Concrete has two basic categories; Interior and Exterior. Interior concrete is used where freezing will never occur and Exterior concrete is used in areas that may or will experience freezing. Exterior concrete contains an admixture known as air entrainment. This product, when added and mixed properly in the batch, will produce countless numbers of microscopic air pockets. These pockets allow space for the moisture drawn into the concrete to expand when moisture freezes. A glass bottle, when filled to the top, capped and placed in the freezer, will shatter. When a glass bottle is only filled partially and frozen, the shattering of the container will not occur. This is due to the fact that the liquid in the container has room to expand within the container as it froze. The air pockets within “air entrained” concrete will allow for expansion in a similar fashion.
Concrete can also be categorized as footing mix and slab mix. The differences inherent in these two is based upon the mix strength. This strength is a factor of the amount of cement placed in each cubic yard. a 2,500 psi mix is a basic footing mix. Higher strength mixes, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500 and so on, have more cement in the mix design. In addition, footings are placed at a greater thickness ( approximately 10 to 12 inches) and do not require as much cement. Driveways and sidewalks are placed at a thickness of approximately 3 to 4 inches and more cement is needed to bring about strengths needed to support vehicles.

Actually, concrete construction is environmentally friendly. Concrete is energy efficient. Concrete contains recycled materials. Concrete reduces urban heat islands. Concrete is manufactured locally. Concrete structures are durable. Concrete pavements can be recycled. The raw materials used in concrete come from the most abundant minerals on earth.
Using concrete in place of asphalt in parking lots can reduce many of the costs and negative effects that are often associated with ashphalt parking lot construction.
Concrete helps to lower the heat island effect that is typical with asphalt parking lots. The heat island effect refers to the fact that man-made structures retain heat at a higher rate than is normal in nature. This results in an increase in ground level ozone production by as much as 30%. With its higher reflectivity and lighter color, concrete does not absorb near the heat asphalt does, requiring less energy to cool surrounding buildings and vehicles. Simply by choosing concrete pavement and reducing the heat island effect, air conditioning costs can be lowered by as much as 12%.
Another important fact is that concrete is composed of local materials which are 100% recyclable. Perhaps even more important is the elimination of oil and tar used in asphalt parking lots, which can pollute nearby bodies of water and the surrounding landscape.

Curing is one of the most important steps in concrete construction, because proper curing greatly increases concrete strength and durability. Concrete hardens as a result of hydration: the chemical reaction between cement and water. However, hydration occurs only if water is available and if the concrete’s temperature stays within a suitable range. During the curing period-from five to seven days after placement for conventional concrete-the concrete surface needs to be kept moist to permit the hydration process. new concrete can be wet with soaking hoses, sprinklers or covered with wet burlap, or can be coated with commercially available curing compounds, which seal in moisture.

Color may be added to concrete by adding pigments-before or after concrete is place-and using white cement rather than conventional gray cement, by using chemical stains, or by exposing colorful aggregates at the surface. Textured finishes can vary from a smooth polish to the roughness of gravel. Geometric patterns can be scored, stamped, rolled, or inlaid into the concrete to resemble stone, brick or tile paving. Other interesting patterns are obtained by using divider strips (commonly redwood) to form panels of various sizes and shapes ¬ rectangular, square, circular or diamond. Special techniques are available to make concrete slip-resistant and sparkling.
The possibilities are almost as limitless as your imagination! From an intermixing of multiple colors to matching the siding on your house, there’s sure to be a color you’ll like! Call or contact us for pricing.

A concrete mixture designed to yield 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch) will yield over 6,000 psi if modified by an acrylic polymer additive. It will double the strength of any concrete mix design.
Begin by considering the cost of the driveway over its lifetime. A good quality concrete driveway will last more than 30 years with little or no maintenance. Asphalt driveways need periodic sealing coats to retard-age related cracking. Even properly constructed residential asphalt driveways will deteriorate more quickly due to environmental influences than due to vehicle traffic. If you consider the cost of surface and crack sealers and the shorter life-span of the asphalt, concrete will cost much less.

Concrete will not set when the concrete temperature is below about 35F unless special accommodations are made. Many times specifications will say something like “Concrete may not be poured when the temperature is 37F and falling.” With heated water and aggregates, accelerating admixtures, and other methods, jobs can be poured below freezing, but it is more expensive.

High temperatures (90F and above) cause concrete to set faster. High temperatures also reduce the strength of concrete. Strong winds and low humidity can also cause problems with plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage cracks, even at moderate temperatures. To avoid these problems, planning, timing of the finishing operations, proper use of retarding admixtures, and proper curing are necessary.

No, the colors will most likely not match. If fact, concrete from different trucks, poured during times of the same day may not match. If however, you are looking to extend an existing concrete pad, a patio for example, and you want it all to look like ‘one’, we can apply overlays to solve this problem.

Although the terms cement and concrete often are used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. Concrete is basically a mixture of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel or crushed stone; the paste is water and portland cement. Concrete gets stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not a brand name, but the generic term for the type of cement used in virtually all concrete, just as stainless is a type of steel and sterling a type of silver. Cement comprises from 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bind the aggregates into a rocklike mass. This hardening process continues for years meaning that concrete gets stronger as it gets older.
So, there is no such thing as a cement sidewalk, or a cement mixer; the proper terms are concrete sidewalk and concrete mixer.

Curing is one of the most important steps in concrete construction, because proper curing greatly increases concrete strength and durability. Concrete hardens as a result of hydration: the chemical reaction between cement and water. However, hydration occurs only if water is available and if the concrete’s temperature stays within a suitable range. During the curing period-from five to seven days after placement for conventional concrete-the concrete surface needs to be kept moist to permit the hydration process. new concrete can be wet with soaking hoses, sprinklers or covered with wet burlap, or can be coated with commercially available curing compounds, which seal in moisture.