Concrete
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…
Read more
Driveway Slope
If your vehicle is a specially adapted off-roader like this Land Rover then driveway slope is not going to be an issue. For the rest of us it is something you should be aware of. If you have lowered your…
Read more
Concrete – Ready Mix or DIY?
If you have got a concreting job to do there are a few different options for getting the mix: Small Jobs Up to about 0.1m3 buy premixed bags 20kg bags ( 0.01m3) from a DIY store. Not cheap at a…
Read more
Concrete – Importance of Vibration
Have you ever seen concrete that looks like this on a vertical face? Its called ‘Honey combed’ Sometimes its in large areas like this, sometimes in smaller patches. This concrete is obviously weaker and more porous than dense concrete. The…
Read more
Reinforcement In Slabs
I regularly hear the question “Where should the reinforcement mesh go in slabs?” Well here is some advice. . . . Understanding The Materials Concrete – Strong in Compression, but weak in Tension. Steel Reinforcement– Strong in Tension, and strong in…
Read more
Concrete Cracking – Pattern of Fine Cracks
Some people refer to these as ‘spiderweb’ cracks but the technical name is ‘mapping cracks’. That’s because they can look like a street map. Generally they are much more obvious after rain as water seeps doown into the cracks. These cracks are typically…
Read more
Concrete Curing Membrane
One simple thing to improve the quality of concrete is to use a spray applied curing membrane. . . it’s a pity that this techniques doesn’t seem to be used much in Australian domestic building. Purpose of Membrane These membranes…
Read more
Concrete Paving – Key Joints
I have previously talked about the importance of Well Designed Concrete Paving so here is a product that will help you achieve that. It’s called the Connelly Key Joint A galvanised steel strip forms a keyway in the vertical face of the…
Read more
Polished Concrete
So you like the idea of Polished Concrete. . . . but with costs ranging from $55/m2 to $120/m2 there are quite a few things to think about. Slab Design and Construction Quality of finish starts with the design and specification of the…
Read more
Concrete – Adding Extra Water
A ‘Dirty Secret’ of the Construction Industry is; adding of extra water to concrete mixes. The ready mix concrete suppliers carefully design mixes with appropriate water cement ratios, which are loaded onto the delivery truck by computer controlled batching systems….
Read more