NEW CONCRETE MAINTENANCE
- STARTING ON THE FIRST DAY AFTER YOUR CONCRETE HAS BEEN INSTALLED PLEASE TRY T0 LIGHTLY SPRAY THE SURFACE OF IT WITH WATER TWO TO FIVE TIMES A DAY. PLEASE DO THIS FOR AT LEAST 3 TO 7 DAYS DURING THE HOTTEST MONTHS (July, August and September) OF THE YEAR. YOU MAY NOTICE SOME SMALL BLACK-COLORED BLEEDING MARKS ON THE SURFACE OF THE CONCRETE. DO NOT BE ALARMED. THESE ARE ONLY TEMPORARY AND THEY WILL DISAPPEAR IN TIME. IF WATERING IS NOT POSSIBLE. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT A CURING COMPOUND BE APPLIED TO THE SURFACE OF THE NEW CONCRETE.
- WHEN OUR FORMS ARE REMOVED WE WILL BACK-FILL ALONG THE EDGE OF ALL THE CONCRETE IMMEDIATELY (EXCEPT AROUND THE GARAGE FLOOR). THIS WILL PREVENT ANY WATER FROM SEEPING UNDER ANY OF THE CONCRETE WHICH COULD CAUSE THE AGGREGATE FILL TO WASH OUT AND CREATE A MOISTURE BUILD UP. THIS WOULD CREATE FROST AND FREEZING PROBLEMS IN THE WINTER MONTHS.
- YOU MUST NEVER USE SALT, FERTILIZER OR CHEMICAL DEICING AGENTS TO REMOVE SNOW OR ICE FROM YOUR CONCRETE. ALL OF THESE SUBSTANCES CONTAIN CERTAIN INGREDIENTS THAT CAN DESTROY THE SURFACE OF YOUR NEW CONCRETE. BEARING THIS IN MIND PLEASE TRY NOT TO PARK A CAR ON THE NEW CONCRETE DURING THE FIRST WINTER IT IS IN SERVICE. ACCUMULATED COMMERCIAL ROAD SALTS AND DEICERS WILL FALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CAR AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE SURFACE OF THE NEW CONCRETE. PLEASE TRY TO PARK IN THE GARAGE OR SREET.
- TRY TO KEEP ANY NEW CONCRETE SURFACES THOROUGHLY CLEANED DURING WINTER MONTHS WHEN WATER FROM MELTED SNOW CAN SATURATE THE SURFACE AND IMPAIR PROPER CURING. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR CONCRETE POURED AFTER OCTOBER 15 BECAUSE LATE FALL CONCRETE WILL NOT BE AGED SUFFICIENTLY ENOUGH TO RESIST SURFACE SATURATION AND EXCESS SNOW ACCUMULATION.
- APPLICATION OF A QUALITY SEALANT IS RECOMMENDED ON ALL NEW CONCRETE SURFACES….ESPECIALLY BEFORE THE FIRST WINTER. YOU SHOULD ALLOW AT LEAST 28 DAYS FOR THE SURFACE TO CURE BEFORE APPLYING ANY SEALER. YOU SHOULD APPLY A HIGH-QUALITY SEALER TO ALL EXTERIOR CONCRETE EXPOSED TO FREEZE-THAW CONDITIONS. THE SEALER HELPS PROTECT THE CONCRETE FROM MOISTURE ABSORPTION, EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS, AND GREASE AND OIL STAINS. ON DECORATIVE COLORED CONCRETE, A SEALER WILL ALSO HELP ENHANCE THE COLOR.
GENERALLY, THERE ARE TWO CATEGORIES OF SEALERS FOR EXTERIOR CONCRETE: FILM-FORMERS AND PENETRANTS. PENETRATING SEALERS TEND TO OFFER THE BEST PROTECTION FROM MOISTURE ABSORPTION. REGARDLESS OF THE SEALER YOU USE, BE SURE IT’S APPLIED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS.
- WHAT IF THE DRIVEWAY CRACKS? WITH YOUR PROPERLY JOINTED CONCRETE, CRACKS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE A PROBLEM. THINK OF JOINT AS “PLANNED” CRACKS THAT ALLOW THE CONCRETE TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT, MINIMIZING ANY CHANCE FOR RANDOM CRACKING.
ALTHOUGH JOINTS WILL CONTROL CRACKING IN MOST CASES, EVEN PROPERLY JOINTED CONCRETE CAN CRACK IN PLACES OTHER THAN THE JOINTS. MOST OF THESE RANDOM CRACKS ARE SIMPLY UNPLANNED JOINTS AND WON’T IMPACT THE LONG-TERM SERVICE AND DURABILITY OF YOUR DRIVEWAY. HOWEVER, WE REALIZE THESE RANDOM CRACKS CAN DETRACT FROM THE APPEARANCE. IF YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT RANDOM CRACKING, PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH US. WE HAVE OPTIONS FOR FIXING ANY RANDOM CRACKING THAT DOES OCCUR.
***PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SOME SEALANTS MAY CAUSE THE SURFACE OF CONCRETE TO BECOME SLIPPERY AND RICHEY CONSTRUCTION CONCRETE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES DUE TO SLIPPERY CONDITIONS.
***RICHEY CONSTRUCTION CONCRETE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONCRETE SHIFTING, RAISING, SETTLING, CRACKING, PITTING OR SCALING DUE TO FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE ABOVE GUIDELINES OR AS THE RESULT OF WEATHER CONDITIONS BEYOND OUR CONTROL.