack. What well thought out…
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Cement
Some people confuse concrete with cement, but cement is just the ‘glue’ which holds the other constituents of concrete, sand and gravel, together. There are a range of different cements but these are the three you will most commonly come…
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Liquid Limestone
You might have heard of Liquid Limestone as an alternative paving material…….But what is it? Really its just a different type of concrete. It is much more common in West Australia than other states. The differences between conventional concrete and…
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Plain Concrete Finishes
Basically there are three different common finishes for plain concrete driveways paths etc. Brushed This is probably the simplest finish if you are going to do some concreting yourself. You compact the concrete and ‘strike it off with a straight…
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Different Driveway
I see a fair bit of discussion in forums about whether to go for a plain concrete driveway of the additional expanse of an exposed aggregate surface. While I was in Japan last year I saw this concrete driveway which…
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