4 Key Advantages of Exposed Aggregate Concrete

By Admin
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04 Dec, 2018
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Contractors have long prized concrete for its incredible durability and long lifespan. Yet the uniform grey appearance of standard concrete holds less appeal for homeowners interested in beautifying their property. Fortunately, concrete now comes in a wide variety of decorative styles, giving homeowners an unparalleled degree of aesthetic freedom.

One increasingly favored type of decorative concrete goes by the name of exposed aggregate concrete. Yet many homeowner still don't understand the qualities that have made exposed aggregate concrete so popular. This article takes a closer look at four of the most compelling benefits of exposed aggregate concrete.

1. Versatile Aesthetic Options

Exposed aggregate differs from regular concrete in two key ways. First, the top layer of aggregate visibly protrudes from the surface of the pavement. Second, instead of the drab gray gravel used as aggregate in regular concrete, homeowners can select from a wide array of decorative aggregates.

Such aggregates run the gamut in terms of color, shape, and size, allowing you to custom-create a one-ofa-kind concrete surface. The cement used to bind the aggregate together can also be tinted for further aesthetic interplay. And you can choose from more than just stone aggregates. Many people choose to incorporate polished chunks of glass, giving the concrete an added dimension of luminescence.

2. Improved Traction

For the most part, exposed aggregate concrete installation proceeds in much the same manner as regular concrete installation. Yet once the surface has been allowed to partially cure, contractors use water and nylon-bristled brushes to remove part of the cement from the surface. As a result, the aggregate at the top of the slab juts out.

Exposed aggregate concrete thus has a naturally stubby texture, one that gives it more traction than regular concrete, even when wet. Contractors can further enhance traction by altering the size of the aggregate particles used, as well as their shape and surface texture. For instance, raw stones tend to yield more traction than do polished ones.

3. Decreased Susceptibility to Spalling

One of the most common problems faced by regular concrete is spalling. Spalling often happens in wintertime, as the porous concrete absorbs water and dissolved de-icing salts. As temperatures drop, this salty mixture expands, creating large amounts of internal stress.

This stress weakens the surface layer of concrete, making the cement paste susceptible to cracking, crumbling, or shearing away under even normal pressures. Such spalling leaves the surface of the concrete looking rough and pitted. Not only does this reduce the visual appeal of the concrete, but it also hastens the rate of further wear.

Exposed aggregate concrete has a natural degree of immunity to spalling, since contractors have already removed the surface layer of cement paste during installation. To get the best longevity from an exposed aggregate surface, homeowners should have it sealed approximately every two years.

4. Improved Home Value

Surfaces made from exposed aggregate not only look and perform better, but they also add more long-term value to your home. Exposed aggregate driveways, in particular, add a level of curb appeal that can entice would-be buyers. According to a study in Australia, potential buyers overwhelmingly considered homes with exposed aggregate driveways more attractive and contemporary.

As a result, 75 percent of those surveyed indicated that exposed aggregate added 5 percent to the home's total value. 42 percent of respondents went a step farther, claiming that the exposed aggregate concrete added a whopping 10 percent to the home's market value. Should the time ever come to sell your home, exposed aggregate concrete surfaces can easily pay back your initial investment.

Exposed aggregate concrete has become one of the most popular forms of decorative concrete today. For more information about adding an exposed aggregate surface to your home, please contact San Jose's concrete pros at Jimenez Concrete Inc.

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4 Key Advantages of Cellular Concrete

By Admin • October 10, 2018

Cellular concrete consists of a mixture of water, cement, and pre-formed foam. Contractors and manufacturers sometimes refer to cellular concrete as foamed concrete. Because cellular concrete forgoes stone aggregate, and because the foam introduces a higher ratio of air, it has a much lower density than traditional concrete.

Cellular concrete possesses numerous benefits when it comes to certain types of building and restoration projects. Unfortunately, many people still fail to understand just what makes cellular concrete so special. This article seeks to increase your knowledge of the contemporary concrete world by outlining four key advantages of cellular concrete.

1. Lighter Weight

The defining feature of cellular concrete is its relatively high air content. The foam leaves behind evenly distributed cells of air in the hardened concrete, and the air may account for up to 80 percen t of cellular concrete's volume. That said, a contractor can carefully adjust the precise ratio of foam introduced to control the amount of air and end up with a desired density.

As you can imagine, the more air cellular concrete contains, the lighter it will be. Generally speaking, however, virtually all cellular concrete weighs less than its traditional equivalent. This characteristic gives it a distinct advantage when it comes to certain types of construction or repair tasks.

Cellular concrete allows builders to stay within strict weight management limits for certain types of buildings. Walls and floors constructed from cellular concrete place a much smaller load on a building's foundation, often allowing builders to construct taller structures. The light weight means it can even be used as a roofing material.

2. Better Thermal Insulation

The high air content of cellular concrete also produces a drastic effect in terms of thermal insulation. Just as with density, insulating power relates directly to the proportion of air in the concrete — more air increases the insulating power. As a result, structures built using cellular concrete tend to exhibit much better energy efficiency.

Manufacturers test a building material's insulating power according to R-value Higher R-values indicate a greater degree of insulation. One inch standard concrete, which has a density of 150 pounds per cubic foot, has an R-value of just 0.07. Cellular concrete, at the extreme end of the spectrum, may have R-values as high as 2.0 per inch .

3. Improved Fire Resistance

All concrete possesses a natural degree of fire resistance. Yet not all concrete can withstand the same temperatures or for equal lengths of time. The same insulating properties that make cellular concrete such a great choice for energy efficiency also give it an improved ability to resist heat transfer, thus making it harder for fire to spread throughout a building.

Standard concrete that has been reinforced with rebar or other internal steel elements has a greater susceptibility to fire. As the heat from especially intense fires passes into the concrete, the metal rebar expands, creating internal stress. As a result, the concrete often succumbs to spalling damage.

To combat this weakness, concrete manufacturers often add monofilament polypropylene fibers to the mix. While effective, this strategy can drive up the cost of the concrete. The excellent insulating properties of cellular concrete offers an alternative way to resist spalling. Cellular concrete is also less likely to explode as the result of exposure to a high energy flame source.

4. More Cost-Effective

Most cellular concrete contains an ingredient known as fly ash, which promotes a greater degree of internal strength. Fly ash replaces some of the cement that would otherwise be used in the mix. This replacement tends to bring down the overall cost of the concrete, since fly ash is an industrial waste product that can be acquired for a fraction of the cost of cement.

Cellular concrete has become an increasingly popular building choice, thanks to its wealth of undeniable benefits. For more information about whether cellular concrete would make a good choice for your next construction project, please contact the pros at Jimenez Concrete Inc.

3 Key Goals of Concrete Compaction

By Admin • August 20, 2018

Concrete is made up of three relatively simple ingredients: aggregate, cement, and water. Yet that doesn't make installing concrete a simple task. Contractors must account for a multitude of different factors in order to ensure optimal results, both in terms of appearance and long-term structural stability.

One of the most important aspects of concrete installation is compacting the concrete. Compaction occurs soon after the concrete has been poured into the forms that define its ultimate shape. If you would like to learn more about the process of compaction, and its critical role in concrete installation, keep reading. This article outlines three key goals of concrete compaction.

3 Key Benefits of Air-Entrained Concrete

By Admin • June 13, 2018

Concrete is a ubiquitous part of the modern world and can be found virtually everywhere you go. While it can be easy to assume that all of this concrete has exactly the same structure and makeup, actually, a surprising degree of variation exists. By changing the proportions, additives, or manufacturing methods, contractors can create concrete blends for highly specific needs.

One of the most interesting forms of concrete goes by the name of air-entrained concrete. More and more contractors are turning to air-entrained concrete to complete their building and paving jobs. If you would like to learn more about the basis for this growing popularity, keep reading. This article will outline three key benefits of air-entrained concrete.

1. Workability

Contractors commonly evaluate concrete in terms of workability. This term identifies how easily the concrete can be poured, leveled, and compacted — in short, how easy it is to work with. Traditionally, to create a mix with better workability, contractors would have to add more water.

Unfortunately, as concrete's water level increases, its strength rapidly drops off. Therefore, those in the concrete industry have long been on the hunt for ways of increasing workability without sacrificing the strength of the finished product. The process known as air entrainment allows contractors to achieve just this elusive goal.

Air-entrained concrete increases workability by introducing millions — if not billions — of microscopic air bubbles into the wet concrete. These air bubbles function almost like a sort of lubricant, allowing the larger chunks of aggregate to flow past one another more smoothly.

Be aware that air-entrained concrete still sacrifices a little bit of strength. Generally, the compressive strength of air-entrained concrete goes down by 3 to 7 percent. Most contractors consider this a reasonable trade-off for the workability benefits since adding extra water would reduce compressive strength to a much larger degree.

2. Water Resistance

There can be little doubt that the Achilles' heel of concrete is water. The porous nature of concrete allows water to easily penetrate it. This water expands as it freezes, creating stresses that may crack or weaken the concrete. A large percentage of concrete damage can be traced back to water.

Air-entrained concrete has a noteworthy advantage in this department. All of the void spaces created as the air bubbles harden give the concrete a natural buffer against freezing water. The bubbles' additional volume gives the freezing water room to safely expand. As a result, the water doesn't press against the concrete with nearly as much pressure.

3. Segregation

Segregation is an unwanted phenomenon that occurs after concrete has been poured in place. It involves the separation of the concrete's main ingredients as heavier aggregate particles move downward towards the bottom of the slab. This downward migration gives rise to a closely-related phenomenon known as bleeding.

As the heavier particles move downward, they displace a certain volume of water — literally pushing it back upwards toward the surface. Excessive bleeding weakens the concrete by preventing the cement from fully bonding with the aggregate. The resulting slab will thus be much more likely to suffer from issues like cracking and spalling.

Air-entrained concrete reduces the ill-effects of segregation. Instead of pushing all the way back to the surface, the displaced water pushes into the air bubbles. While this reduces the number of bubbles, it performs a much greater good by allowing water to remain more evenly distributed throughout the slab.

Air-entrained concrete allows contractors to more easily install concrete surfaces while also promoting stronger results. For more information about whether air-entrained concrete would be a good choice for your next concrete project, please contact San Jose's experts at Jimenez Concrete Inc.

The Differences Between Concrete Curing and Sealing

By Admin • April 14, 2018

Concrete is one of the best possible materials for constructing a driveway, garage, or sidewalk. This clear superiority stems in large part from the incredible durability and damage resistance of concrete. Yet many homeowners overestimate the strength of concrete, treating it as though it were completely invincible to damage.

This attitude overlooks the fact that concrete can be subject to many different forms of damage if not protected properly. Fortunately, many different strategies exist for protecting your concrete, and thus extending its lifespan. The curing process — including the use of curing compounds — will predict future durability to a large degree.

Once the concrete has hardened, many homeowners choose to apply sealers to further boost damage resistance. If you would like to learn more about these two strategies for protecting concrete, read on. This article will help to expand your concrete knowledge by discussing the key differences between curing and sealing.

Curing

Once forms have been erected, and the concrete poured into place, it must be allowed to cure undisturbed until it has reached a fully hardened state. To a large extent, this process takes place passively. In other words, you and your contractor will have to wait several days until the concrete has finished the process of crystallizing.

Yet the conditions under which the curing process takes place will play a huge role in its ultimate strength. The key factor here is evaporation. If too much water evaporates out of the surface, plastic shrinkage cracks will occur. This network of fine cracks will mar the appearance of the concrete.

Excessive evaporation will also result in much weaker concrete. As time goes on, such concrete will be more prone to developing forms of damage such as cracks, potholes, and spalling. To control evaporation and promote even curing, many concrete contractors utilize what are known as curing compounds.

Contractors apply these liquid compounds to the surface of the concrete shortly after pouring it into the forms. First, however, the surface must be leveled and smoothed through the use of bull floats and other tools. The compound may then be applied by a worker armed with a sprayer wand.

A curing compound acts to limit the volume of water lost through evaporator. The curing compound does so by forming an impermeable liquid membrane on top of the concrete. Curing compounds have been proven to improve the internal strength of concrete by increasing the curing time, allowing the water and the cement to combine more thoroughly.

Sealing

Curing compounds clearly yield stronger concrete. Yet, that doesn't mean that these compounds will prevent all forms of damage. Physical damage caused by objects striking the surface of the concrete can still lead to cracks and chipping. Likewise, exposure to substances such as water and motor oil can weaken and ultimately damage the concrete.

To prevent such forms of damage, wise homeowners often choose to have contractors apply a sealer to the surface of their concrete. A sealer forms a hardened layer on top of your concrete. This physical barrier protects the concrete from shocks while also preventing damaging substances from coming into direct contact with it.

Sealer will effectively extend the lifespan of virtually any concrete surface. To get the best results, however, you will want to consult with an experienced concrete contractor about the right type of sealer for you. A variety of different sealers exist on the market, each with a particular set of strengths and weaknesses.

Curing and sealing represent two key ways to get the most from your concrete investment. For more information about the right curing and sealing methods for your concrete, please contact the experts at Jimenez Concrete Inc.

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional to Install Your Concrete Surface

By Admin • February 14, 2018

Concrete is used to create a number of surfaces around a home or business. Concrete is commonly used to form driveways, walkways, foundations, retaining walls, garage floors, and pool decks. When you are looking to install a new concrete surface or have an old one replaced, you may find yourself thinking about doing it yourself.

Large concrete surfaces can be more challenging and laborious to install than the average person realizes. There are many benefits to hiring a concrete installer to complete the work for you. Learning these benefits will help you make an informed decision about doing it yourself or hiring a concrete contractor. Here are three of the benefits of hiring a professional to install your concrete surface.

Correctly Preparing the Site

Before contractors can bring concrete to a job site, they have to prepare it first. This involves leveling or grading the ground and determining the depth at which the concrete surface needs to be poured.

One of the common mistakes that do-it-yourselfers make when preparing a site is not thinking about drainage. When your concrete gets wet, typically due to rain or sprinklers, the water needs to go somewhere. If your concrete is not graded or sloped or is improperly graded, the water can flow into your basement, home, or flood portions of your yard.

Another common mistake that a do-it-yourselfer makes is making the concrete surface too thin or too think. The optimal thickness varies on the type of concrete you're using, how the concrete is being used and the weather conditions. If the concrete is too thin, it can crack or wear faster. If it is too thick, it may not properly cure or harden.

A professional knows how to properly grade and slope your concrete, and find the correct thickness, to prevent these common mistakes.

Selecting and Properly Mixing the Concrete

Did you know that there are different mixes of concrete available? Some contain more sand or reinforced materials, while others may contain more aggregate material or water. Selecting the right mix and then properly mixing the concrete is important.

The right mix helps to ensure that your concrete surface withstands the rigors that you put it through, the weather elements where you live and is able to cure based on the conditions that are present when you laid the concrete.

If you attempt to install a concrete surface yourself, you may select the wrong type of concrete without realizing it. This can affect the lifespan of your concrete surface. A professional knows how to select and mix the correct type of mixture for your project.

Leveling and Smoothing Before Concrete Cures

After you pour concrete, there is a limited amount of time in which the concrete can be leveled and smoothed before it begins to harden. Once it begins to harden, it can no longer be smoothed or leveled.
It takes do-it-yourselfers longer to smooth and level concrete because they are not used to doing this task.

Unfortunately, if they do not smooth or level the surface before the concrete hardens, there is not an easy or inexpensive way to solve the problem. When this occurs, concrete leveling must be done by a professional or the surface must be removed and installed.

A professional has the experience and skill set to come in and ensure your concrete surface is level and smoothed before the concrete begins to cure.

Are you looking to have concrete work done in the greater San Jose area? If so, Jimenez Concrete Inc. is here to help you. We specialize in concrete installation, replacement and repair services for homeowners, contractors and businesses. Contact us today to discuss your concrete needs with us and obtain a quote.

Stamped Concrete Installation, Step by Step

By Admin • December 20, 2017

When many people think of concrete, the image that comes to mind is a boring and frankly unattractive expanse of hard, grey pavement. However, concrete actually possesses a wide aesthetic range, one that is seemingly expanding day by day. Concrete is now capable of closely mimicking a variety of natural substances—often at a fraction of the cost.

One of the most exciting new techniques in the world of decorative concrete is known as stamped concrete. This technique allows a contractor to closely replicate the look of natural paving materials such as slate and stone. If you would like to learn more about this exciting new development, read on. This article will outline the process by which stamped concrete is installed.

3 Things to Consider When Designing Your Dream Patio Space

By Admin • August 16, 2017

Making periodic updates to your home may improve appeal and function, but certain projects can increase your home's total value. Considering an estimated 51 percent of buyers want a home with an outdoor living space, installing a patio will be a smart decision. Not only will it add space for entertaining and relaxing outdoors with friends and family, but a patio will also make your home more appealing and valuable if you ever need to sell.

Of course, designing a patio in your backyard may seem overwhelming due to the various styles and materials available today. If you are hoping to improve your home's function, look and value with a patio, use this guide and your contractor's help to design the perfect outdoor living space.