Concrete is an incredible building material that can hold incredible compressive loads and is durable and long lasting. However, if your concrete has not been placed by experts such as The Conco Companies, who are concrete contractors with a leading record of delivering high quality concrete services including rebar in Portland and across the US, your concrete may develop issues over time. Here are some issues that can develop when concrete is not expertly placed.
Why workmanship matters Concrete is porous which allows it to absorb water. However, when correctly mixed and placed, this property will not impact the condition of your concrete over time. If concrete is not done correctly, it can lead to several issues. Water Damage The first issue you may see is discoloration or spalling on your concrete. Discoloration is often a rust-like in color but could vary in hue. These issues are likely caused by water coming in contact with the steel rebar. Rebar is an essential component in concrete construction that provides resistance against non-compressive forces. It improves the concrete’s ability to manage any non-compressive forces that may be placed on the slab. However, rebar is made of steel and can rust if not covered by a sufficient amount of concrete. Spalling is where the surface of the concrete is cracking outward or flaking off. When rebar rusts, it expands, causing the spalling and the discoloration. Incomplete Consolidation Another issue that can rise from improper placement is incomplete consolidation. When concrete is mixed and placed, it needs to be in movement or vibrated to ensure that it is completely consolidated. If it is not vibrated when placed, or a layer is too thick for the vibration to consolidate the mixture, you may see “honeycombing,” where you see recesses that show the aggregate instead of a smooth finish. If you identify any of these issues in your concrete, an experienced concrete contractor will be able to help you identify the problem and potential remediation. These issues and others are why it is important to review a contractor’s track record in order to ensure that your concrete is placed correctly and expertly the first time. The Conco Companies’ mission is to be the best supplier of concrete services in the Western U.S. and to bring expertise and incomparable quality to each project. We continue to upgrade and expand our facilities to better serve the growing market for commercial, educational, parking structures, public works projects, and other development. Contact us to learn more about the services from one of the most trusted shotcrete contractors.
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Concrete is placed as a liquid and develops its strength as it cures over days or weeks. Curing is the process where the proper conditions for cement particles to hydrate are created and maintained, through which concrete gains its strength. The ability to place concrete as a liquid has many advantages including easier shipment, pumping concrete in ways similar to water, and the ability to place concrete into nearly any form on the project site. Concrete contractors in Portland, such as The Conco Companies, provide expert concrete services for complex projects throughout the Western U.S. Part of all concrete placement services is to test the strength of concrete as it cures to determine if it meets its designed performance specifications. Concrete Testing Standards Concrete strength testing is a well characterized and defined process. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) developed standards to ensure that concrete strength is consistent in every commercial project. ACI 318-14 defines that concrete compressive strength will be based on 28-day test results, with the average of three tests being the final value as long as no strength is below 500 psi or 10% below the specified strength. This means that while three day or seven day tests may be done to determine if the concrete is strengthening as designed, under most conditions, the 28-day test is the final determination of the concrete’s long term strength. Concrete Testing Methods Testing concrete in place, and not in the lab, offers the ability to determine when concrete formwork can be removed on new concrete and to determine the strength of existing concrete, for example, when a building use is changing and the structure strength needs to be re-evaluated accordingly. Testing methods can be destructive or non-destructive. While non-destructive methods are preferred, they do not measure the compressive strength directly, and if there is any question of the concrete’s strength, destructive measures will be used. Methods for in-place testing include rebound number, penetration resistance, pullout test, breakoff number, ultrasonic pulse velocity, maturity method, and cast in-place cylinders. Cast in-place cylinders are test cylinders that are poured when placing concrete and are tested after different periods of time to determine the progress of the compressive strength over time. Conco’s mission is to be the best supplier of concrete services in the Western United States and to bring expertise, experience, and quality of each project. We continue to upgrade and expand facilities to better serve the growing market for commercial, educational, public works, and parking structure projects as well as other construction development. Please call or email for more information on how Conco can assist your next project with Confoam™, our cost-saving cellular concrete. Planning your home remodel is both exciting and potentially overwhelming. Local general contractors can be a great source of knowledge to help you plan your home remodel. Not only can they help you install your remodel, their experience working with homeowners in your area give them an understanding of design trends and what works with local home designs. This experience can help you get a firm understanding of what you want to achieve. Once you have a direction for you home remodel, you can begin calculating a budget ahead of time.
The importance of creating a budget You may feel that a budget is not necessary to start and that you’ll keep track of expenses as you go. While there may be home projects where this approach works, such as when refinishing a piece of furniture, home remodels are on a larger scale of complexity and cost. Once you go down a direction with a remodel, you may be committing to additional costs to complete a job. If you have not completed remodels before, these costs may not be well known upfront. Designing a budget for you remodel The first step in creating your budget is to understand the steps involved in completing your project. As you understand each step of the process, you can then evaluate what materials, designs, and features you want to incorporate. Even if you don’t plan on hiring a home remodeling contractor to complete the work, this is a crucial step that can be helped by experience. Understanding exactly what steps will be involved, design options, as well as material and sourcing options, will allow to build your budget. Once you have each step of the remodeling outlined, you can start to build you budget. Take the cost of home remodel components such as wood, tilings, sinks, etc. and add the cost to each phase. Then, add in the costs for other materials such as nails, grout, caulk, etc. Next, add in labor costs. If you are planning on doing it yourself, still give yourself an hourly cost – it will give you an idea of the investment you are putting into your remodel. That said, there will likely be areas that require expertise, including plumbing, electric wiring, roofing, or structural engineering that will require you to hire contractors. Once you have all of these items in your budget, you should have an idea of what it will take to complete your remodel. If you are looking for a professional home remodeler, start with Mares & Dow Construction. We have been in business since 1983, serving residents throughout the Bay Area. Contact us today to get started on your next project. Installing reclaimed redwood flooring is an excellent way to transform your living space into a unique and inviting area. The redwood will create a rich, natural appearance, and reclaimed lumber comes with a number of advantages. And since The Lumber Baron has onsite milling available, our reclaimed redwood will allow you to create a space that isn’t available through mainstream lumber stores.
A Floor with Character Reclaimed redwood is more than mere lumber. It also has a history related to the building, bridge, or other structure it was taken from. It has a patina acquired over years and characteristics such as coloration related to exposure to water or other liquids. All redwood lumber shares traits such as coloration, but only reclaimed redwood offers the density, strength, and historical value found in wood harvested in those bygone days. Benefits of Reclaimed Redwood The reasons for installing reclaimed redwood flooring include such things as qualifying for “green” building recognition and a natural resistance to decay. Old growth heartwood lumber is recognized for its density, where the growth rings are compressed over time to form lumber that is nearly impervious to moisture, insects, and mold or mildew. When added to the unique luster and texture of reclaimed redwood, the choice is easy to understand. Advantages of On-Site Milling The Lumber Baron adds another factor to the equation. We can custom-mill lumber, including non-standard board widths up to 12 inches wide and resurface reclaimed redwood to bring out the best appearance and reduce job-site labor requirements. The big box lumber stores can cut your material to length, but they aren’t equipped for surface milling or custom sizing to match standard lumber sizes used in older homes. Your weekend flooring project can profit from our 4 decades of experience in selecting and milling lumber. We offer a selection of hand-selected redwood reclaimed from decommissioned bridges, factories, and warehouses, including such historic locations as the Old Bay Bridge. We encourage anyone interested in repurposing this beautiful redwood lumber to stop by The Lumber Baron and take a look at what we have to offer. |
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