Concrete Franklin
Concrete Considerations
At Mid-State Paving & Sealcoating, we provide homeowners and businesses with a wide range of unique concrete types. Each of these paving materials is designed to meet a unique need and provide a home or business owner with the strong driveway or parking lot that they need — one that will last for years or even decades.
Read through this list to get an idea of what concrete type is best for your needs. Each type has pros and cons to consider before making a purchase for installation. Just as importantly, we’ll provide a simple guideline for what considerations are important to consider when choosing concrete paving materials for your home or business.
Concrete Application and Asphalt Sealcoating
Before we discuss the types of concrete we offer homeowners and businesses, let’s examine the most important elements of various types of concrete. Simply put, these traits help to identify how concrete stands out from other types on the market and includes:
- Common Use Needs – How often will your driveway or parking be used? How many cars are going to be driving on its surface? And how long will they be parked there? These considerations help make it easier to choose the strongest and most effective concrete.
- Style Options – A good driveway or parking lot can also be an aesthetic improvement to a home. For example, stained concrete can create a unique look that makes your driveway or parking lot stand out from your neighbors’ or competitors’ lots.
- Surface Strength – Concrete provides a very strong and reliable paving material that will resist a large amount of wear and tear damage. Some types are stronger than others, though, so take this consideration into account.
- Common Weather Types – Does your area experience heavy winter weather or very hot summers? Make sure to choose concrete that provides the ultimate protection against extreme temperatures and that won’t break down.
Now that you have a better idea of what traits to consider with paving, we can break down the most common and effective types available on the market today. Please read through this list to identify the types that meet your needs and provide you with the best benefits.
High-Strength
Unlike normal strength concrete, this variety can withstand a shocking amount of force on its surface. For example, studies have shown that this type can withstand over 6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. This high level of pressure produces a very strong surface that is perfect for busy parking lots or homes with a lot of cars parked in the driveway.
One issue that may occur with this type of concrete, though, is its faster drying rate. When concrete dries too quickly, the workers may not have time to finish spots unless they work very fast. As a result, home or business owners should install high-strength concrete on days when the temperature is mild.
High-Performance
The differences between high-strength and high-performance concrete are rather technical. Though this type isn’t as strong as high-strength, it does resist compression force more effectively. For example, heavy objects falling on the surface from a high height are less likely to trigger cracks.
Just as importantly, this type of concrete is good in various types of weather conditions and should last for most of a home or business’s life. Make sure to talk to your concrete provider about the differences between these types to get the best idea of how it differs. Ultra-high performance is a variation of this type that can withstand 29,000 pounds per square inch but is also more expensive.
Stamped
Businesses that want to create a stylized look for their parking lot or decorations often choose stamped concrete. This type utilizes a mold placed in the concrete to create a slightly different look. For example, some may want to stamp a business logo in a parking lot while others will want to create various textures, such as natural stone.
These options make stamped concrete a great choice for businesses, though homeowners may appreciate this type as well. For example, stamped concrete patios create unique styles that are hard to get with other types of paving. Talk to your paving specialist about these variations to learn more about how they affect your design options.
Self-Consolidating
Self-consolidating concrete is an interesting breakthrough in paving technology and one that still isn’t as known as it should be by the general public. The concrete pouring process typically requires mechanical vibrations — i.e., the mixing — to get rid of excess air and to keep the pavement from drying while on the way to a pouring site.
However, this type of concrete automatically releases air without mechanical vibration, which speeds up delivery and installation time. This benefit helps to change up the concrete business in a variety of ways and can create many benefits for home and business owners, such as lower installation bills on paving jobs that are very strong.
This type of unique paving installation method is not unusual. For example, shotcrete uses a technique of placing a dry mix near a compressed air nozzle. This nozzle shoots air at the dry mix and creates an instantly wet and easy-to-work-with type of concrete that won’t dry out too fast.
Let Our Experts Help You Get the Best Concrete for Your Needs
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of concrete you think works best for your needs. You’ve read through our guide, checked out the types of concrete available, and have narrowed down your choices to a handful that works the best for your needs. With our help, you can choose the best and most effective type possible.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at Mid-State Paving & Sealcoating to learn more about these paving materials. Our experts will also come to your property to take a look at what special kinds of considerations are necessary when installing high-quality pavement on your property.