Placing concrete driveways in Ohio & the Midwest

Good morning! I just returned from a "photoshoot" as the photographer of the guys placing a concrete sidewalk and garage apron for a homeowner. It is going to look great, and I can't wait to see the finished product. It is regular concrete with a broom finish, pretty standard, but with a stenciled border. The homeowner's choice of stencil was a keystone pattern. The colors are Brickform color hardeners of Terra Cotta with a hint of Cappuccino, which will perfectly pull out the stone on the porch. The stone is opposite; more of a cappuccino color with a hint of terra cotta. I will have to return with pictures of the final product. Don't let me forget!

Part of the reason for my post is to warn you about placing a driveway past the middle of October. This will be our last driveway/apron placement for the year. Even though the homeowners can drive on their new apron in 10 days, (allowing it time to cure enough before driving on it for this time of year,) it really is still curing for many days to follow. At temperatures just above freezing, fresh concrete hardens very slowly.  However, concrete made and cast at low temperatures may eventually be stronger and more durable than concrete made during warm weather provided it is cured long enough and does not freeze. In this initial few months, the concrete is more susceptible to damage caused by salts and deicers, and this can include road salts dropped from vehicles.

"Owners should not use salt or other deicers during the first winter, especially if concrete was placed after mid September and was not air dried and sealed." (As stated in a brochure from the Ohio Ready Mixed Concrete Association. www.ohioconcrete.org) We suggest using sand instead to improve traction. Or a trick we have found helpful is to clear the snow immediately after falling and before foot or auto traffic has packed it down. The sun and air will do it's magic and clear any remaining snow very quickly. NEVER use any deicer that contains either ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate (fertilizers.) It will react with the concrete and cause damage.

Thanks to our friends at Ohio Ready Mix for delivering the concrete today. It is great to work with another quality company! www.ohioreadymix.com

Blessings to you and your family. I hope to talk to you again soon! Let me know if you have any questions!

Concrete pavement placed in Marion, OH

Job complete! Our guys did a great job up in Marion, OH at the Bunge NA plant replacing existing asphalt and concrete pavement that had seen its better days. Eight inches of concrete was placed over a steel reinforced and compacted stone base for a run of about 422 feet long. They placed 217 cubic yards of concrete in three days. I hear the semi truck drivers think they are on a runway now!

I want to thank our primary suppliers for this project: Hensel Ready Mix for supplying the concrete, White Cap Construction Supply for supplying and delivering the steel, cure and other materials, Concrete Coring Company and Smith Materials for assisting with the removal process of the existing pavement. A thank you, also, to Mark Pardi at Ohio Concrete for the prospectus on the job as shown above. Go Concrete!

Great job to our employees and all of those involved. They worked their tails off in the 90 degree heat and high humidity, and then went right into another similar job at Midwest Express near Marysville. Kudos to all!

Pole barn floors, stenciled porch, & more

Hi! I thought I should at least jump on here and let you know we still exist! I wanted to post every week, but I had a little gap there, didn't I? Sorry!

Well, we have been busy. We have placed concrete for a decorative porch in Urbana, OH. I need to stop in and get pictures now that it is completely done. Jeff put the bottom row of siding back on the house last Friday. It is beautiful. We used a ...well, I'll wait and tell you more about it when I get the pictures up. The guys are pouring a barn floor today - I think total the floor used about 44 cy of concrete. We also have repaired a barn silo foundation outside of Urbana, replaced a garage floor in Quincy, and repaired and filled in a trench in a manufacturing facility in Sidney.

We are still bidding concrete jobs as well. A few bids that have recently gone out include another skate park, a set of barn floors for a beef operation, a decorative sidewalk, and a couple of driveway replacements.

Although we are not as busy as we have been in past years, we are still working strong with what we have, and we will be here for your business in the future. We appreciate each customer because without you, we wouldn't have a business. Let me know if we can be of service to you.

8 Tips for a Durable Concrete Driveway

Now is a great time of year to upgrade your home with a concrete driveway. Think back to last winter...did you have ice between the stones on your gravel driveway that just wouldn't melt? Did your snow blower or shovel keep getting stuck on the heaving cracks of your asphalt or old concrete? Forward to spring...are you, like me, tired of raking gravel out of your yard from the snow removal from your gravel driveway? (Yes, we do concrete work and I still have a gravel driveway...such is life on a farm and I am okay with that!) You don't want to go through that again, do you?

But before you sign the contract or otherwise commit to a contractor to place the concrete, make sure you are going to get a quality and long lasting job. Here are some things to look for before you sign the dotted line:

1) Base - a compacted base is a must for a quality end product. We recommend a 4" gravel base compacted uniformly and evenly so the slab won't settle and won't vary in thickness.

2) The concrete should be 4000-4500 psi (determines the compressive strength, or also the amount of cement in the mix) and is air entrained. The slump should be a maximum of 4-5 inches for a non-reinforced slab. (This is a test that basically determines how wet or runny the concrete is.) The slump should be consistent with each pour that is placed throughout the project.

3) Reinforcement - You may have the option of fiber, wiremesh or rebar reinforcement. Fiber is usually used in concrete to reduce plastic shrinkage cracks or dry shrinkage cracks, the cracks that may occur during the initial curing process. The intent of wire or rebar is to hold the concrete together should cracking occur to reduce the heaving or shifting of concrete. Don't let any contractor tell you that their concrete won't crack. A contractor can do all they can to control the cracks, but they do occur beyond anyone's control. For more information on cracking, visit this website: http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/concrete_cracks/

4) Water should not be added to the concrete after it is placed to make the concrete more workable. Throwing water on top reduce the water to cement ratio on the top layer of concrete making it weaker. Beware of the contractor who does this! Some water or an admixture may be added before discharging from the concrete truck, but not after discharge begins. Admixtures can be added to the concrete while in the drum to make the concrete more workable.

5) A new slab should be allowed two months of curing time of temperatures above 40 degrees F. In our location, we do not recommend placing a driveway after October 1st.

6) Joints - Control or contraction joints on a 4" thick slab should be placed approximately every 10 feet and at a depth of at least 1/4" into the thickness. The joint gives potential cracking a place to "run" instead of randomly zigzagging across your driveway. If you find a crack in a control joint, that means it worked!

7) Curing - This is one of the most important steps in concrete construction. There are a variety of ways to cure concrete, but the most widely used method is a liquid membrane which is sprayed or rolled on the surface of the slab immediately after finishing.

8) In most cases you should be able to walk on your driveway the day after it is placed, but don't drive your vehicle on it for 7-10 days after placement. It actually won't reach its 4500 psi compression strength for up to 28 days in normal temperatures. Consult with your contractor on when he/she says it is okay to drive on your new driveway.

If you have questions, please leave me a comment and I will be glad to help guide you in your search for a durable driveway.

I pray that God blesses you in all you do, and that you have a wonderful weekend.