Being careful about how you take care of the inside of your home, but what about your outdoor concrete patio, walk way, drive or porch?

Concrete is tough and durable, but giving the concrete the same consideration as your indoors can give you a nice finished product for many years to come.

Always remember to never use ANY deicers the first year your concrete is poured. Spreading down sand is fine anytime for the concrete surface, but don't allow any snow or ice to accumulate on the slab during the first winter.

Remember to not allow drain water to undermine the slab for it may cause settlement cracks in your surface.

Many have heard the joke about concrete slabs and cracking. There are only two kinds of concrete, concrete that’s already cracked and concrete that’s about to crack. Cracks are common and apear in floors, driveways and patios. Cracking can not be prevented but it can be significantly reduced or controlled. Most of the time, a crack in your concrete patio or driveway should not be a cause for alarm.

Cracking can be a result of one or a combination of factors, some examples include: shrinkage, contraction/expansion, settlement, bearing capacity and applied stresses.

We employe several methods of reducing the occurrence and width of cracks in the concrete we pour. The first is the use of a proper concrete designed mix. The second is the use of horizontal steel rods that will reduce the width of cracks when they occur.

The third method is the use of a control joint. A control joint is an intentionally placed weak spot in the slab to induce a small hairline crack in a predetermined location.

If you are here looking for information on your foundation crack, call us to look at the problem. There may be no problem at all!