Most Trusted Simi Valley Concrete Pouring Team
Concrete is a popular material due to its ease of maintenance. However, if it isn’t worked well, you will get into serious problems. For free quotes, call us at (805) 864-5407 from expert Simi Valley concrete contractors. Some of the major issues with concrete include discoloration, cracking, scaling shrinkage and others. Let us look at these issues and how to avoid them.
Discoloration
Color discoloration often occurs as a result of a sudden change in the material of the cement, if the concrete finishing step is rushed or as a result of adding calcium chloride. To solve a discoloration problem, you should:
- Let your supplier know your tolerance level
- Ensure that the subgrade is uniform
- Wait for the water to evaporate before concrete is finished
- Ensure that no hard troweling is done on the surface exterior
Scaling
This is another common challenge with concrete. This often occurs as a result of the concrete surface breaking off or peeling away when non-air entrained concrete gets exposed to the cycle of freezing and thawing. It could also be as a result of the concrete pouring in Simi Valley not being taken through the entire process. To avoid concrete scaling, you should:
- Give room for the water to evaporate from the concrete surface
- Avoid using salt and other chemicals during winter
- Choose low slump-air
Crazing
This is another common challenge in concrete pouring. It happens when several fines and interconnected cracks appear on the surface when pouring concrete. Even though the strength of the concrete remains the same, slabs often occur as a result of a damp slab. To avoid crazing, ensure that:
- Concrete is cured at the right time
- Use a moderate slump of concrete that has no segregation and bleeding
- Where there is water on the surface and avoid dust drying cement
- When concrete finishing, avoid sprinkling water over the concrete
- Where there is a high rate of evaporation, water should be sprayed on the subgrade
Cracking
Cracking tends to happen easily on concrete. While it is possible to control it, you can't control it. This is a major challenge for building using concrete. Several factors can cause concrete cracking and these include thermal contraction, drying shrinking, applied loads and subgrade settlement. To reduce concrete cracking, you can:
- Get rid of the topsoil, organic materials or soft spots in a subgrade
- Compact the loose soil below a concrete slab
- Ensure that the subgrade has the right drainage
- Ensure that you have a flexible concrete pavement that can accommodate movements and loads
- Consider the weather condition before concrete pouring, finishing and curing
- Ensure that concrete has finished breeding before you finish it
- Reduce the amount of mix water
Curling
This happens when there is a difference between moisture and temperature at the top as well as the bottom surface. After curling has happened, the surface slab will lose support at the base. To avoid curling, you should:
- Use the right curling techniques
- Install the concrete joints well
- Use low content of water
- Use the biggest aggregate size possible
- Use the right amount of steel reinforcement
- Ensure that concrete has been placed on a damp sub-grade that also absorbs water.
At Simi Valley Concrete and Masonry, we are your home of all concrete services. Whether you need concrete pouring, stained concrete or concrete pumping, you can reach us on (805) 864-5407.
