Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Concrete Crack?

Depending who you talk to, most experts agree..."all concrete cracks". Concrete is a mixture of cement, rock, sand and water. In the batching stage, concrete is fluid. As the concrete hardens, the water and cement begin to shrink. The stresses created by this shrinking cannot be overcome by the small amount of strength developed by new concrete.

There are many reasons concrete cracks. A rule of thumb to determine cracking is: Concrete will shrink 3/4 of an inch per 100 linear ft. There are many other reasons to consider also. Wind can cause concrete to dry enevenly, therfore increasing stress. Also even subgrades below the concrete will cause added strains. Even the tire tracks of the concrete truck backing into the pour area can cause cracking. Think about it. If we know that we can tool a control joint on the top of concrete to create a place to crack...a tire track is an upside down control joint, except this one runs the length of your new driveway. Not a good thing.
Substandard materials delivered to your jobsite and be one reason. Believe me when I tell you Concrete plants have all the real world problems any company has. Batch bins can dump way too much sand..water..concrete...air all which can change from truck to truck. The drivers are responsible for how much water in the concrete, and they check this very carefully with every load...yeah right!
But lets assume your concrete company has their act together and have showed up on the job with the best 3000 psi concrete money can buy. And you want your concrete mason to pour your new driveway with every care taken to minimize visible cracks.

Before the Concrete is Poured
The most important part of the concrete process is in my opinion the subgrade. Your mason should take great care in this step. Far too often I see crews too busy or uncaring to take much time here. I insist when my crews prepare a slab or driveway that great care be taken when "prepping" a job. Good clean fill, with the right amount of moisture and proper compacting is extremly important. Allowing your mason to pour over blazing sand which is abundant here in Florida, is begging for trouble. It only takes a few moments to water the ground so the concrete does not dry to fast.
Next is good materials. I use as a standard 3000 psi concrete with micro-fibre. The fibre replaces the traditonal wire mesh and they help keep the cracking of the concrete on a micro level instead of a macro level (where you can see the cracks with your naked eye.)
Adding too much water to the concrete is the next big culprit when it comes to cracked concrete. Now I am not saying your mason should never add water to the truck. This goes back to the "driver responsiblity" I touched on earlier. I dont have the time to go deep into this...but common sense prevails here. Pour the concrete as tight as possible to achieve the quality desired.
When we pour a custom driveway, we have a rule that determines the placement of contraction boards and control joints. The placement of these joints should be no more than 25 times the depth of the concrete. for instance: You are pouring a 4 inch thick concrete drive. No joint should be further than 100 inches apart, or approx. 8 ft. We use a combination of pressure treated lumber and joints cut with a diamond saw within 24 hrs of pouring. So what we have achieved here to to "hide" the cracks. We have convinced the concrete to crack where want it to, with the end result being a happy customer!

Help! I have a new oil stain!
We share your pain. First off we recomend you ban your ex-wife from driving up your driveway. But if that did not work try these remedies.
1. There is a product called "Driveway GUNK". This is sold at most auto stores.
2. pour a small amount of tri-sodium phosphate on the stain. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then scrub with a scrub brush and boiling water. Rinse with clean water.
3.Dawn dishwahing detergent is great a removing grease for your dishes...try convincing your wife to do this on your driveway. Good luck.

What takes rust off a driveway?

In florida the iron content in wells is very high. Allowing a sprinkler system too flow directly on your new drivway will for sure cause staining. Fortunately there is a product sold at ace hardware stores called "white cap". Mix according to instuctions and the stain will come right off.
Rust from a blown radiator is another problem completely. The need to move quick is important here. Tri-sodium phosphate mixed into a paste will sometimes remove the stain completly. Never use Muriatic acid...this will make the stain worse and more permanate.
Rust stains from fertilizer are the worse. I know of no known remedy to this problem. Perhaps a fist fight with your lawn service would make you feel better. .