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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

You can tackle this several ways. The professionals will drive grade stakes inside the forms at convenient intervals (less than the width of the screed board). The grade stakes will have the proper level marked on the stake, usually a nail in a wooden stake. You can place some concrete in the forms and using the grade stakes as a guide, begin screeding the concrete. As you get the proper grade on the concrete, you can pull the grade stakes. As you can tell, this requires a little experience to get it just right, but beginners can do it with less accuracy.
Another method is to get a probe, such as a stick or steel stake, mark it with the depth you want the concrete to be, then place the concrete in the forms. Screed the concrete and probe to ensure the proper depth. This is not as efficient as the first method, but it will get the job done with a little more effort. You can set construction joints (1×4’s, metal keyway forms, etc) inside the forms at intervals of 25-30 times the depth of the slab. You can use these as screed guides.

Finally, you can set screed guides inside the forms using 2×4’s and stakes so that the bottom of the 2×4’s are at the top of where you want the concrete to be. Nail ears on the end and top of your screed board so that when you set the screed board on the screed guides, the bottom of your screed board is even with the bottom of the screed guide, thus level with the top of where your concrete will be. Once you get your concrete down and screeded, you can pull these screed guides and fill in the stake holes and re-level by eye.

Reinforcement steel in flatwork is strictly for crack control. The best crack control is affected by putting the steel in the upper half of the slab. If your contractor can guarantee he will keep the wire mesh in the upper half of the concrete, that will do as well as rebar. Make sure he gives at least 3/4″ cover to whatever reinforcement he uses. The standard driveway depth is 4″, but that doesn’t mean that depth is right for you. It really depends on the soil conditions and the load you will be putting on the concrete. Thickened edges (beams) are highly recommended for the outsides of the driveway. This will enable the edges to take that occasional load on the edge or coming onto or off of the edge. Normal
Portland cement concrete likes to crack every 10-12′, so jointing in all directions no more than 10′, with the joints being a minimum of 1/4 the slab depth, should help the expansion/contraction problem. There are two types of joints: contraction and construction. Contraction joints are usually installed with a concrete saw after the concrete gets hard or a jointing tool while the concrete is still fresh. Construction joints are preinstalled dividers such as redwood strips, aluminum keyways, or other physical barriers. Either type of joint will allow for expansion/contraction, so if you don’t want redwood every 10′, you don’t have to have it. Make your joints as square as you can. Try to avoid rectangular jointing sections. Make sure the contractor orders concrete that has 4-6% entrained air, since you live in conditions that probably require salting of roads. The air will enhance the concrete’s freeze/ thaw durability and make it less susceptible to salt damage. I could spend at least 8 hours going over things to look out for and things to avoid. The main thing is sitting down with the contractor before you sign a contract, and tell him how you want the thing to look when he gets finished. Discuss whether visible cracks are acceptable or not. Discuss a warranty. Tell them what you want in the end, put it in your contract, then get out of his way and let him give you what you want. If he doesn’t give you what he says he would in the contract, you have legal standing for a remedy. Also, let him buy the concrete so
he can’t blame you for buying an inferior product that he couldn’t work with.

Candidates must have experience with Command Alcon software.

This is not an entry level position. Professional experience as a ready mix dispatcher is a prerequisite. The geographic location for this job is the Austin, Texas area.

How to apply:  please email resume and requests to: hr@concrete.com

*No phone calls, please – email correspondence only - send resume in PDF or doc format

Projects In The News

CVS Pharmacies has selected Lauren Concrete as their ready mix supplier for a new pharmacy being build along Hwy 290 in Austin, Texas. Lauren Concrete is recognized as the premier ready mix supplier for projects in Central Texas.

For more information visit the Lauren Concrete Blog.

Lauren Concrete was founded in 1986 by Ronnie Klatt in Austin, Texas. The company continues to be family owned and operated. The primary business offices are located in Austin and Round Rock.

Lauren Concrete operates 8 batch plants which are strategically located along the I-35 corridor. We proudly serve the Austin area communities including: Austin, Kyle, Buda, Bastrop, Elgin, Manor, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Hutto, Lakeway, Leander, Cedar Park, Liberty Hill, Bertram, and Georgetown.

To accompany our impressive Ready Mix Fleet, we own and operate Tanker and Aggregate Haul Truck divisions. In 2002 we acquired our first fully operational sand and gravel mine with over 20 million tons of reserves. This operation provides Lauren a steady supply chain and our customers’ peace of mind in an area where material shortages are common.

Visit our website at www.laurenconcrete.com

Delivering Quality through Technology

Lauren Concrete delivers results via technology. We implement state of the art technologies to ensure our customers supreme attention to detail. All Lauren vehicles are equipped with the latest in GPS technology. Our fully automated system provides vehicle location and status information in real-time to fleet managers and dispatchers. The positioning system is fully integrated into our dispatching system which results in greater efficiency and allows us to better meet our customers scheduling requirements.

Our Production Management System guarantees 100% quality via real-time text and email alerts that inform Quality Assurance Managers if problems occur. This feature allows us to guarantee that every cubic yard of concrete that leaves our facility is within batching tolerances and meets our customers’ specifications.

This event included a BBQ cookoff, skeet shoot and dove hunt, as well as a gun raffle. The area was complete with a special tent set up with large TV screens for the Texas Longhorn/Nebraska Cornhuskers game. Needless to say, it was a “burnt orange” day.

Family, friends and associates gathered for great food, fun and to compete in the events. Held at the Texas Aggregates facility in Bastrop, TX, the area is located on four miles of river front and has over 600 acres of land for the dove hunters.

The memorial fund is a non-profit corporation formed to honor the wishes of late co-worker Rick Schmidt, who passed away July 28, 2009. Before his death he and his friends at Lauren Concrete made a pact that they would endeavor to raise money for cancer research to help children. This year’s proceeds went to Cattlemen for Cancer Research, The March of Dimes Austin, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Major sponsors (Platinum Level) were: Cowboy Harley-Davidson Austin, Sika USA, Capitol Aggregates, and Royal Purple.

Gold Level Sponsors were: Wells Fargo, GCR Tire Centers, RoMix Incorporated, Wright Distribution, Waukesha-Pearce Industries, and Media 1250

Silver Level Sponsors were: Stoltz Captive Insurance, Capital Pumping, OnSite Services, Johnson Oil, Roscoe State Bank, Insurance Network of Texas, First National Bank of Bastrop, Brundage Bone, Jims Chipping Service, Vanguard Truck Center, Borchert Pumping, Shelton & Van Houten CPAs, Frank Leffingwell and Associates, Texas Crushed Stone, B&B Auto, and Leif Johnson Ford.