 | Stan Stiverson is the owner/operator of B & B Builders Inc. located at 4605 SW Blvd. at Hwy 235 and K42 junction. He has been in the construction/concrete industry most of his life growing up in Pratt Ks, working for the family business and bringing his small town work and business ethics to the Wichita area 20 years ago. B&B Builders Inc. is known for its custom decorative concrete/ standard concrete and outdoor living spaces. Building their foundation on customer service, product knowledge and clean business images. You can reach Stan by phone at 316-945-3232. |
Home Remodeling and Improvement
2010-01-01 15:32:00
Winter concrete care
Answer: Remove snow before driving on it. DO NOT USE salt or de-icing chemicals especially if your concrete is less than five years old. Using these materials on concrete is harmful to the surface and may cause spalling and scaling. A sure way of protecting your investment and yourself is to remove snow asap using a plastic tip shovel (especially on decorative stamped and stained concrete) and for traction use fine sand or cat litter.
Driving on the snow on your concrete constantly will put in motion the frost and thaw cycle that causes so many of the pot-holes in our roads. Snow, ice, water and any pollutants are forced into the concrete then freeze and thaw and push up through the surface in the form of small marks or divots.
Even though you don’t use salt or calcium chloride on your drive and walkways it does not mean it is not subject to salt and calcium chloride damage. If you drive on any public road with your vehicle you will pick it up and you will track it onto your concrete. Troweled (NO BROOM FINISH) garage floors will not be affected by the salt and calcium chloride damage due to the differences in the pore openings of the finishes and the fact that interior concrete is exposed to a limited amount of freeze/thaw.
Adopting a care method for your new concrete really makes a difference! Your concrete looks beautiful now and can still look great decades from now with a little uniform effort.
