Some of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure long lasting durable and beautiful exterior concrete work are not the responsibility of Butch Bando Concrete, Inc., but are the responsibility of the Contractor and/or the Homeowners. These preventive steps include prevention of early or excessive traffic wear and stress, this includes both foot and vehicle, and proper weather and sealing maintenance.

Early/Excessive Traffic

The longer your concrete is in place, the stronger it becomes, from a compressive strength point of view. This is a relevant point because it helps to reinforce that the longer you stay off your new concrete the stronger it becomes. Since concrete under normal weather conditions requires 28 days, and longer as the weather gets colder, to reach the necessary compressive strength needed to properly perform its specific function, any premature abuse of the concrete can severely damage the work. As a result, do not drive or allow anyone else to drive any vehicles on your concrete during these first 28 days. Once our crews have left the job site it is in the hands of the Contractor/ Homeowners to ensure that foot and vehicle traffic is kept off of the concrete for as long as possible and that any unnecessary foot and vehicle traffic is avoided. For at least the first week, but not limited to, after concrete is poured the surface is extremely subjectable to marring. This marring can be caused by anything from trash caught by high winds to pets and humans or vehicle traffic. For at least the first 28 days, after your concrete is poured it is subjectable to damage such as stress fractures and finish delamination damage caused by heavy objects being stacked on it or driving over the newly poured concrete. Stress fractures may start out as very small hairline cracks but can and will only intensify over time do to traffic wear, weather, and freeze-thaw expansion and contraction. Finish delamination damage is when the finished surface of you concrete is broken away from its concrete aggregate base. While the surface may look fine on the outside, underneath the surface is a very fine crack just waiting to be driven over or filled up with water and salt causing the finished surface to pop off leaving an unsightly hole in the middle of your concrete work. Even when your concrete has cured for the proper amount of time, you should never exceed the weight that you concrete is designed to handle. While each thickness is designed to handle different weights, a good rule of thumb is on anything 4” (this is the common thickness of any residential work) no vehicle with more then one rear axle should be driven on it. These vehicles should be limited to nothing more than medium sized moving vehicles. If you have any questions as to the limits of your concrete, please feel free to contact us.

We understand that not all of these conditions can be monitored and/or adhered to 100% of the time needed to ensure proper concrete curing, so the following are a few suggestions we provide to make the process easier on you.

Weather/ Sealing Maintenance

The most important maintenance procedure for any concrete, new or old, is weather and sealing related. Weather and weather related products can have negative effects on both the structural and cosmetic properties of concrete. The most harmful season for concrete is winter. When concrete is poured in conditions that require heating or covering before and/or after pouring, it is the responsibility of the Contractor/ Homeowners to ensure that whatever measures have been taken to help prevent the concrete or sub base from freezing remains in place until removed by Butch Bando Concrete, Inc. Any early removal of winter protection can result in freezing of the concrete and/or it’s sub base. Such freezing will weaken the structural integrity of the concrete resulting in severe cracking and/or surface spalling.

Properly sealing the surface of your exterior concrete WILL BE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE AND BEAUTY OF YOUR CONCRETE. Newly poured concrete must properly cure. Curing refers to liquids evaporating, or the drying of you concrete. Any improper interruption of this process can result in severe damage of the concrete. Similarly, excessive moisture being trapped in the concrete or over saturation of the concrete can cause just as many problems. The reason for mentioning this is to help explain why sealing, most importantly the first time, after a minimum of 28 days after the concrete has been poured, is so important. The best type of sealer available for concrete that endures the abuse of winter and products that are associated with winter such as salt, calcium chloride, and other harmful ice and snow removal techniques and products is a quality penetrating salt guard. The reason salt guards work so well is because it penetrates into concrete making it extremely difficult for anything to get in or out of the concrete. This creates a huge problem when trying to seal concrete that has just been poured. A good penetrating sealer would not allow the concrete to cure properly and there are only a handful of penetrating cures that are designed for newly poured concrete most of which are still new and/or experimental. As a result, we have no other option but to use a cure and seal compound immediately after we pour our exterior work. Our cure and seal compound helps slow the evaporation process of the concrete without completely stopping it, ensuring your concrete properly cures. It does this by forming a thin membrane on top of the surface of the concrete which also acts as a protective sealer against harmful elements. While most cure and seal products claim to seal for 6 months to 1 year, their life span can be, and often is, shortened by excessive traffic and use. This is due to the thin membrane being worn down by friction. Once this membrane is gone, your concrete can and will absorb anything that comes into contact with it. This includes anything from salt water to rubber from your vehicle tires. If the concrete is not kept clean from harmful contaminates before it is sealed with a penetrating cure, irreversible damage can occur. Damage is usually a result of salt and/or calcium chloride from winter conditions penetrating into the concrete, which leads to mild and/or severe surface spalling.

NOTE: Just because you do not use salt or calcium chloride on your concrete it does not mean your concrete is not subject to salt and/or 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 garage floors will not be as affected by salt and/or calcium chloride damage as decoratively finished outside concrete due to the differences in the poresness of the finishes and the fact that interior concrete is exposed to a limited amount of freezing and thawing. (Garage weather lips, however, will be just as affected as outside work.) Despite your garage's limited exposure to exterior elements it must still be sealed following the same guidelines as used with all exterior work.

It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor and/or the Homeowners to properly seal all outside concrete work 28 days after it is poured and as needed. Generally concrete needs to be sealed at least once a year no matter what the product labels may express. The following are the proper steps to seal your concrete.

28 Day (First Seal)

PLEASE NOTE: This first seal does not apply to stamped, textured or exposed aggregate concrete that has been sealed by us with a decorative sealer for its first sealing. If you are unsure if your concrete has been sealed with a decorative sealer please contact us to find out.

Annual Sealing

PLEASE NOTE: If you are resealing stamped, textured or exposed aggregate concrete work you may follow all of the same steps to prepare the surface for sealing. You most likely, however, will want to use a decorative sealer in place of a salt guard in order to achieve the desired colorful luster, or the “Wet surface” look that the work originally had when it was new. If decorative concrete is let go too long without the proper sealing irreversible damage can be done to the colors and luster of the work. Also, if you seal your own stamped, textured or exposed aggregate concrete YOU MUST use an anti-slip admixture to provide much needed anti-slip protection that is not required when sealing regular exterior concrete. The admixture does not come with any decorative sealers and must be mixed in manually. For information on how to obtain the admixture please contact Butch Bando Concrete, Inc.