These are interesting times for concrete ready mix providers and as we all know, the current economic situation has been in place for several years now. At first, concrete industry professionals sucked in their breath hoping the downturn would quickly correct itself,  however, with no immediate end in sight, it’s important to look at a few key strategies for making it through these times. It’s not been easy going for many concrete companies and these times are demanding adaption to changing environments.

History has shown us that in times of tough market competition innovation and flexibility are paramount. Can your organization turn fast in the water or are you bogged down in imaginary or real limitations? How much time are you thinking instead of reacting to market changes?

Winners that emerge from any economic downtime are those that became lean and efficient. Nowadays we can use the terms lean, green, and tech savy to paraphrase key skills for modern concrete ready mix providers. Your concrete company must answer customer needs and not create a gas war competition environment that will bring all participants to the no profit zone.

The concrete ready mix companies that are doing the best are the companies that are thinking, reevaluating and doing what it takes to meet current market contions. Remember, these times may just turn out to be the focal points that inspire your concrete ready mix company to new methods, practices and services.

Lauren Concrete was selected to provide ready mix for ABC’s award winning show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when the show traveled to Bastrop, Texas to build a home for a family that lost all in the Labor Day fire of 2011 in Texas.

Mizzy and Chris Zdroj and their three children were the recipients of the new home as EFC Custom Homes of Bastrop and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” harnassed the power of more than 3,000 volunteers. Mizzy is an unpaid volunteer firefighter who battled the Bastrop wildfire while her own house burned. Her fellow firefighters nominated her for the home makeover.

The builder, EFC Custom Homes of Bastrop, selected Lauren Concrete for this precision timetabled build. “We are working under an amazing schedule and Lauren Concrete has the state of the art dispatching and technical systems to coordinate the pour with precise deliveries” said one worker on location at the site. “Lauren Concrete has built a reputation as the go to company when you need the finest materials and a disciplined team. That’s why they were selected from all the ready mix companies in Central Texas”.

There was an added surprise for the Bastrop community, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” remodeled the Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department building located next to the Zdroj home and other companies also donated firefighter uniforms and additional equipment.

If you have any questions you can always visit the Concrete Forum and post your questions. Here’s an example of the great information shared for one person who had a question about why their concrete was cracking after only four months.

I am in the late stages of an addition to my home which includes a master bath and covered patio. The slab was poured in late November 2010 all at the same time (bath slab and patio). We had a major storm roll thru the afternoon/evening the concrete was poured but the concrete did sit for 4-6 hours before it started raining. As the addition progressed, I started noticing cracks in the concrete. The tile guy found nine hairline cracks across the bath area alone. Last month I noticed a crack all the way across the patio, which is about 16′ x 30′. I refuse to believe that this is “normal” like the contractor says. I had a detached garage and driveway extension built summer of 2009 and that concrete doesn’t have any cracks at all…..even with the recent trucks driving over it for the current addition. I believe the concrete supplier didn’t mix the concrete properly. Is there any way to test a sample of the concrete or have it inspected by an expert? What are my options if I find out the concrete is substandard?

Some of the helpful replies:

It’s extremely common for concrete to crack. it’s far more uncommon for it NOT to crack. There are several reasons for cracks. The two most likely are:
1) The concrete was poured much too wet, leading to excessive shrinkage as it cured. Many times, contractors add a lot of water to the mix to make it easier to pour it out of the truck. When the concrete cures, it loses water and shrinks a bit. Too much added water leads to a high water to cement ratio and therefore a lot of cracking, and typically within a couple of days of the pour!
2) There were not enough crack control joints, or they were improperly installed. These are the joints that are either tooled in while the concrete is wet, or sawed in as soon as possible after the concrete sets up. They are designed to control random cracking. There are specific ways they need to be installed. Probably the least likely scenario is that the concrete was defective. It’s more typically contractor error. Did the same contractor pour both of the slabs you mentioned? I wrote an article about concrete cracks. It can be found at www.4greatconcrete.com under the artcles and publications link. It goes into much more detail as to other causes of cracking as well. Good luck.

Although you were not there when they actually filled the truck with the appropriate materials, once the truck comes to the job site, the contractor or the man in charge of the concrete usually takes a look at the concrete by pouring a little into the shute. So the driver of the concrete truck gives this blank look and looks at the contractor or the man in charge and sometimes the man in charge will have the driver add water so he can work the concrete easier. At that point the question would be, who is responcable for the mixture of the concrete? As it is not feasable to hire a state licensed testing company to be there during the pour on a small job, that would have been possibly the only way to protect yourself. So the options are tear it out or live with it, sorry to be blunt.

If concrete is of perfect mixture and of perfect placement and perfect subgrade(of course there is nothing perfect in concrete)over a period of time will crack every 15 feet. The control joints just try to get the crack to happen at the control joint. So the object is to make the control joints asthetically pleasing to the eye with the surrounding architecture. The more control joints the better chances you have of hiding the cracks. Climate – soil conditions – placement voids – where the rebar is inside the concrete and mix all will have a contributing factor in a crack.

Question sent from a reader: I have a large concrete driveway that has obviously been enlarged over the years and pieced up with mortar at various points. Consequently it’s a mismatch of colours. I was thinking about painting or staining the driveway with exterior paint or concrete stain, assuming I can find any here in the UK, and sealing it the same day using a concrete seal?

Would such a process be effective or would I be wasting time and money?

Here’s our expert’s answer:

It won’t be miraculous buy it will be effective.
We have a waterbased stain that will color everything including your sneakers. Very potent.

Acid stain may not be as effective with different surfaces and patched areas.

How long should I cure (keep the plastic, straw, blankets, water, etc) on my concrete (driveway, sidewalk, slab, etc.)?

This question can only be answered by the professionals associated with the project. Concrete cures at different rates depending on the constituent ingredients and the ambient conditions it is exposed to. Your contractor (concrete supplier) should know what sort of curing is required for the particular mix being used. Also, by following their recommendation, you maintain whatever warranty that might be associated with the work performed. If there is a problem that occurs later on, they can’t blame you for not curing it properly if you did it according to their instructions.