Concrete Issues

floors may be tough, but they need to be maintained and protected as well. Without proper maintenance, you can end up having to pay a lot of money for repairs and renovations and that is not a very desirable thing all the time. In addition to this, concrete floors start looking old and boring very soon, within the very first few years. This is because concrete floors on their own do not look very appealing. So what you need is something that will help you protect your concrete floor and help you make it look better. And most importantly, it should not cost as much as a full-scale repair or renovation would cost.

This is the time when you need concrete stains. Modern concrete stains are the best solutions to all minor concrete related problems. They are very easy to use and once they are applied, they keep on protecting your concrete floor for a long time to come. And your floor will also look great throughout that time. The best thing about concrete stains is that give you the best value for money per square feet than any other concrete surface maintenance product.

Concrete stains are chemicals that can be easily applied on the concrete by any adult person. No special training is needed to handle these stains and they are not inherently toxic, so protective gear is not usually needed. You can simply pain the stain on to the surface and you are done. You should use the modern quick dry varieties to get faster results. Quick dry stains are meant to dry out in hours, not days, leaving you enough room to complete your project within one single day if necessary. You can easily turn the entire thing in to a personal home improvement project because using stains couldn’t be any simpler.

After you have applied the stain, it dries off and solidifies on the surface of your concrete flooring. Once it has dried, it starts acting like a shield against the daily wear and tear that your flooring experiences. It also protects the flooring from the dirt, grime and moisture that most floors are subjected to. This ensures that your concrete floor lasts much longer than it would’ve lasted under the usual circumstances without the stain. Stains come in great colors and shades and hence they make for excellent choices for completely reinventing your home.

These colors are usually found in two different sets – traditional and designer. As the names suggest, traditional colors are more suited to those who are looking for some sober and more common colors. While designer colors are bold statements and are more suitable for those who are looking to create a whole new style statement within a room or the entire house. The best is that you can mix up stains and get a brand new shade that is uniquely your own and does not match any of the stock shades, So get smart and creative, use a concrete stain on your concrete flooring.

By: Gen Wright

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Joel Jamison asked:


Acid stain concrete is an old technique that has recently seen a resurgence in popularity. Concrete floors are known to be durable, low maintenance, and incredibly ugly. If you learn how to acid stain concrete floors you can keep the durable, low maintenance surface while turning your ugly gray surface into a beautiful work of art. Most acid stains are going to be earth tones. This includes many shades of browns, dark reds, and greens. These earth tones will give your floor the look of expensive stone or marble, for significantly less.

If you are not the do it yourself type of person you can hire a contractor to do your acid stain concrete job. For a basic job you will most likely pay around $4 per square foot. If you want a more detailed and intricate pattern (multiple colors and designs) it will cost you anywhere from $4-$10 per square foot.

If you just want a basic job done it is suggested that you do a do it yourself. Instead of paying a contractor $4 per square foot, you can get it done for $.50-$1.00 per square foot, and it will only take a few hours over two days to complete the job. Even if you are a DIY novice, you should be able to handle this type of project. Here are four steps on how to acid stain concrete.

Get Your Materials

You need to make sure that you have all the materials necessary before starting the job. Since you will be working with a weak acid it is essential that you protect yourself fully. This means wearing long sleeves and long pants, protective eye wear, a face mask, and gloves. Other materials necessary include: Acid concrete stain, sealer, concrete cleaner, broom, wet vac, sprayer, paint tray, and a roller.

Prepare The Surface

Since the acid stain is semi transparent any blemishes or cracks on the concrete will show through. Hairline cracks can give your acid stained floor more character, by anything else should be repaired. You will need to clean the concrete to the best of your ability, the better you get it to look now the better it will look after you apply the stain.

Apply The Stain

There are a few ways to do this step, but I prefer to use an all plastic sprayer. One person should spray on the acid stain to the concrete while the other follows behind and brushes it in with a broom. This will leave brush strokes so the sprayer should go over the area again. Repeat this process until the whole floor is covered.

Wash The Floor

After the floor has had the proper time to react it is time to wash the floor with a baking soda and water solution in order to neutralize the acid concrete stain and remove any excess residue. You should go over the floor with this solution at least twice.

Apply The Sealer

Once the floor is completely dry you should apply 2-3 coats of sealer with your paint roller. As soon as the final coat is dry you can begin using your beautiful new floor.

This is a simplified guide on acid stained concrete floors. Click this link for a complete, detailed, step-by-step  guide on how to stain concrete floors.

Floor Mounting

Mounting to the Floor

Some systems require that the unit be drilled into the floor of the room. These are generally systems that rely on spring mechanisms. Mounting a Murphy bed unit into the floor provides grounded stability and truly makes your Murphy bed a fixture in your home, but it is important to note the long-term effects of mounting on your floor. Most floor-mount systems call for a solid mounting surface, requiring any carpeting to be cut away which can permanently damage your floor. In addition to marking your floors, floor mount systems are difficult, if not impossible to move once installed.

The “False Floor” Option

There are several Murphy bed manufacturers that offer a “false floor” option, where the Murphy bed is attached to a specifically cut piece of plywood, which is then attached to the wall or baseboards. This option is ideal for those who have settled on a Murphy bed requiring floor mounting, but want to preserve the appearance of their flooring.

Wall Mounting

Mounting to the Wall

Systems that require the Murphy bed be mounted to the wall are most commonly used with piston mechanisms. Mounting to the wall provides a much less permanent fixture in your home, as wall mount systems can be easily moved and incur very little damage to the structure of your room. The most common way in which a Murphy bed is mounted to the wall is by locating three studs, and then attaching the back panel of the Murphy bed to those studs with the use of a drill. Utilizing studs in your wall creates a stable foundation for your Murphy bed. It also allows you to reposition your Murphy bed if need be later on.

Different Wall Types

When deciding on a wall mounted Murphy bed, take into consideration the wall you will be using. Is the wall made of sheet rock, concrete or bricks? While most manufacturers provide solutions for all types of walls, certain wall types will require additional installation steps. Deciding between floor mount and wall mount styles of Murphy beds, and how they best fit into your home is an important choice. Be sure to investigate all of your options early on in your decision making process, and when you have decided which style is right for you, you will be one step closer to enjoying your Murphy bed.



By: Old Creek Wall Bed Factory

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Reinforced concrete is widely used in buildings, bridges, dams and structure foundations. Concrete offers several advantages over steel or timber such as durability, ease to take any shape, nearly passive behavior and exceptional corrosion shield. The only real problem with concrete is that it tends to break under tension because its tensile strength is only about 10% of its compressive strength. In order to take advantage of its compressive strength concrete slab or piece is reinforced with steel – the resulting structure provides excellent compressive and tensile strength and can be commercially used for building construction.

The principal authority for concrete structure design is the American Concrete Institute (ACI). The organization reviews the most recent products and technologies on regular basis and incorporates the changes into relevant Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318). Because of the increasing material & design options available in the market, the code is becoming more difficult and complex to understand, including several cross-references. But the basic concrete design standards and practices have not changed much in the last few years.

There are two conventional methods to design concrete structure – working stress method and ultimate strength method. The most commonly used method is ultimate stress method which requires considerably less concrete and reinforcing steel.

One of important considerations in concrete design is cover. Cover is the minimum distance from the encased reinforcement to the nearest face of the concrete. This cover offers corrosion protection to the reinforcement and allows the bars to bond to the concrete. Cover also helps in better flow of concrete around rebar. ACI 318 7.7 suggests cover from 3/8″ to 3″ depending on the bar size used and weather exposure. If the cover is too thin fracture can form over and parallel to the bars. This cracking leads to loss of bond and accelerated corrosion.

ACI recommends to the concrete configuration as straight and uniform as possible. This not only simplifies the design process, but also contributes to the savings in construction expenses. The ultimate strength design is more efficient than working stress design in both material utilization and design efforts. At the same time it is also crucial to use rational load configurations and sensible mathematical design models.

For any query related to your reinforced concrete design projects email us at info@cadoutsourcingservices.com and we will get in touch with you shortly.

Also, visit us at http://www.cadoutsourcingservices.com/cadd-structural-drafting.php for more information.



By: Richard Botham

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Andrew Karundu asked:


Ground floor concrete slabs are laid on natural ground levels. This are are normally cast after completion of the foundation works. There is a difference between them and basement floors. Basements are done below ground level and they are formed above. They can be used in houses, garden sheds and outdoor houses. When casting them the level should be reduced by about two hundred millimeters. This ensures the top vegetable soil is excavated and removed.

Ground floor concrete slabs are solid and not suspended like storeys above this level. Preparation starts after the foundations and walls are finished. The sides of the walls are the back filled internally and externally. After this, the ground is leveled and compacted to receive the ******** base. This ******** is average three hundred millimeters in depth. Proper compaction and consolidation is done. This is the base for concrete that is formed.

After the ground floor slab ******** is compacted and leveled, blinding is then put. The blinding can be of quarry dust, lose chipping, sand or murram. Anti termite treatment is then sprayed on this surfaces. Formwork for the concrete is then fixed to edges of the foundation wall. This is the concrete thickness. The thickness of concrete is one hounded to one hundred and fifty milliners. The height from stripped level is three hundred millimeters.

On ground floor concrete, damp proof membranes are laid after blinding. A sheet of one thousand gauge diothene sheet is used for this. Next mesh reinforcement is laid above the sheet. After this concrete is mixed and poured on top. Leveling is done with the formwork height. Mixes for concrete are one part cement, two parts sand and four parts ballast. After casting the concrete is watered for atleast seven days for curing. Walling can then proceed.

Allan Wilson asked:

There are many low-pressure ***** injection kits which come with simple instructions so the homeowner can repair cracks in poured basement walls or retaining walls, gaps between walls and the ceiling and around pipe ************. Any homeowner can avail of these to repair cracks with professional results at a fraction of the cost.

Advantages of Concrete ***** Repair Kits

Modern concrete repair kits contain polyurethane foam, which fills even a 24-inch thick wall. The application is much relatively simple and mainly, the polyurethane foam remains flexible to allow for the natural movement of concrete. There are ***** injection kits that seal both hairline and wide cracks, be it wet or dry ones and these require no drilling as the injection ports are glued on, offering a permanent solution.

These come with dual cartridges and a mixing nozzle to ensure precise mixing of the polyurethane polymers and a permanent seal. Standing apart from this option is the surface sealer and adhesive which is easy to peel and use: it can be peeled off together with the injection ports in one piece and is popular because it leaves a neat and clean concrete surface – no chiseling or grinding needed. This requires no hand mixing so is not messy at all.

How to Repair Concrete Cracks

Most high grade kits for concrete come equipped to deal with cracks up to 10 feet and all that is needed is nit rile gloves, safety glasses and a drop sheet with the skill to use a conventional caulking gun. Patience is required to ensure that the wall surface around the ***** is clean, dust-free and dry and then gluing injection ports on top of the crack, before covering the ***** with a layer of epoxy paste.

This takes about 4-5 hours to cure and then the injection of the polyurethane resin into the bottom injection port can be started. When the polymer starts coming out of the higher port, cap the port and move on to next the higher port until the whole ***** is filled. The curing will take another 3 hours and then the injection ports can be knocked off.

Concrete resurfacing

Well, so your floor is damaged. Smile, you now have the opportunity of using concrete resurfacing to repair the damage and give a new look to your patio, your room or any other surface that will lead your friends to gasp with surprise and admiration.

Concrete resurfacing is the procedure used to repair any large or small damages suffered by pools decks, patios, and walkways. They can be completely restored with the help of concrete resurfacing, which is also popularly known as decorative concrete resurfacing.

Procedure:

This is a fairly simple procedure, which can be used by everyone if a few precautions are taken. The concrete to be resurfaced must first be freed from all dirt grime and oil.

Usually a mixture of acrylic resin, polymers, cement and colorant is used and shot onto the prepared surface. Usually it is hand finished to give the concrete that extra edge. This procedure can be used in burnt, cracked and broken and rough surfaces

Some other pros:

There are many ways in which concrete resurfacing can be brought about. Some of the most popular methods are acid stains, stamped textures, stenciled patterns etc. almost any design can shape under the creative mind of the designer. The dull cracked floor can transform right before your eyes in a marbled hall with Paneled floor and many brilliant geometric designs.

For those of you who are worried that the whole surface needs to be made new because of that small damaged area, there is some good news. Concrete resurfacing can be used only on the damaged portion. This can be done in a way that blends the new design with the old one. This will no doubt cut your expenses by at least 50%. Great huh?

Among its many other advantages, there is yet another important one. If a good agent does your concrete resurfacing then it will last in any extreme climatic conditions. Infact the type of furnishing will depend upon the climate in which your space is built. It usually takes about 3 to 4 days to resurface the area depending however also upon the size of the structure. The concrete is mostly long lasting and can last like new anywhere between five to ten years.

So if you have covered your cracked floor with carpet and pretend it does not exist, well, remove it and switch to resurfacing. This highly inexpensive and smashing way of making your room new as before is no joke. See your interior designs for new options and designs.



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Durall Industrial Flooring asked:


When carpet is removed from over concrete holes and craters are left from carpet tack strips that were nailed into the concrete. Each nail when removed can leave up to a ½ in. wide hole in the floor. The same is true with doorway transition plates that edged your carpeting or tile. The removal of old walls will leave even bigger holes in the floor. The following information can help you repair your floor holes so that smooth modern flow coated flooring can be applied.

After removing floor tiles, tack strips, doorplates, walls etc. your floors will need to be cleaned so that your holes can be filled with a permanent bond. If all that you need is the holes filled the preparation need only apply to those areas. This will mean that your holes will be made level again but you will be able to see each of them unless covered with another material. If you will be using an epoxy or urethane coating over the top you should prepare the entire floor before filling your holes.

Now that your floor is prepped and dry mix up some 100% solid epoxy and fill each hole as close to the top as possible. There will be some surface tension holding the epoxy together and when it hardens in about 12 hours you will need to use a 4-in. grinder with a masonry wheel. (A $19 tool) to flush off the edges of each pour to blend it with the surrounding surface. Note if you are going to coat your floor with epoxy you can do this while the whole epoxy is still wet. Don’t go over the filled epoxy but if you break the edge of each pour you will find that the repair tends to loose its surface tension edge and flow nicely with the surrounding epoxy hiding many of your pours. This can save quite a bit of time during your grinding phase. Once you have ground off the edges of your pours just sweep up the epoxy dust for your next coat. You may want to repeat or touch up some pours if needed.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For high-resolution photo examples, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/checkerboard

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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David Evermon asked:


There are many different types of concrete grinders on the market. What you plan to do with a concrete grinder will have a lot to do with whether you need one and how you will use it.

A concrete grinder is used for a number of reasons such as removing things like paint spills, glue, imperfections in concrete work, smoothing uneven surfaces, removing formwork seams or protrusions. Each concrete grinder has built-in features and can be used for some or any of the above applications. One of the most important features to look for when deciding to purchase or use a concrete grinder is a dust collector or vacuum. The reason this is so important is because you will lessen the amount of dust you are breathing in and have less mess after the job is completed, making clean up a lot quicker. Most models should have a dust collector, even small hand held concrete grinders.

Some of the types of concrete grinders available are:

*Shrouded concrete grinder with vacuum. This particular grinder is used for cleaning of planning and removal of glues and paints from concrete work. It is also ideal for smoothing uneven surfaces. The three different sizes available are 5, 7 and 10 inch models. A dust vacuum is used to stop dust and help remove debris while you are working.

*Heavy-duty grinders. 7-inch heavy duty angle grinders for concrete applications are made especially for concrete work. They are mainly used for removing blemishes or cleaning the concrete surface. Make sure there is a dust collection device included with the model.

*5-inch concrete surface grinder. This model will refurbish and deburr concrete, remove irregularities, form-work seams and any protrusions. There is a built in dust chute with most models that will remove dust and debris. This type of concrete grinder only weighs 6 pounds, making it ideal for reducing worker fatigue.

*Hand held grinders. These are ideal for small jobs like areas close to walls and other hard to get places. They are also ideal for removing blemishes to concrete work. They are very light and easy to use. If you have a large area to cover, a hand held grinder may be a little impractical.

*Multi headed grinders. These models come with dust collectors and are designed for large areas. Their main purpose is to level and remove small imperfections to concrete work. The brushes used in multi headed grinders can be changed to suit the surface.

When choosing a concrete grinder, the first thing to consider is what you are planning to use it for and the size of the job you will be doing. If you are only using a large industrial grinder once it may be a cheaper alternative to rent a machine. If you only need a small hand held concrete grinder, it may be a good idea to buy one.