ATLANTA DRIVEWAY CONTRACTORS - CONCRETE

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Concrete driveways

Driveway replacement process. The first step in replacing a concrete driveway is to break up the old driveway and haul it away.  Then, depending on the nature of the ground under the driveway, the contractor may put down additional gravel or fill to create a more solid base for the concrete.  Without a good base, the driveway is more likely to settle and/or crack.  Next, the contractor installs temporary forms to hold the wet concrete.  Once the forms are in place, the concrete arrives and is poured into them.  The concrete is smoothed, and contraction joints are cut.  The concrete hardens inside the forms. Once the concrete is hard, the forms are removed.

Setting or curing. Concrete does not dry; it sets or cures through a chemical process called hydration.  During hydration, water molecules combine with the cement to form very tiny crystals.  These crystals interlock with one another, as well as with the aggregate in the concrete, to give the concrete its strength.  If the concrete or the surface of the concrete dries before hydration fully occurs, the concrete loses its strength and/or becomes flaky.  Therefore, it is very important to keep the surface of the concrete wet after it is poured. 

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