Factors to Consider When Choosing Concrete
Concrete is one of the most versatile materials for creating an appealing home or business. Poured as a slab, a layer, or as an accent piece with some texturing and coloring, you can embed just about any design or motif into its surface. Given its durability and low maintenance needs, concrete is perfect for commercial and residential use.
What’s more? Concrete isn’t difficult to work with when you have the right concrete company in Orlando on your side and supplying your materials. With some research and planning, you can complete almost any project using concrete as the primary medium. Whether you’re thinking about using concrete in a new office space, building that home of your dreams, or constructing an outdoor area that friends and family will love spending time in – concrete has many valuable applications.
Understand Your Concrete Options
When it comes to concrete, you have a few different options that can affect the outcome:
Ready-mix Concrete
This type is delivered to your site in a truck and is usually mixed on-site. With ready-mix, you have less control over the ratio of the ingredients and may not have the same level of quality control that you would with bagged concrete.
Bagged Concrete
This type is a dry mix of cement, sand, and stones. The ingredients are already measured out, so you have more control over the final product, but you’ll need to hire a contractor to pour the actual concrete.
Wet-mix Concrete
This concrete is delivered by truck, but the ingredients are left in their wet state. This allows you to control the water ratio, which is important when designing customized textures and patterns into the concrete.
Themes and Design
A concrete project can involve various designs and motifs. For this reason, it remains important to decide what type of look you want to go for before beginning the early stages of the project. Some of the most popular concrete designs include:
- decorative landscape
- custom text
- tiling
- stamped concrete
- stamped overlay
- and more
If you’re unsure where to start, consider creating a decorative landscape; or an area in your yard with no plants or landscaping, concrete can be used to embed ornamental plants, flowers, and even trees that will thrive in the concrete. Consider using concrete decorative tiles if you want to add some flare to your outdoor patio.
Estimating Project Size
Before deciding how much concrete you’ll need, it’s a good idea to estimate how much space on your property you’d like to use for concrete. If you’re planning on adding concrete to your driveway, parking area, or other common areas around your property, calculating how much concrete you’ll need is pretty straightforward.
However, you must account for the area you’ll need to leave for the concrete to be poured and the thickness it will need when it’s finished. For a decorative concrete walkway or patio, you’ll need to take the overall size of the space into account when figuring out how much concrete you’ll need.
Selecting a Concrete Mix
Concrete can be made with a variety of different mixes and additives that can create several different effects. Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing the right concrete mix for your project.
Cement Type
The type of cement used can determine how strong the concrete is, how long it will last and how stain-resistant it is. The two most common types of cement are Portland cement and fly ash cement.
Aggregate
The type of aggregate used will determine the strength and appearance of the concrete. Many different types of aggregate can be used, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, and more.
Water Content
The water content of the concrete will determine how strong the concrete is and how long it takes to harden. You should aim for a concrete mix that is around 6-7%.
Additives
Many additives can be added to concrete that can create different effects and make the concrete more useful for certain applications.
Staying Power
Some additives have a more permanent effect than others. For example, fly ash cement is more permanent than slag cement.
Concrete Company in Orlando | ASR Materials
Concrete is a great material for building patios, pathways, driveways, and more. Because concrete is such a strong and durable material, it can last a long time and can withstand a lot of pressure. If you’re interested in building something out of concrete, you need to make sure that you have everything planned out first, including a reliable concrete company in Orlando to supply your materials.
You also need to know how much concrete you will need, how thick it should be, and what kind of concrete mix you should get. Choosing the right concrete contractor and concrete mix is important so that you can have the desired look and functionality of your project.
To learn more about concrete, as well as our other aggregate and soil products, reach out to our team from ASR Materials today for more information!