I want to make concrete pillars to build a wooden house on 
Hi there, I am looking at building a small wooden house which i want to build on a wooden base, supported by concrete pillars in the ground with wooden …

Fly ash and slag in concrete 
Hello, I'm wondering how much fly ash or slag is used to replace cement in concrete? If a yard of concrete is roughly 4,000 lbs, my understanding is fly …

Cold weather curing for concrete stairs 
Good day sir! A question regarding curing in cold weather. If concrete is poured in cold weather, heated until 1000 or 1500 psi is achieved, and then …

How thick should I pour my concrete patio slab? 
Q. I'm Getting ready to pour a 14x48 slab for a patio, almost the same square footage as the 26x26 on this site. I would like to pour it 4 inches thick, …

Concrete countertop material alternatives? (cannot find materials in Hong Kong) 
My questions are based on this article Simple Concrete Countertop Mix I do not live in America or Canada, instead I live in hong kong. So I cannot …

Repair of rough patches on the surface of a concrete garage floor 
Q. I have several rough patches on my garage floor that I need to repair and then paint the floor with concrete garage finishing coat. What product should …

How much fibermesh is added to concrete? 
Q. What is the ratio amount of fibermesh to a yard of concrete? A. We use fibermesh in all the concrete floors and slabs we pour. We add 1 bag (usually …

What is the best way to fill gap in concrete foundation wall after removing block of wood? 
Q. I have 2 pieces of wood 6"x6" in the basement poured concrete foundation wall that are at the bottom of the wall that look like they were possibly part …

Where do I get decorative concrete training? 
Question: Where is the best place to get hands on training in polishing, stamping and coloring concrete? I am a builder in central Virginia and have taken …

How do I attach a concrete statue to a concrete floor? 
Question: I have a concrete statue I would like to glue to a concrete porch so it will not be stolen. Answer: You can use this epoxy repair putty to …

How to minimize having a slippery driveway in the winter 
Question: My driveway is about 240 feet long, slightly curved and a bit more than moderately steep. We are considering installing a colored and stamped …

Is building permit needed for installing precast concrete steps  
Q. I had two sets of concrete steps with a concrete slab in between. The steps were in extremely bad shape so they were jack hammered out and are to be …

How to fix rough broom finished concrete sidewalk 
Q. I recently had new concrete sidewalks & a patio pour with colored concrete . They swept the concrete to deep & didn't work it properly now it looks …

How thick to pour a concrete driveway 
Q. Hello, I am considering a concrete driveway addition 102 ft long by 15 ft wide. It will also park a 26,000 lb motorhome on it. What thickness should …

LIFTING CAPACITY OF CONCRETE BOOM PUMPS 
Q. WHAT IS THE MAX WEIGHT A 32 METER BOOM PUMP CAN HOLD OFF THE TIP SECTION. A. The safety manual of concrete boom pumps have this statement right …

Fresh concrete exposed to short term high heat ~ 600 deg C 
Q. This is an industrial question really...I have a steel lined sump which is leaking. The sump manages strong caustic solution. Over time the undetected …

How to make concrete fence posts and mail box supports 
Q. What is the best way to make multiple concrete fence posts 4" sq without having to make a lot of forms? What mix is best to use? A. Depending on …

How do you join new concrete to old concrete? 
Q. I have a concrete patio slab that will need to be cut and partially removed so new perimeter drain can be installed underneath. The drain contractor …

Our downtown loft has great exposed concrete  
Q. Our downtown loft has great exposed concrete, the sad thing is someone painted over part of it. How can I get them back to a great looking concrete. …

new concrete problem 
Q. Hi, 21 days ago I had a new concrete patio poured around my pool and then 3 days ago the pool plaster crew came in and plastered and dropped plaster …

Concrete Footing for Deck - Multiple pours 
Q. We are currently building a deck, it's over 2m from the ground so our footings were quite deep 450x450x650+ in most cases. With the design of the …

Filling in decorative circles on a concrete patio 
Q. We have a concrete patio that has two circles in it. We think their original purpose may have been a fire pit. They are approximately 2 feet in diameter. …

Matching color of concrete walk with repair material 
Q. My sidewalk is a whitish gray. A section was repaired and it is dark gray. Will this lighten up with time? A. It will lighten up with time but will …

Pouring concrete over concrete 
Q. I am going to pour 2" of concrete over a 4" cracked slab of concrete behind my back door. If I put wire mesh down first will the concrete I pour crack …

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Polishing concrete countertops 
Q. How long should I wait after the forms are removed from a cast in place countertop before I start polishing? Thanks A. That depends on the countertop …

How many bags of cement in a cubic yard of concrete? 
Q. What is the number of bags of Portland cement to add to a cubic yard of stone mix? A. I built a whole page about this. Concrete mixing ratios …

Concrete Skim Coat ? 
Q. I just had a reputable contractor pour a concrete patio and apparently he didn't have enough help at the time and it set up to fast and turned out terrible. …

Concrete Driveway 
Q. We will be installing a concrete driveway ourselves and have been recommended by a cement company in the area to perform the following: 1) remove …

1st floor concrete floors 
Q. Hi there! I wonder if its possible to put in a polished concrete floor on a first floor above a double brick structure? Do concrete floors have to be …

Oxide colored cement floor 
Q. What sealer do I use on a freshly laid concrete patio floor. I have used Oxide to color the floor. It is a patio with no roofing and will be exposed …

concrete reinforcment 
Q. If I am pouring an extension, (10x34), to my patio and am using concrete with fiber, is the use of rebar and/or wire mesh still required for a strong …

What will dissolve concrete. 
Q. What will dissolve concrete in the shortest time? Preferably non toxic. A. You can try this Concrete dissolver/remover from Zep. DESCRIPTION …

Can I paint my concrete steps 
Q. Is it best to paint, stain or epoxy outdoor concrete steps? A. Epoxy and Paint are very sensitive to moisture, these are not the best choice for …

Strength of concrete 
Hi, I purchased a house where the previous lunatic cast a balcony floor using concrete lintels and hollow concrete pipe as a support. My plan is to …

Concrete brand 
Q. please tell me about another concrete brand like Sika or BASF? A. We use concrete products from Elite crete, Mapai, CementAll & Ardex.

Cleaning Concrete Driveway 
Q. How do I remove car drippings from my concrete driveway? A. Removing oil and other drippings from a concrete driveway is a common problem. Keeping …

Repair concrete countertop crack 
Q. I have a crack that appeared just after we poured our countertop. It seems to go all the way through (I can see it on the edge) it has not been sealed, …

CONCRETE HARDENING/MIXING & LARGE INSTALLATIONS 
Q. I am watching a History Channel show entitled 'Jobsite: Concrete Countdown.' In this episode they tell the story of a concrete truck driver as he …

how many bags of cement required for 1 cubic meter of concrete 
Q. Please tell detailed estimation of 1 cubic meter of concrete, how many bags required? A. You will need 672 pounds or 304 kilograms of cement for …

Is this a properly installed sub-base for concrete slabs?  
We have a contractor out pouring new concrete slabs for us (12 of them). The reason for the new slabs is some were hollow, or sunk down about 2 to 4 inches …

Measuring a pile of concrete 
Q. If I have a pile of concrete, how can I calculate how much concrete is in the pile? A. A cubic yard of concrete measures 3' wide by 3' tall by …

Repairing Concrete Steps 
Q. Which type of concrete is best to use to level steps when there is some paint remaining on the steps? Since the paint is resisting chemical and mechanical …

Which product to use for filling voids in concrete 
Q. I'm wanting to replace the wood 2x4 joints in my patio, which are starting to rot with concrete. What is the best product to use to fill this 1.5"x2.5" …

Concrete numbering system 
Q. Whats the difference between M40 - M60 grade concrete? A. M-40 grade concrete: Requirement of materials per cubic meter Cement = 400 kg Water …

What is the best Epoxy for attaching two concrete items? 
Q. We have a little concrete angel that stands about six inches high with a base approximately four inches oval shaped, that my wife painted and wants …

white spots on concrete  
Q. We have had white spots on our garage floor for about a year. Now they are getting black centers and look like little craters. These are dime to nickle …

Powder cement 
A. I got about a thousand pounds of dry cement/concrete powder. Was wondering how I could find out what type it is and also what ratio to mix with sand …

Patching a hole in Foundation 
Q. My house has a 10" poured concrete foundation. There is a small hole (8" x 12")in the foundation that was used as a vent into a cold storage room. …

classes of concrete 
When going through building plans I encounter construction jargon where I am instructed to cast class 25, 20 or 30 of concrete. What are these classes …

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Concrete slab on a slope without footer 
Q. What is the name of a solid concrete slab with out a footer on a slope called? A. A concrete slab poured without a footing is called a monolithic …

Repairing exposed aggregate concrete 
Q. We have just had a concrete pathway done in the exposed aggregate finish. The company has not done a very good job as there are loose stones on top …

How much to install a concrete slab? 
Q. I am wanting part of my garden concreted. At the moment it is soil and not very level. The area to be done is about 12 ft by 14 ft. I want to get someone …

concrete statue 
Q. I need to make a statue from concrete and am planning to use a paper mache mold(realize structure of form may be questionable) but I'm not exactly …

Setting time of Concrete 
Q. OUR CONSTRUCTUAL REQUIREMENT IS CONCRETE(REINFORCED) SHOULD BE POURED WITHIN 2HOURS FROM WATER ADDED TO CEMENT. I WANT TO KNOW IF 2 HOUR IS OVER ,THEN …

Mega Concrete Structures 
What is the tallest concrete building? The worlds 10 tallest concrete skyscrapers. 1. Trump International Hotel …

Rebuild on garage floor after fire 
Q. Can I rebuild my garage on my existing concrete pad? There was a major fire that completely destroyed the structure. How can I tell if the floor is …

How many bags of cement are in a cubic meter of concrete? 
Q. How many bags of cement are needed to mix one cubic meter of concrete? A. One cubic meter of concrete is equal to 1.308 cubic yards of concrete. …

Effects of shape and size of aggregates in concrete 
Q. How does the shape and size of coarse aggregates affect the properties of concrete? A. Aggregate shape and surface texture influence the properties …

Concrete Rating - xyz? Lbs per square inch 
Q. Our company was recently deployed to Iraq where an existing building was modified to host a fixed base Instrument Flight Trainer (IFT). I'll just …

Where to get concrete supplies 
Q. Hi, Where do I get concrete stains and colours? I would like to colour the outside of some concrete ornaments to make them look old or rusty but I …

Preformed concrete porches 
Q. How do i go about finding installers for preformed concrete stairs? Also interested in the heat mats in place. A. You didn't say where you were …

Pouring concrete steps against a house 
Q. How do I treat the interface between the wood house and the concrete of the steps to make it water tight and be able to deal with the different movement …

Stamped concrete salt damage 
Q. Someone cleaning the sidewalk from the city threw salt on my stamped concrete. I have some pit marks and it took the top layer off. Want to know …

footings 
Q. Had footings poured, just after they finished, it poured rain all night. Now, there is water standing in the footings, will it need to be repoured or …

Concrete Dyes 
Q. I am planning on using a concrete dye for my countertops. I want to polish them to a glossy finish. Do I polish first & then dye or do I dye & then …

Cracks in concrete patio 
Q. I had a concrete patio pored 3 months ago. I have a 6 foot hairline crack in the patio and the red color I had added is fading already, Is this normal? …

Size of Concrete slab for hot tub 
Q. I recently purchased a home in NC (eastern, frost not a concern) that came with a sunken hot tub in the sunroom/deck area. Sounds nice, but original …

Removal of hard water stains on colored concrete 
Q. I Have a fountain and it is three tiers - each tier ledge is colored concrete - due to the hard water in our region it has begun to show calcification …

Industrial foundation repair, operating temperature 800 degree f 
I have been asked to recommend a foundation repair for an exchanger in a refinery, the temperature at the foundation is 800 degrees f. Based on the photos …

Concrete and trees 
Q. Is concrete, in its slurry form, toxic to tree roots exposed by excavation? I understand about the effects of permeable surfaces around trees but …

color of natural concrete 
Q. I am having a new home constructed. The porches are concrete and have a nice tan/creamy color. The steps however are a gray color not at all like the …

Concrete gasification wood burner 
Q. What kind of concrete mix would I need to withstand 1500-2000 degrees? Or is there something you can do to concrete to withstand that much heat? …

Radiant heat and colored concrete 
Q. I live in Ontario, Canada. I am putting an indoor pool in the basement of a new house. I will use geothermal and radiant floor heating. Can I use coloured …

Heat resistant concrete 
Q. What type of concrete mixture would be best suited for use on a fire training pad ? The pad will contain steel pans with water and diesel fuel and …

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New patio concrete damaged by powerwasher 
Hi, Q. I just had some new cement poured for a patio area. Not knowing any better I cleaned the area off with a power washer a few days after it was …

Cost of colored concrete 
Q. Does colored concrete (adding the bags to the mix) cost more than troweling in colored surface hardener? A. The cost to add color to the concrete …