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Concrete is a produced by blending ingredients like cement, water, aggregates, paste, and additives. Mineral colours can be added to the mix to create a darker, lighter shade or specific colour.
Do not use harsh acids to remove stains on your concrete. Clean your concrete regularly and apply sealant to protect it from the elements.
The solid nature of concrete makes it susceptible to crack during freezing and thawing conditions. This is perfectly normal and small cracks won’t compromise the concrete’s strength. These cracks can be addressed by placing “joints” in the area or by adding a fibrous product to it.
Scientists can measure the strength of concrete using compression and flexural mechanical strength tests. On average, strength depends on the ratio of water to cement, and the quality of the materials used in the cement.
Curing is one of the most important steps in concrete construction, because proper curing greatly increases concrete strength and durability. Concrete hardens from hydration: the chemical reaction between cement and water. However, hydration occurs only if water is available and if the concrete’s temperature stays within a suitable range. During the curing period-from five to seven days after placement for conventional concrete-the concrete surface needs to be kept moist to permit the hydration process. new concrete can be wet with soaking hoses, sprinklers or covered with wet burlap, or can be coated with commercially available curing compounds, which seal in moisture.
Stains can be removed from concrete with dry or mechanical methods, or by wet methods using chemical or water.
Common dry methods include:
- Sandblasting, flame cleaning and shotblasting, grinding, scabbing, planning and scouring. Steel-wire brushes should be used with care because they can leave metal particles on the surface that later may rust and stain the concrete.
- Wet methods involve the application of water or specific chemicals according to the nature of the stain. The chemical treatment either dissolves the staining substance so it can be blotted up from the surface of the concrete or bleaches the staining substance so it will not show. To remove blood stains, for example, wet the stains with water and cover them with a layer of sodium peroxide powder; let stand for a few minutes, rinse with water and scrub vigorously. Follow with the application of a 5 percent solution of vinegar to neutralize any remaining sodium peroxide.
