Defects

Concrete Defects

Ask The Builder — Concrete is a unique material. It is hard, dense and durable yet it is highly susceptible to staining when it has a rough to semi-smooth finish. Most exterior concrete surfaces like driveways, sidewalks and driveway aprons need to have a somewhat ...More…

Concrete Sealant Manufacturers

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete sealants are sold at many places. You can generally find them at building supply stores, hardware stores, etc. Shop around and read the product labels completely to see if the product will suit your needs. Remember to check to ...More…

Concrete Life Maximized

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete is a very magnificent material. As you know, you can form it into almost any shape, you can apply many different finishes to it, you can stamp it with patterns, etc. Concrete has its strengths and weaknesses. You must minimize ...More…

Concrete Sealants

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete sealants are products designed to inhibit and/or prohibit liquids from being absorbed by concrete. Concrete, contrary to popular belief, is actually a porous material. It can and does absorb water and other liquids. Some of ...More…

Deicing Salts And Concrete

Ask The Builder — Summary: Rock salt can be damaging to concrete driveways, walkways and patios if the concrete installation was not originally done correctly. Concrete's compressive strength, air entrainment, placement and finishing are all important to ...More…

Residential Concrete Manuals

Ask The Builder — Summary: The following publications are excellent source materials for facts about how concrete should be mixed, placed, finished and cured. All of these things must be done properly to ensure that your concrete will be durable and long lasting. ...More…

Concrete and Steel Tips

Ask The Builder — Summary: Installing concrete to achieve long lasting, high quality results depends on many things. Some of the most important aspects are often overlooked, like its strength, application thickness, its cracks that form from shrinkage and the use ...More…

Concrete Slab Cracks

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete slab cracks can be minimized by following several guidelines. Install concrete that is the correct strength for the job it is to provide. Make sure that the ground beneath it is compacted well. Control joints should be placed in ...More…

Concrete Patching, Additives & Epoxies

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete, what an amazing material! I can't say enough about it. Here is a material that you can make out of four basic ingredients (sand, gravel, cement and water). Once mixed, it can be placed with relative ease (because it is in a ...More…

Concrete Repair Products

Ask The Builder — Summary: There are numerous companies that manufacture concrete crack patch compounds. Some of these are regional and some are national brands. I have listed several national brand companies that make great products for concrete repair. Some of ...More…

Concrete Crack Repair Tips

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete floor repair begins with the preparation. Before you mix any patching material, first make sure your concrete repair job doesn't involve any tapered edges to the patch area. Follow instructions for mixing the patching material ...More…

Concrete Repair - Patching

Ask The Builder — Summary: Concrete repair needs a cool day, good patching material or adhesives and a well prepared area. Make sure your concrete patch does not have its water pulled out by the older concrete, the wind or the sun. Look for the words "acrylic", . ...More…