The main reason for cracks is bc nine times out of ten when the contractor lets the concrete set up and start to dry and then goes again and adds water to it it causes the concrete to become weaker and weaker the more times it cures and then water is applied again. Also it can happen when 2b is put down and not compacted before a pour the ground and 2b shifts with causes the concrete to crack. The 1 inch cut thats done in the concrete is so when or if the concrete should crack break bc of movement or weight it would break evenly and not cause a spider web break. Its never really recommended to pour on a very hot day and if you can avoid it then avoid it bc its better on a cool day being the concrete will dry on its own anyways either in cold conditions or under water but will not avoid the cause of flaking or cracking by doing so. No one should ever add water if qhen the concrete sets up and if you push your finger down in it and see your print or feels dry. But that's if the pour was done in the last 4 hours bc with in that time your able to fix it after 4 hours then no water or anything bc you can mees up the cycle if its curing process. But if it rains within the 4 and 8th hour its ok bc it will be hard enough so the rain water don't mess anything up. Now if you notice that the rain drops caused a problem and theirs standing water its ok to take a garden hose and pull the access water off and try to fix it but try not to cause more damage then it has bc remember you didn't want to mess the process up that has started or create more damage.

Anyone with any doubts about Superior Walls should use something else. I watched the setting of those for two houses before making my decision. The bolts installed when setting the panels hold the walls until the house floor structure is PROPERLY secured to the top of the walls. The basement floor slab keeps the walls from moving in at the bottom and if the builder chooses, the walls are secured to the slab to prevent outward movement for daylight basements. The backfill prevents outward movement at the bottom. Thinking things through from a technical perspective is helpful. Going on now with 12 years with my Superior Walls and am perfectly pleased. Concrete block probably comprises the majority of basement foundation construction and it is the poorest choice in my opinion. But that is not to say that it is a bad choice-- definitely not the best.

You're welcome! maire_cate - No pool, but the existing patio does get slippery when wet, especially when I am in flip flops. tinam61 - Our patio was poured, and then it was suppose to be acid stained. Instead, they rolled some type of stain on top, and then sealed it. As I said, the inside has held up with two more applications of sealer in the last 5 years. The outside has actually been re-stained (after the first season and flaking began)and has been sealed 4 times. Yes, the overlay has color applied before the epoxy is poured. Are you thinking of having the lower driveway done with stamped concrete, or brick pavers? If you are in an area that gets lots of snow (and salt) I would not try the stamped concrete. My neighbor has has his torn up and redone, and still had it ruined over the winter with the salt trucks. susieq07 - I've seen your driveway before. You've had that quite a while. Has it held up well? Talked to DH today. We are going to wait for the estimates to come back on our project. If the numbers are within our budget, I think we are going to go ahead and either add to the existing pad before having a coating put on it, or tear the pad up and pour a larger pad. We could also do pavers instead of a concrete pad. Maybe the yard would not get as torn up if we are just taking out the old pad, and not having to have a new pad poured. Again, it all depends on the expense and our budget. I wish for a larger patio to be able to serve our needs. Here is the rest of what we are doing. Pergola will be attached to house. So instead of four columns, we will have two. This will improve our siteline from the house and screen porch. From backyard looking at patio and screened porch From backyard with pergola mock-up From backyard with pergola, grill enclosure and fireplace mock-up Fireplace and/or pergola examples that I like. We are not sure whether to go with brick to match our house (if we can find it) and use stone accents like this. There would be seats on either side and the chimney will be higher to tie in with pergola. I like this the best, but chimney would not be quite this tall because we will have gas. Take away the two columns, and scaled down a bit, plus add the seats. Original dream photo. I've hung onto this for a couple of years. Saw this at General Shale yesterday and was determined that this was it! Today, I am having second thoughts that it may be TOO formal. Plus, the white detailing may become a headache for cleaning. I think that I'd rather go with detailing like the following photo, whether used with stone or brick. Did I tell y'all that we will also be improving the looks of the screened porch post? Instead of the solid paint stain on rough treated post, and the vinyl cladding on the outside of the porch, we will have the post re-wrapped with a smooth paintable wood and then redo the screening and trim them out. Again, this is something with can put on the back burner if needed. After all, I just stained the post last summer. Throw in some landscaping, lighting and furniture, we will be all done!

I am in the finally stages of my pool and I have noticed a ton of hair line cracks all around the poured in place concrete coping. I do not like the look, obviously, but am afraid with time and water seeping in cracks it will deteriorate. Is this acceptable with a new pool and what should I tell the PB? Also the stamp concrete has two very long cracks right by the cut lines. Please advise as I still have a small outstanding balance and want it to be right. Thanks