Cement has been used in construction for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used gypsum and lime mortars in the building of the pyramids, while the now ubiquitous Portland cement was invented by Joseph Aspdin in 1824. When pouring a concrete slab, it is important to keep it from cracking. If the concrete cracks, its strength is compromised. Fortunately, more than one method can prevent a concrete slab from cracking.
Instructions
1. Compact the ground below the concrete. When you pour a concrete slab, make sure that the ground is compacted beneath it. This will help provide a solid foundation for your concrete. Having a solid foundation is a must because you don't want the ground beneath the concrete shifting, which could cause the concrete to crack. Use a compactor to compact the ground, as well as self-compacting gravel as a foundation for your concrete.
2. Employ rebar or reinforced steel. Pour a layer of concrete, and then suspend the rebar within it, before pouring the balance of the concrete for the slab. The rebar will help to stabilize the concrete and can make it stronger.
3. Score joints in the concrete. These joints are lines that you indent into the concrete just after it's been poured or within 24 hours, while it's still soft. These joints are called control joints, and they help to determine where the concrete will crack, if it does. Sometimes cracking in concrete is inevitable. Controlling, as much as possible, where cracks will form will help maintain the integrity of the concrete.
4. Pour concrete that contains polypropylene fibers. The fibers tend to reinforce the structure of the concrete. Ensure that your concrete has sufficient time to cure, in the presence of sufficient water to support the chemical reaction that results in crystallization.
Related posts
If you are planning a concrete project, you will be dedicating your time and money to making it perfect. Whether you will be doing the job on you own or hiring a contractor, there are a few things...
This crack in a concrete block basement wall requires immediate repair to prevent it from spreading.If you are looking at cracks in the exterior walls of your basement, you are looking at cracks i...
The stem wall joins a building foundation to vertical walls.The stem wall on a concrete foundation is essentially the supporting wall that joins the foundation of a building to the vertical walls...
A concrete slab needs some work before it is ready for tile.Ceramic tile can transform dull, gray concrete slab into a beautiful floor that you can match with almost any design motif. While concre...
Cracks in concrete slabs are common and easily fixed as long as there isn't a significant underlying problem: large cracks or multiple cracks that reappear shortly after being repaired should be e...
