Concrete Repair and Upkeep: Tips for All Seasons

Welcome to my concrete blog. My name is Helen, and I hate stumbling over old and broken concrete. It makes a home, business or even a whole neighborhood look old and unkempt. To make the world a more beautiful place, I have decided to create this blog. In it, I plan to post everything I have learned about concrete over the years. I plan to include everything from maintenance schedules to upkeep tips to simple repairs to financial risks of broken concrete. If you have a patch of concrete anywhere on your property, I hope you enjoy the information in this blog and learn something new from it.

Avoiding Some Common Mistakes When Drilling or Cutting Through Concrete

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It's often manageable for a homeowner to cut or drill through a concrete wall in order to hang wall mounts or to cut concrete pieces from a driveway or walkway in order to fill in certain sections that need repair. However, the job isn't as easy as some homeowners assume, and in turn, they may wind up making some very common mistakes that make the job more time-consuming and cause a bigger mess than they imagined. Note a few of those common mistakes here, and be sure you're ready to avoid them when you want to cut or drill through any concrete.

1. Assuming all concrete is the same

Concrete is a mixture of gravel, cement, and other additives that affect its overall strength, density, and the like. There is often a different mixture used for a concrete foundation or basement walls than for driveways; you may even notice that basement walls seem more solid and less pitted than concrete around the exterior of your home. If you're cutting or drilling through very thick and solid concrete, you may need a rotary hammer to break it up, whereas a simple masonry drill bit or saw blade can be sufficient for the softer concrete in other areas. You also need to adjust the pressure you apply to a saw or drill when cutting through various forms of concrete so that it cuts without cracking.

2. Not knowing what's underneath or behind it

When cutting through the drywall of a home's walls, you may know to check and see if there are plumbing pipes, electrical wires, and other such materials on the other side so that you don't accidentally cut through those things. However, when cutting through the concrete of a basement wall, you may forget that there could be plumbing pipes behind it; there could also be plumbing pipes or cables under the concrete outside your home as well. Check your home's blueprints if you can get them, or be sure that you drill or cut slowly so you don't accidentally damage something behind the concrete you're cutting.

3. Not changing your equipment for other materials

Masonry bits and blades are meant for concrete, mortar, and such materials. They may be too strong for cutting through tile, asphalt, and the like. If your concrete cutting job will entail cutting through these other materials at the same time, you want to ensure you change out your blades and bits rather than assuming that equipment is "one size fits all." This will protect your bits and blades from damage done by harder materials and ensure you don't crack or break that tile, wood, tempered glass, and so on.

If you need help, speak with professional concrete contractors.

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20 January 2016