You trust your concrete to be strong. You trust your concrete to withstand harsh weather elements and climates such as snow, ice, rain and extremely hot and cold temperatures. You trust your concrete to withstand heavy tension, and to look its best for many years to come, but do you know how to maximize the life and durability of your concrete?
Reinforced Concrete
To ensure concrete is strong, durable and resilient, there are a few steps that you can take. The first, and most common is reinforced concrete. We all know steel as being extremely durable and used to build everything from large commercial structures to portions of residential homes. With carbon being one of the main materials in steel, it makes for an extremely tough building and construction material. Therefore, with steel-reinforced concrete, your driveway, sidewalk or patio will have a much longer lifespan.
Why Reinforced Concrete?
• Holds the concrete together, especially during heavy tension
• Prevents concrete from cracking
• It’s durable and will lengthen the life of your concrete
Pouring Conditions
Making your concrete last starts at mixing and runs through the pouring process. When it’s time to lay down a new concrete driveway, walkway or patio, the conditions you pour in are vital. Although you might see many contractors pouring concrete on a hot and humid summer’s day, it’s not the best practice for reinforced concrete. In fact, you can achieve optimal results when you pour concrete on a damp day with overcast and a temperature no higher than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you need to pour in hot weather, be sure to try and use a screen or some sort of material to keep the sun from beating down on each slab. And if you have to pour in cold weather, remember to cover each slab with insulating blankets, straw, plastic or another layer of protective material as soon as you finish pouring. You should also keep the concrete covered for a minimum of three days.
Curing Compounds
Once you finish pouring your new concrete structure, you need the concrete to properly cure. You can aid the process by using a curing compound that helps prevent the water mixed with the concrete from evaporating completely while the concrete finishes hardening. This process can take more or less time, depending on the depth of the poured concrete, space it was poured in and outside climate conditions, but monitoring the concrete and allowing it to keep the moisture needed to properly form and harden is vital now to ensure the longevity of your pour.
As concrete experts, the team at Templin Concrete Construction can handle your pour from start to finish. Whether installing a driveway or walkway, or if you want a new patio poured, we can help. To learn more or to schedule a consultation for your project, call us today at 612-388-1945.