To help you out a bit, we’ve created a new category in our CalFinder Home Improvement Library. Concrete is relatively low maintenance, but occasionally does require repair. We’ve researched various methods for cleaning concrete, such as pressure washing, abrasive blasting, flame cleaning, water blasting, chemical cleaning, and mechanical cleaning. Additionally, we touch briefly on how to maintain its structural integrity by repairing cracks and installing reinforcements. If you want to dress it up a bit, there are a few tips for staining and sealing as well.

If you haven’t yet discovered it, the CalFinder Library is stocked full of helpful articles highlighting various products, materials, and techniques. Check it out sometime. Home renovation projects require a lot of planning and the more ideas and tips the better. I remodeled my own home before beginning to work for CalFinder, and since I began researching the many different products and materials out there, I have a whole new wealth of ideas to apply to my home. It surprises me how many intriguing ideas and products are out there that I never realized. Hopefully, you can save yourself some research with a quick stop at our library, and incorporate some of these fascinating ideas into your renovation projects.

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Power-Washing

The quickest and easiest method available for cleaning concrete is power-washing. High-pressure washers can be rented locally. Hot, pressurized water alone can do wonders for your concrete but often, especially for common oil, grease, or rust stains, chemicals can be combined with the water to lift and eliminate the stains. Cleaning agents should be available at the same place you rent the power-washer.

Common Stains

For oil and grease stains, perhaps the most common of driveway stains, use an alkaline degreaser. The hot water works to lift the oil from the concrete and the degreaser emulsifies the oil, allowing it to be washed off the surface.

Rust stains will require something a bit more powerful because of how deeply rust penetrates into the pores of the surface. Try cleaners containing oxalic acid combined with the power-washing.

Hot vs Cold Water

In the kitchen, hot water cleans better than cold water. And the same goes for power-washing and concrete cleaning. However, cold-water power washers are cheaper, lighter, and easier to use than hot-water power-washers. For most residential applications, cold water washers will work just fine but it will likely take longer to lift any stains. For severely stained concrete, or large, time-consuming jobs, you might consider hiring a local contractor who will have heavy duty, hot-water washers to complete the job quick and painlessly.

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Tearing out old concrete requires nothing short of a jack hammer, a strong back, and a lot of clean-up. It definitely can be done, but won’t always be a fun project. So why not consider a few alternatives before you get out that sledge hammer?

Painting and staining concrete has become an art with some masterful strokes of meticulous disguise. Paint your concrete with a basic outdoor paint in the color of your choosing. Just choose a durable product that is specifically designed for concrete. Another popular option is to choose a transparent stain. These innovative solutions can create a porous appearance that is quite attractive. These come in many eye-catching colors and are designed to make your concrete appear as though it were mixed with pigments when first installed.

Acid staining is another unique method for disguising old concrete. The product contains inorganic salts that react with minerals in concrete and creates a beautiful marbled appearance. Acid stains are promoted as strong and durable, and come in several colors.

Before applying any paint or stain to older concrete, your contractor needs to be sure to properly clean the surface. There are specific products that are designed to remove all dirt and grease, leaving you with a clean canvas to paint your masterpiece. Contact professional concrete contractors today to do something about your old concrete problem.

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1. Concrete has the valuable ability to simulate other, more expensive materials. Great for sunrooms or any indoor room, decorative finishes and stamped patterns for concrete can achieve the look of wood, slate, granite, marble, tile, and more at a much lower price.
2. Concrete can also be made in many different textures, from a polished smoothness to a rough gravel texture. For a more natural look you could go with an exposed aggregate finish or you can have any kind of stone embedded into the surface — your pick.
3. Stains or colorants can be cast into your concrete surface to provide an appearance much more vibrant and appealing than traditional gray. You may choose to color the concrete to match the existing color scheme of your home — a great idea for adding on a sun porch or patio.
4. Geometric patterns stamped into concrete are a popular choice and are great for areas both large and small. Rectangular, square, circular, diamond, even abstract patterns are possible.
5. Decorative concrete steps or terraces are a very prominent, standout possibility. Combine the coloring and finish options listed above with a creative design and you’ve got an attractive, utterly unique entry or garden patio.

The design possibilities with concrete are virtually endless so you and your contractor can easily come up with a personal, satisfying, and exciting concrete surface for your house or yard.

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As discussed in the article Why Build a Home with Concrete, concrete homes offer many advantages over stick-built homes, including energy efficiency, non-toxic materials, and high durability. The drawbacks were also pointed out: concrete is not a renewable resource verses trees, which can be replanted.

Concrete homes look exactly the same as any other home, both inside and out. There are a few different options to choose from for constructing a concrete home, and the decision as to which one to use is really up to you and your contractor’s recommendation for your area.

• Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) have the most publicity and are well-known for their solid, lasting construction and foam insulation.
• Removable Forms (cast-in-place) use temporary forms made out of aluminum. Foam insulation is placed inside the forms, and then the concrete is pourd around the foam.
• Panel systems have been used in Europe for over two decades, and only recently became available in America. The concrete panels are pre-fabricated off of house plans in a concrete plant, then delivered to the job site complete with steel reinforced walls, foam insulation, electrical wiring, and cut-outs for windows and doors.
• Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is a system consisting of blocks held together by mortar. These systems are more technologically advanced than the standard mortared block wall. Manufactured through a method that causes the concrete to rise like bread dough, the end result consists of more than 80% air, and can be molded to fit any design.
• Shotcrete is another method where the concrete is shot under pressure onto forms to form walls, floors, and roofs.

Concrete homes can save you up to 25% on your homeowner’s insurance premiums. Although not a renewable resource as trees are, they are made from partially recycled materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, their longevity allows for little maintenance or repair and will last for several years, preventing the need for consumption of more materials. Their energy efficiency makes them an appealing choice for consumers, predicting a strong future and growth in the usage of concrete products in home building. Discuss with your contractor the feasibility and benefits of using concrete in your new home or remodel.

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Use SCIPs

Or structural concrete insulated panels. These are known to reduce construction time, provide superior heat insulation, and provide a strong sound barrier between rooms and floors. In Pasadena, the first LEED certified concrete home just went up, made with green SCIPs that are 60 percent recycled. SCIP is a wall, flooring, or roofing panel that requires less concrete than ICFs, discussed below.

Use ICFs

ICFs are insulating concrete forms or molds with built-in insulation for accepting reinforced concrete. As with SCIPs, they are ideal for extreme climates and temperatures, and their insulating properties help you save money on the energy bill. In fact, homes built with ICFs use about 44 percent less energy to heat and 32 percent less energy to cool than other frame houses. They’re also non-toxic, reduce noise, and resist termites.

Decorate with concrete

Word is out that concrete has endless creative potential. Go to Metrocrete.com to find articles all about it, from how concrete floors help prevent black mold growth to information on decorative concrete sealers and maintenance to learning about flattooing, the art of tattooing concrete with special graphics and features.

Use concrete floors and walls for passive solar gain

Another of concrete’s finer points? It’s high in thermal mass, which means it absorbs, stores, and distributes solar heat throughout your living space. Concrete walls and floors are common in green homes that utilize passive solar technology for ongoing energy efficiency without additional maintenance or operation costs.

Use interlocking concrete pavers

Concrete’s unlimited possibilities translate well in your landscape. Concrete pavers move in unison with the earth below for flexibility that rarely lends to damage. These low maintenance pavers are also easy to install because they connect to one another, making geometric patterns that much easier to play with. In addition, concrete pavers color beautifully and clean easily.

Need an expert in concrete? CalFinder’s concrete contractors such as Padgett Concrete Construction in Contra Costa, California or BBC Construction in San Francisco, are pre-screened, providing you with the highest level of professional service. It gets better: our referral service is free of charge.

Links:

Building with Concrete
Flyash Concrete

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• constant temperatures that don’t give access to drafts or cold spots
• non toxic: no CFCs, HCFCs, or formaldehyde
• a 2-hour fire rating
• termite and pest resistant
• can withstand severe storm hits
• no rotting or molding
• can support concrete floor and roof systems
• help eliminate outside noise
• require an estimated 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool than comparable frame houses

On the other hand, concrete is a nonrenewable resource, requiring large amounts of fossil fuels during production. Unlike concrete, trees, which can be replanted and regrown, are a renewable resource that can be harvested through sustainable forestry practices.

However, building with concrete helps save trees, reduces residential heating and cooling costs, and also reduces landfill construction waste. So, you make the choice. Does concrete make the grade?

Links:

• ICF Builders Network
• ICF Facts
• Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable Future

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Advantages and Cost Saving Tips to Using Gray or Decorative Concrete

Gray

Gray paving is inexpensive, traditional, and requires little maintenance.

Decorative paving

Decorative paving can add a new dimension to your home—regardless of the age of your property, it can benefit from an imaginative makeover. Whether you are looking to transform a well-worn driveway, bring color to a swimming pool, or surround or brighten up your patio, decorative paving can provide the perfect answer. Some contractors offer upwards of 250 hues and shades.

Many homeowners tend to gravitate toward the more natural browns, tans, charcoals, and terra cotta reds, but colored concrete can be used in combination, abutting each other, or stamped with a variety of textures to simulate brick, flagstone, pavers, or tile. The same colored concrete can also be made to look different, just by using different finishing techniques: For example, a broom finish creates one look. Brooming the concrete in opposite directions creates shadow effects. Swirl or fan patterns create a different type of look. For even more dramatic effect, the colored concrete can be lightly sandblasted or heavily sandblasted, or a retarder can be used and then the aggregate exposed. The availability of custom colors and penetrating stains can create natural-looking and attractive concrete patios.

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About Concrete Waterproofing

Kryton Group of Companies: Crystalline Concrete Waterproofing, Crack Repair, Waterstop and Surface Treatment
Crystalline concrete waterproofing solutions for below-grade parking facilities, elevator pits, pools, basements and foundations, bridges, dams, tunnels and water tanks.

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