Trusted Basement, Foundation & Crawlspace Waterproofing Contractors in Lower Merion, PA

All concrete cracks. It has to crack because it contracts during the drying, curing, hardening process, and the bond between the cement paste and the aggregates is not strong enough to withstand that stress. The best way to prevent unsightly cracking is to put joints in your concrete at regular intervals. A good formula is to measure the depth of your structure and multiply the number by three. Use this number to determine the approximate number of feet between joints.

Any paint store will have concrete stain or paint. Discuss how you want the floor to look and what function it will perform with the paint store manager, and he/she should be able to recommend the appropriate stain/paint.

No. Concrete is made by mixing cement, aggregates and water together. When the water comes in contact with the cement a chemical reaction starts to take place. This chemical reaction is called hydration. Hydration is the reaction between the chemicals in water and the chemicals in cement. This reaction forms new compounds and crystals interlocking themselves and the aggregates together. A majority of this reaction takes place over the first month after placing the concrete. Small amounts of additional reaction and strength gains could take place for years as long as moisture is still present to cause more hydration. Actually, when the concrete does finally dry out, it stops gaining strength.

Most of all, concrete can be ordered in many colors. The natural color of concrete is gray because the color of the cement used to make it is typically gray. Due to the reason the cement is gray has to do with the manufacture of Portland Cement. In cement manufacturing, Iron Ore is used as one of the main constituents, and Iron Ore is black in color, so therefore when it is combined and melted with the other materials it tints the cement gray.

Commercial products are available in paint/hardware home centers. You can sprinkle with tri-sodium phosphate. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush and hot water. Rinse with clean water. Scrub stain with concentrated detergent using a stiff brush. Rinse well with water. Dry and repeat if necessary. Sprinkle dishwasher detergent on wet concrete. Let it stand a few minutes, then pour boiling water on the area. Scrub and rinse. Dissolve a cup tri-sodium phosphate in 1 gallon of hot water. Pour over stained concrete surface and allow soaking for 25 minutes. Scrub with stiff brush or broom. Rinse with clean water. Repeat if necessary.