Tag Archive: 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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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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Concrete Pavement Thickness
The concrete pavement comprises the actual slab and its foundation known as the ‘Subgrade’ Subgrade A lot of concreters will say a concrete slabs don’t need any foundations……That’s Bulldust! The area around your new home is likely to have had…
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Concrete – Pavement Joints 2
Contraction Joints have been previously described in Pavement Joints 1 The second most common form of Joint is the Expansion, or Isolation Joint. Although concrete does shrink as it cures, in hot weather it will expand. Unless an allowance is…
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Concrete – Pavement Joints 1
I have previously talked about Concrete Cracking …….but how do you stop random cracking across your driveway concrete? Well the best way is to control cracking by making sure it cracks where you want it to and the cracks are…
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