CONCRETE MAINTENANCE TIPS

Concrete Maintenance Tips help homeowners get the maximum life from their concrete driveways, porches and railings.

Concrete driveways and patios can be beautiful additions to your home. The wide variety of different colors and patterns to choose from can give your home a unique, one of a kind look particularly if you choose stamped concrete, patterned concrete, colored concrete, concrete overlays, or concrete staining and dyes.

Did you know that the most popular artificial material on Earth isn’t steel, plastic, or aluminum — it’s concrete!  Concrete has been used for thousands of years dating all the way back to the ancient Romans.  In fact, today, it’s the most widely-used material on our planet after water. Ton for ton, humans use more concrete today than steel, wood, plastics, and aluminum combined. Unlike aluminum, steel or plastic, the word ‘concrete’ doesn’t refer to a single material. It can be any number of substances that combine rocks or gravel with adhesive material. Basically, concrete is just various aggregates mixed with water and cement. Together, these ingredients form rocky jello that can be poured into a mold and shaped into whatever shape you like. It’s really liquid stone as it’s sometimes called.

CONCRETE DRIVEWAY AND PATIO INSTALLATION

Depending on the size of the job, 502 Construction & Concrete will take anywhere from 2 to 3 days for demo of the old driveway and preparation for the new driveways and usually 1 or 2 days for patios, pouring new concrete on day 2 or 3. The amount of concrete will then determine number of days needed to finish the project. The correct sub-grade material and compaction will help to increase the life of your investment. New concrete driveways and patio installations also need several days to cure before being able to use them and even more time may be required for patterned, stamped, stained, overlaid and other specialty concrete driveways and patios.

CONCRETE SEALING AND MAINTENANCE

Sealing can should be done as soon as concrete has been placed, except when temps are 45F and below. And, they should be resealed every 2 to 4 years depending on their use. There are many types of sealant materials so ask 502 Construction & Concrete what is best for your application. If cracks develop, they should be sealed as soon as possible but no later than in the fall of each year to prevent further cracking and damage.

If you would like to learn more about maintenance services on your existing concrete driveway or installing a new concrete driveway, call the professionals at 502 Construction and Concrete today at 502-252-1762 or contact us through the contact form.