|
News & Info
|
 |
 |
Seller Signup...
Quality Service, Seller or Tradesperson? Sign Up Now!
|
|
Home & Garden Articles
Installing a Concrete Driveway
Fri 23 Feb 2007 - 07:44
Installing a Concrete Driveway
By Ken Wilssens
There is a lot of work involved in installing a concrete driveway. First you do need to make sure the surface underneath is quite hard and stable. Concrete is soft, but if you install it properly, you can have a driveway that will last for about 30 years. Concrete is one material that responds well to compression, but it does not respond well to stretching. Therefore a hairline crack can become a deep rut if you aren't careful.
If you hire a contractor or choose to do the work yourself, your first job is to properly grade and slope the land. The slight slope will help the water to run off rather than settle of the concrete and cause problems. The grading will smooth out the foundation allowing you to have a smooth driveway. The soil has to be compacted before you start building the forms and then pouring the concrete.
If you include expansion joints and reinforced steel in the concrete, you will eliminate some of the cracking problems. Concrete also shrinks as it dries, so pouring too large an area will also cause problems down the road. If you install control joints properly, it will encourage the concrete to crack at the joints. The best way to install these is to cut lines in the slab of concrete at fifteen to twenty foot intervals. This allows the concrete to absorb the stress of vehicles driving over it. Corners are especially vulnerable. If you do have corners in the driveway, the control joint should radiate from the corner to the center of the slab.
Reinforced steel helps make the concrete stronger. It helps to hold the cracked slabs together and keeps the cracks from enlarging. It also keeps the slabs at an even height. You should install this steel no deeper than two inches below the surface of the concrete. The thicker the layer of concrete you have, the better. You should look at having at least five inches of concrete, which will not add a lot extra money to the cost of the driveway.
For lots of information on
driveway construction and other driveways related topics, visit Driveways
Info at http://www.drivewaysinfo.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Wilssens
http://EzineArticles.com/?Installing-a-Concrete-Driveway&id=464763
Looking for information on Building, Find a supplier at HomeWise.ie
back to Building articles
back to all home & garden articles
|
|