Concrete Guide

...Really interesting stuff about concrete. yep. concrete.

 

September, 2009

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Using A Concrete Overlay To Make Your Home More Attractive

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

When it comes to concrete, most of us imagine a gray, dull and boring floor. Warehouse stores are known for their use of concrete flooring, although they typically use it as a cost cutting measure because concrete is cheaper than linoleum and other flooring types. However, a concrete overlay is an incredibly cost effective way to get a beautiful floor in any application. This option is ideal for any establishment, including a home. The cost of a layer of engineered concrete on the existing slab is similar in price to tile and the results can blow you away.

As you know, millionaires have beautiful floors in their homes; this flooring is often made from marble. This is a beautiful choice that shows elegance and wealth, but the cost cannot be ignored; it is incredibly expensive. If your original goal was marble flooring, but cannot afford the costs, there are companies who can produce polymer resin and concrete mixtures; they mimic marble at an affordable price. The polymer is used to help bind the overlay to the existing concrete; this allows the properties of concrete to change so that it does not crack with a humidity or temperature changes in a home. Another property change is that the concrete can mimic marble in shine and color.

Overlays can be laid in different thicknesses; you can go as thin as a credit card to several inches thick. When properly mixed, the concrete and polymer stick well to the slab; most importantly, they are very durable. In fact, even the floors at one of those above mentioned warehouse stores use a concrete overlay on top of the original slab. This is what gives the concrete its shine. Those floors stand up to years of abuse without any signs of wear. Overlays are also resistant to UV exposure, salt, and most chemicals; this makes it ideal for all applications including those outside.

A new trend for the modern home is to use concrete and a concrete overlay to build up counters. This option is a popular choice among homeowners because concrete is well-known for its strength and durability; the overlay is well-known for its ability to mimic other materials. There are some homeowners who stain the concrete because they like the concrete look; however, others will use an overlay to get that beautiful marble or granite look. As you know, marble and granite make beautiful countertops, but neither have the strength and durability to standup to concrete. Most importantly, concrete is more resistant to odors and stains; making it the perfect choice for either your home’s floors or countertops.

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Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Decorative Concrete

But when corners are cut during the pour, it is only later, after the contractor and the workers are long gone, that the homeowner begins feeling the pain: cracks in the basement floors and walls, as well as patios and sidewalks.

Walkway surfaces start flaking and chipping away, leaving craters everywhere. Maybe they’re merely unsightly, but soon people are tripping over them and commenting on how unsightly the property is.

How about solid yet flexible concrete fences?

But wouldn’t a concrete fence make a home unsightly? Contrary to popular belief, concrete can be molded into almost any shape and size, and embellished with myriad designs to suit your aesthetic tastes. All you need are accurate measurements, concrete forms, rebars and steel mesh, and then you’re good to go.

Just prepare the mold for the concrete and you’re all set to start pouring and curing. Of course, it helps to have precise measurements of the perimeter of your property.

What makes concrete a better material for fence construction is its ability to take any contour, large or small, tall or short, thick or thin, with the proper mold and some extra materials to reinforce the structure, such as steel. Prior to setting up the forms, remember to take exact measurements of your lot’s perimeter and determine how high you want the fence to stand.

Speaking of aesthetics, concrete fences may be made to look like other materials like wood or brick, or painted with a variety of colors to bestow your home’s frontage with beauty that lasts. Treat yourself further by repeating the exterior design of the fence on the interior to give your yard an artistic boost.

Concrete fences may also be dressed up with different patterns that cater to even the most discerning preferences. The advent of paint mixed especially for concrete provides another option for beautifying an otherwise drab fence. Match the design elements and colors of the fence to those of your house.

Instead of building the fence from the ground up, however, you may want to opt for prefabricated concrete fences. With the most of the dirty work done off site, in a facility where temperature is regulated to allow proper casting and curing of concrete panels, the only thing left to do is install them.

Later, when the concrete has properly set, the panels may be transported to the site and attached to similarly precast concrete posts.

The cost of labor for the installation on top of the amount you spend on purchasing the precast concrete panels can be daunting, but it is more cost-effective than setting up fences made of other materials in the long terms since maintenance won’t be much of a problem.

Although buying prefabricated concrete panels and having them installed may require deep pockets, you might end up saving more because they do not rot or rust, and rarely needs replacing unlike fences composed of wood or metal. Concrete is also resistant to extreme temperatures, making it ideal in any conditions.

What is perhaps the most endearing trait of concrete fences is that it can be fitted with fixtures like lighting and insulated tubes for electrical wires during the casting stage. This feature is extremely helpful if you want lights to run along the length of the fence or simply install security cameras at selected locations.

Some manufacturers of prefabricated concrete fences offer to install tubing in the panels through which electrical wires for lights and other fixtures can pass. If you plan ahead, there may be no need to have more work done just to install lamps and other devices which require electricity.

If you are planning to install lighting or other gadgets on the concrete wall, you might as well ask the manufacturer to modify the panels to accommodate electrical conduits and other accessories. By doing this, you lessen the risk of the concrete fences chipping or breaking when you try setting up an electrical system to run through it

Resource Author Francisco R. Higueras
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