A Virginia Concrete Company Does Excellent Work

By Cathy Mercer


A Virginia concrete company can build everything from a patio to a driveway. Each project may require a slightly different combination of aggregates, cement and reinforcing metals in the mix. Color can be added to embellish a project, by matching the color of a home, for example. Various finishes are available, such as stamping and staining.

Examples of aggregates are crushed rocks, gravel, limestone and sometimes sand. Rebar may be added for extra strength. The cement is the binding material that holds it all together. Fly ash and slag are also used as binding agents. Water is added to the mix. The amount of water depends on the project being built.

After the other components are added, water turns it into a partially liquid consistency. It must be delivered to the building site and poured while it is in the liquid state. Wooden forms are built prior to the day when it is poured. These will contain the mixture until it begins to dry. Hydration, which occurs after the pouring, is a chemical process activated when the cement reacts to the water.

The wooden forms can be used to form any shape such as a round or square patio or a sidewalk or driveway. When the mixture has dried, the wooden forms will be removed. These forms are also used when building steps or a garden path. Any home is made more attractive by the addition of a walk and steps to the entrance.

For much larger applications a reinforcing component called rebar is added to the mix. There are metal mesh, bars or other additions that will make the mixture stronger when it needs to support the structure. It will then be capable of supporting significant weight such as traffic crossing over a bridge. An overpass on a highway system can support cars and larger vehicles when rebar is added.

Virginia is a state that enjoys relatively warm weather year round. This makes it possible to pour an installation in most months. Weather conditions are always a concern. Extreme humidity and wind can be a hazard to completing a project successfully. Scheduling it for early morning is advisable during especially hot weather.

In extreme heat the contractor may have to modify the mixture by adding a different proportion of water. The concrete should be delivered to the site only when the employees are already assembled there. Without enough finishers to start immediately after the pour, the entire surface might not be finished soon enough as the surface will begin to dry quickly.

One characteristic of concrete is that it cracks in response to temperature changes. In Virginia it will not be extreme because the weather is mild. But, in geographic locations where the winters can be frigid, it occurs more frequently. Saw cuts are made in newly dried concrete to minimize the effect.

A Virginia concrete company will build either plain or fancy home improvement projects. The design of each is dependent on what the homeowner has in mind. One homeowner may want a large patio that looks like it is made of individual bricks. That can be done using a stamping process. Another homeowner may want a small patio with a soft green color, like grass. That is done by adding color to the mix. Every client can have a patio built to his individual specifications.




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