Construction & Contractors Blog
Everything from sidewalks to patios to slabs can be built with concrete, so when you're having a new home built, or even if you're updating or remodeling your existing home, concrete construction is probably something you have considered. Have you ever wondered what kind of concrete you should use? Here are some tips to help you better understand residential concrete construction.
Different Types of Concrete Mixtures
Concrete is made up of three basic ingredients: sand, gravel, and water. The proportions of these ingredients determine how strong the concrete will be.
First, you need to decide what kind of mixture you want to make. There are many different kinds of concrete mixtures available on the market today, but they all fall into one of the following categories:
Ready-mix concrete requires little or no preparation. It's often called "ready-mix" because it's already been prepared by a licensed contractor and delivered directly to your job site ready for use. Ready-mix concrete comes in two grades—one for foot traffic and one for heavy vehicle traffic.
Concrete Preparation
The first step in concrete construction is preparing the site for pouring. You'll want to avoid any areas where there are large rocks or other obstructions that might damage machinery during pouring. If there are low spots in your yard, they should be filled with gravel, so the concrete doesn't settle unevenly into depressions later on. If you are doing foundation work, the appropriate reinforcement and moisture barrier also needs to be installed. After the area is prepared, the concrete can be poured and then finished.
Concrete Finish Options
Concrete is generally poured as a flat surface that's then leveled by trowels or screeds until it's smooth enough for use. You can also add finishing touches like concrete stamping to create patterned surfaces and textures in your concrete. If you want something more unusual, consider having your concrete stamped with custom designs that match your home's decor.
Let Concrete Cure Properly
Another important fact about concrete to remember is that it needs to cure properly before it can be used for anything other than walking on it. This means that after pouring the concrete into place, you must wait several days before using it for anything else. If you attempt to use freshly poured concrete too early in its curing process, it may crack or crumble under pressure from people walking on it or heavy machinery being driven over it.
Residential concrete construction is a big decision that's best informed by professionals. Contact a residential concrete construction service to get the help you need with your next project.
Share15 June 2022
The world around you consists of a lot of built structures. Obviously, these include a lot of buildings, such as schools, homes, and places of business. It also includes roads and sidewalks. But it also includes things you may not think about as often, such as playgrounds, telephone poles, and sewer systems. All of these built structures common and uncommon, are made by construction workers or contractors of some type. They're pretty incredible, their work is pretty incredible, and we are excited to write about both them and their work here on this blog. We hope you enjoy reading it, probably while inside some type of built structure.
