Go outside and look around, concrete is everywhere. Builders use this hardy material for everything. Houses are built from it; garden patios utilize it, and it is used as a frame for huge buildings. Something a lot of people do not know however is that while concrete is indeed a durable, robust material it does require maintenance. Not properly maintaining and looking after your concrete could lead to it deteriorating and becoming structurally unsound. Depending on how you are using it at home this could pose a threat to you and your family.
This post will tell you how to maintain and look after your concrete.
Professional Repairs
You don’t have to conduct repairs or perform maintenance yourself. Not everybody’s comfortable working with industrial materials, so it is perfectly fine and very normal if you would rather hire a professional to look after your concrete for you. According to one service offering, you can have your home’s concrete serviced and looked after for next to nothing. Prices for concrete repairs are generally quite affordable, although they vary depending on the size of the project that needs undertaking.
If you do plan on hiring a company to perform repairs and maintenance on your concrete then you first need to conduct a little research and make sure they are worth hiring. A good way of determining whether or not a contractor’s worth hiring is to read their reviews. Reviews can tell you everything you need to know about a contractor and help you to get a clear idea of what working with them will be like. Do not make the mistake of thinking that all reviews are genuine though as it is very common for contractors to purchase fake reviews.
- Cleaning Concrete
- If you want to keep your concrete in good condition, clean it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can leave dirt all over it, and it won’t affect it. While most dirt isn’t going to damage concrete (or make it structurally unsound) it can stain it and ruin its appearance. If you are using concrete on your home’s façade or in your garden as patio tiling, you need to keep it clean, so it maintains its sleek, attractive appearance. You should not need a professional’s help for cleaning your concrete. In truth cleaning concrete is one of the easiest forms of maintenance you can do. Generally speaking, it can be done with some pretty basic chemicals and a wire brush. Be gentle when you are cleaning it with a wire brush though as scrubbing too hard can damage its finish and ruin its appearance.
- Sealing Cracks
- Cracks in concrete need to be sealed immediately. If they are not then it can cause serious structural damage. If you have no experience sealing gaps and cracks in concrete, then it’s unwise to attempt to do this yourself. If you do not successfully seal a crack (despite thinking you have) then it can cause some extremely serious issues for your house or whatever structure you’re using concrete for. While you can indeed pick up concrete sealant at most hardware stores for next to nothing (and while applying it is in theory simple) a lot of people make the mistake of not applying enough. If you are not confident sealing it yourself and do not want to take the chance of making a mistake, hire a professional and pay them to do the job for you. A professional’s help likely won’t set you back much and will guarantee the job is done properly.
- Removing Stains
- Did you know that concrete stains very easily? If you don’t act immediately when your concrete comes into contact with a liquid or material that could cause it to stain, then yours could take on a very ugly, stained appearance. Going back to cleaning concrete you don’t need anybody’s help to remove stains. That being said you do need to make sure that you use the right chemicals to clean your concrete. If your concrete does come into contact with something like oil, for example, ordinary cleaning chemicals won’t work. You will need specialized concrete stain removal chemicals. If you do not have access to these, or you cannot get them then you will need a professional’s help as quickly as possible. The longer a material, liquid, or chemical is left sitting on your concrete the more likely it is that it will stain.
- Limiting Weight
- Concrete is a robust, hardy, and durable material. However, while it is very good at withstanding heavy weights, there are limits to what it can deal with. If you are planning on using concrete as a building material then before you do consult an expert and ask for their advice and guidance on weight limitations. If you put too much weight on concrete during the building process, it could collapse immediately or begin wearing down over time. Depending on what you are using it for this could be extremely dangerous. If you are using it in your driveway, and you put too much weight on it then holes could appear and if you are using it as an actual building material, the structure it is supporting could collapse as just mentioned. A professional will be able to tell you what a safe amount of weight to put on concrete is.
- Chemical Exposure
- Some chemicals should be kept away from concrete. If you don’t know what chemicals are safe to use around it and which are unsafe (because there are so many it’s hard to specifically pinpoint them) then you should conduct research before bringing chemicals anywhere near your concrete. If you aren’t careful when you are using chemicals around concrete you could end up causing some kind of reaction. Make sure that you ask for a professional’s help if you are unable to find information about chemical-concrete interactions yourself.
Concrete maintenance isn’t something a lot of people who use the material think about. Unfortunately because of this a lot of people’s concrete deteriorates and degrades over time. If you take care of yours then it could last you a lifetime. Any queries or concerns you have can be fielded directly to a professional.