Monday 27 March 2017

Keeping Your Concrete Slip Proof

Many homeowners are having troubles as to how they can make sure that the concrete pavement they have outside of their home is kept non slip. During the icy season, it cannot be helped that the concrete becomes slippery, and such situation of a concrete will predispose you to risk of falling or slipping when you walk on it. It is best that you know of techniques on how you can fully manage such kind of concrete so that you can see to it that you will never fall victim to accidents.

When you read through this article, you will get a good glimpse on the techniques and easy tips which you can do so that you will never have a slippery concrete for that matter. You will have to make sure that you get to follow through the simple steps so that you get the perfect outcome in the end.

How to Make Your Driveway Slip-resistant

When you drive, you encounter all kinds of roads. Rough roads, smooth roads and even slippery roads. All these are often unavoidable. But if there’s one surface you drive on that shouldn’t be slippery, it’s your own driveway.

When surfaces are slippery, they increase the chances of accidents happening. Your home should be the last place for accidents and should be the safest place for your family, so it’s very important that you make your driveways slip-resistant.

Resin-bound Gravel

Resin bound gravel is the best slip-resistant solution for your driveway. Since it has a roughened surface it provides more grip compared to other types of surfaces, like tiles or bricks, which can become very slippery especially when wet. Due to its surface characteristic it provides great traction not only for pedestrians but also for vehicles. Aside from its slip-resistant quality, it also provides a great aesthetic appeal to your driveway. This means you don’t have to sacrifice the look of your driveway in order for it to be resistant from slips.

If you’re interested in this solution, try using Pour On. With Pour On, you simply lay the aggregates on to your driveway and then pour the resin over them to keep them bonded. As simple as that, you already have a slip-resistant solution for your home. Learn more about Pour On here.

Slip-resistant Coating and Grit

Another option to consider when making your driveway slip-resistant is to apply a concrete sealer and a polymer grit. What you do is place the sealer on to the surface, add some clear grit, and then spread it evenly using a squeegee. Then before the sealer dries, you need to add texture to it by sweeping over it with a broom. Though this type of solution offers an effective means of slip-resistance, it needs a yearly re-application of both the sealer and the grit, especially in high traffic areas. To learn more on how you can slip proof your concrete, check this link.

 Thus, when you sense that the temperatures are dropping, then it is best that you get the right mechanisms ready so that you can fully keep your driveways and pathways clear of any ice. It is in this matter that you get a concrete that is fully safe for all your family and friends to fully enjoy. You will never have to worry again when you set foot in your concrete pavement.

Concrete Safety Tips- Keep Icy Pathways and Concrete Driveways Safe

There’s a definite chill in the air these days. Temperatures are dropping and the first few flakes of snow have fallen from the sky. Winter’s impending arrival gives homeowners new concerns. One of those concerns is keeping your concrete driveway and pathways ice-free and safe for family members, friends and neighborhood dog walkers.

To help keep pathways and concrete drivewayssafe, homeowners have several choices when it comes to products that de-ice concrete surfaces. Lowell Russell, the owner of Lowell Russell Concrete in Lakeville, MN, encourages homeowners to consider using sand on their concrete surfaces because it’s readily available and environmentally friendly.

If homeowners prefer to use a deicing agent, there are several types available. Here’s a quick summary of some types of deicing compounds consumers can consider:

  • Regular rock salt (sodium chloride) can melt show and ice until temperatures drop to between 16 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This product has been known to pollute streams, rivers and lakes.
  • Calcium chloride comes in small, rounded white pellets and can melt snow and ice until temperatures fall below zero. Please note this de-icer can cause skin irritation if your hands are moist when using it.
  • Potassium chloride only melts ice when the temperature is above 15 degrees, but when combined with other chemicals, it can melt ice at lower temperatures. This product by itself  does not irritate skin and does not harm vegetation.
  • Magnesium chloride continues to melt snow and ice until the temperature drops to 13 degrees below zero. It is less toxic to plants, trees and shrubs than other deicing products. To learn more on how you can prevent slippage in your concrete, check this link: http://ift.tt/2n9jl21.

It is your responsibility for your entire family to get a good glimpse on how you can ensure safety as your family make use of  the concrete outside of your property. As you follow all the listed tips above, then you  will ensure that you get a safe place, where there is virtually no amount of slippage that can ever occur. It is important that you get the right matters prepared and ready so that you can expect safety at the very least.

 

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Monday 13 March 2017

Tips In Keeping Your Concrete Clean

This is the best time that you showcase your patio to your neighbourhood, and what better way to do so than to have one that is cleaned and well maintained. It would be an eye sore to have a concrete patio that is worn out and dirty; and certainly, it is not a good place to stay at during the warm weather. That is why, you need to employ the right kind of maintenance, so that you will be always ready to soak up and relax on your patio whenever you feel like it.

There are a few things that you will have to keep in mind when it comes to concrete maintenance of your patios. When you are familiar with these things, your patio will definitely look comfortable, and it can even last long enough before the next renovation. Certain matters have to be put in place so that you can assure that your patio is maintained and protected every time.

How to Maintain Your Concrete Patio this Summer

Even though you aren’t using your patio during the winter, you still need to maintain and protect it. Cold temperatures, snow, ice and moisture can cause a lot of damage to your furniture, decor and your patio itself.

First, remove anything from your patio that won’t be able to withstand the elements. Things like plants, canopies, decorations, rugs and other items should be brought inside or stored in your garage or shed.

If you have the space, store your patio furniture, barbecue grill and other large items in your garage too. If this isn’t possible, invest in some furniture covers that cover your things completely and protect them from snow and moisture.

Protecting your concrete patio itself is a little harder. It’s not necessary to protect it from winter forces, but it is necessary to make sure small damages don’t turn into massive problems that weaken and ruin your patio.

As soon as the snow and ice begin to thaw, check for cracks and damage. The problem with damaged concrete is that it allows water to seep into cracks and holes, which then expands as it freezes, causing even more damage. If you can repair cracks and holes before this happens, you’ll prevent a lot of damage and keep your patio in excellent condition. Learn more here…

When you are planning on cleaning your concrete patio, it is advisable that you assess whether you know what kind of cleaning should be done on it. There are different options that you will come across with, and that it is important that you will really know the most suitable type for your concrete patio. You will also have to ensure that you get your materials ready, as well as your necessary protection as you do your cleaning.

Concrete Cleaning

Firstly determine whether the task at hand is a light easy clean or a more extensive heavy duty clean. Throughout this entire procedure, work safe. Gloves, eye protection and a mask if working with chemicals. I suggest long sleeves and wellington boots as well.

Easy clean: This can easily be done by using a deck broom or a more robust stiff brush broom and general all-purpose cleaner. Always work wet. Soak the entire area before applying cleaners and keep the hose handy to wash as you go.

Chemical Clean: Source the product through any reputable hardware store. Actual concrete suppliers will stock the right product for the job. Always follow instruction on the bottle.

Sealed concrete: Working with a previously sealed surface may only need a light clean. However, if stains (oil, grease etc.) are apparent removal is imperative before sealing. Use degreaser or hydrochloric acid. (warning: always wear protective gear and never inhale fumes when using chemicals). The aim is to loosen and lift oil out of the concrete. Using hydrochloric acid is dangerous to health and can also alter the colour of your concrete if not used correctly. Always follow instructions on the bottle. Check this link for more: http://ift.tt/2mlzwrW.

As a homeowner, you have the responsibility to ensure that you will do the necessary cleaning of your concrete patio so that you can prolong its use. You must make sure that you have the holistic knowledge when it comes to doing what is needed to benefit your concrete patio. When you think that the job is just too hard, then you must never hesitate to call a professional for help.

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Monday 6 March 2017

How Custom Concrete Can Benefit You

There are so many ways to kill a cat as they say, and the idiom also applies to how concrete is being managed in your homes. During the construction phase, you will see an innovation to how the concrete is being applied, such that there are concrete spray guns being utilized now where the fresh concrete are easily sprayed to where it is needed. In fact, it is even termed as shotcrete; and the practice can actually be done to steel, polystyrene or wood with hundred percent adherence.

When it comes to using shotcrete, there is a use of a spray nozzle. And in this form of innovation, the concrete are forced their way out through the nozzle and is directed to where it is going to be laid down. One of the benefits that you will see is that, it is also perfect for application even in curved surfaces. You will realize that in the course of the spraying, it actually uses less material, is affordable and that will settle really fast.

Shotcrete

There are many advantages to spray shotcrete for walls, it works well on curved surfaces, it’s fast, and it’s affordable due to needing less materials and the quickness of the construction. Spray shotcrete walls are very strong and durable, and are fire, mold, and insect resistant. Shotcrete makes tight envelopes, has good thermal mass, and very little permeability.

There are two common types of walls used with shotcrete. One is a insulated sandwich panel and the other is plain, uninsulated walls. With insulated sandwich panels, the panels are prefabricated and made of polystyrene insulation between two sheets of wire mesh. The mesh is connected by galvanized wire that has been welded to create a truss-like support system. This type of wall also allows the concrete to have more thermal mass benefits. With plain walls there is no insulation, there is only the reinforcement that is covered by the concrete. With this option, insulation can be added on either side of the walls after the shotcrete is applied. Learn more here…

 Thus, whenever you see that there are damages in your concrete pavement, then all that you have to do is to contact a construction company that will help out in the renovation of the damaged concrete. You will be given the opportunity to choose between a wet spray concrete or that of a dry spray concrete. Certainly, you will be amazed at how beneficial the sprayed concrete can be in your renovation needs.

Wet And Dry Sprayed Concrete

Dry spray concrete is generally referred as gunite, while wet spray concrete is referred to as shotcrete.  Sprayed concrete is, in some ways, superior to conventional concrete. It can be applied far easier than conventional concrete and has quite a high strength. It also has low permeability and high durability, meaning that it can withstand inclement weather with ease. The low water and cement ratio means that it can be applied quickly and is at little risk of freezing in colder weather, while good adhesion and bond rates means that it will stick quicker to a structure than ordinary concrete. Both types of concrete hold these advantages, though shotcrete has the additional advantages of less waste produced during operation and the ability to spray larger volumes in a shorter time for a swifter repair operation.

Sprayed concrete can operate at height without the need for specialist structures such as concrete or specialist vehicles such as MAWPs. It can also cover large volume areas in minimal time. Both wet and dry processes are incredibly useful, especially where an extensive repair operation is required, and our team can perform concrete spraying onto any structure and for any purpose. Both methods of spraying concrete will serve you well and it turns an extensive repair operation into one that can be carried out in very little time. Check this site for more: http://ift.tt/2n8vOmh.

With the sprayed concrete that is being used to renovate whatever concrete problems that you might have, then you will be pleased with the satisfactory results when you ask the construction company to utilize shotcrete instead. You will also get to benefit from the surveys that are being done as well as the testing services which will be offered to you.

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