Saturday, July 15, 2017

Things To Know When Using Concrete Slabs Efficiently

By Frank Foster


Concrete slabs are common elements of structure in modern buildings which are often used for floor and ceiling construction reinforced by steel. The thinner ones could be used for paving the exterior under the main floor slabs or crawl spaces. They can either be supported by foundations or placed on the subsoil directly for most industrial and domestic structures.

Most contractors choose this because of its inexpensiveness and gives a durable, attractive surface which is easy to maintain. You can be one of these companies that use concrete slabs Mandeville in your construction business. Here are some information which could help you build quality projects in Mandeville, LA and other cities.

Remove first all soft soils, vegetation and rocks for the slabs to be supported uniformly when putting them there. Place the concrete at a firm and undisturbed ground if possible so it could properly stay in place. Set forms to let their surface slope for two percent at least in providing the area of an adequate drainage.

Use a lumber that are as thick as the specified one for a slab as a scratch template with stakes attached to its top surface. A string line could also be placed across the top of these forms in ensuring proper thickness. If the flatwork would be exposed to thawing, freezing and deicing chemicals then get an air entrained concrete.

A material that has minimum cementitious should be specified with relation to the maximum aggregate size to ensure the durability and finish is good. Do not use high slump concretes and control with the truck the additions of water. Because high slump admixtures can become detrimental and result with an increased warping due to a greater paste content at the upper portion compared to the lower one.

Wet concretes saturating clothing, contacting your skin, and entering boots must not be permitted while you place or finish them. Strike off the surface while keeping a small amount at the front of straightedge for filling low spots in. This will help in preventing the formation of birdbaths when the finished surface gets dry.

Use darby or bullfloat on the surface before the concretes are beginning to bleed or excess moisture appears to level ridges and fill voids. Any finishing operation must not be performed when bleed water is still present. Dust drying the cement is not advised when you want the bleed water to be soaked up.

Use groover in making contraction joints while the concretes are still fresh and its dept should be a quarter of their thickness. Conventional or early cut saw can be used for sawing the joints which prevents cracking if done early. Air entrained concretes must not be hard troweled as doing so might cause the deterioration of the surface.

After the finishing operation is completed, start curing immediately the concrete with different available methods which depends on the season. When the location have cycles in freezing and thawing then use wet curing methods during the fall seasons. This allows them in becoming dry before the first freeze arrives though do not use deicing agents during winter,




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment