Ernest Maier

Five Tips For Installing A Concrete Driveway

If your driveway has entered its second decade of life, it is probably time to stop trying to repair it and replace it. Concrete driveways are a popular choice over asphalt because when properly installed, they can last between 25 and 50 years. If you are looking into installing a new driveway, concrete is a …

How Do Aggregate Properties Affect My Ready-Mix Concrete?

The size and shape of concrete aggregate can change the properties of your ready-mix concrete product. Make sure you’re choosing the right kind for your project.

How to use concrete kneeboards and concrete sliders

I'll show you how to use concrete kneeboards to mag float a patio slab in preparation for a broom finish.

Can research take the cement out of concrete?

USC Technologies in San Jose, Calif., the research development arm of U.S. Concrete, a producer of ready-mix and precast concrete in Houston, is collaborating with two universities to create "alternative supplemental cementitious materials." The research seeks to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions by using less cement in concrete.

A Strong Start: The Best Concrete Mix for Every DIY Project

If you have any experience with home improvement, you need no convincing about the strengths of concrete as a building material. Sleek and attractive as granite or marble but a fraction of the cost, concrete is durable, economical, and DIY-friendly, perfect for constructing outdoor features, patios, and even furniture and decorative pieces. With concrete mixes from Quikrete—a company that …

Before and After: Benefits of Home Renovation

Whether you go with a small job or a whole home remodel, the benefits of home renovation improve your structure and your lifestyle.

Killer Commercial Concrete Flooring Ideas and Inspiration

Dyes, stains, polishes, stencils, and stamps can be utilized with ready mix concrete in commercial flooring to make any business space unique.

What is the Difference Between Concrete and Cement?

Concrete is cement with gravel and sand added in. Concrete is generally more durable and attractive than cement as well, but it...

2 technologies toward greener concrete

Canada-based CarbonCure Technologies has developed a technology that turns waste carbon dioxide into solid carbonate to capture the gas and put it in the concrete. The company is now moving into the ready-mix industry with its technology. Meanwhile, environmental chemist David Stone and civil engineer Narayanan Neithalath are working on their cement alternative called Ferrock, which requires no energy input to produce.

Researchers explore the potential for using fly ash in concrete

The UK Quality Ash Association is sponsoring research into the recovery and use of stockpile fly ash for construction materials.

Bendy concrete to go into field trials

Understanding the True Cost of Concrete

Concrete is expensive. According to the National Ready Mix Concrete Association, the cost of concrete is $108 per cubic yard. On top of this is the cost of delivery fees, truck rentals, driver pay, loading/unloading workers, etc. And this doesn't even include the cost of time spent during the delivery process testing and checking the quality of the concrete to make sure it arrives at the jobsite at the right consistency and quality required for the job.

Catalysts for Cleaner Cement Production

Follow the SusChem blog and find out what's going on in the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry.

Researchers show microscopic wood nanocrystals make concrete stronger

Purdue University researchers studying whether concrete is made stronger by infusing it with microscopic-sized nanocrystals from wood are moving from the laboratory to the real world with a bridge that will be built in California this spring.