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When building your home or other structures, you have several options for materials. One of these options is concrete, which is a mixture of a paste, water, and certain other aggregate materials. This paste is mixed so that it coats the aggregates, is allowed to harden, and cures, thus creating the hard material. It has the consistency of plastic when newly poured, but it is like rock when completely hardened. When you are mixing your concrete, the right proportions of the ingredients are very important because too much water will make it too runny and have too many pores. Too much paste, however, may be easy to smooth out, but may cause shrinkage, in time, causes the surfaces to be uneven. The past coats all the sand and pebbles through a chemical reaction called hydration. How well the cement works depends on its quality. Pretty much any water will work, however, you do need to be careful because it does take up the majority of the mix. You do not want it to have an odor, so any water that you use for drinking should work. However, sometimes water that is not intended for drinking will work to mix the concrete. You also do not want any strange impurities that could cause staining, corrosion, or stability, so the purer the water, the better. Once everything is combined, it is important to keep it mixing until you are ready to spread it as it will harden quickly. When you are setting the mixture, you need to completely smooth it out inside the sets so that you can get all the bubbles and air pockets out. When it is in the sets, the curing process begins. This is when it is hardening and takes the entire lifetime of the mix. To cure it properly, you need to mist it with water when it is first set, put a burlap bag on top, or use special sealing sprays on it. If it is either too hot or too cold for the usual curing methods, there are special techniques used to help the process along. The longer the concrete is left, the harder it gets over the years. There are four basic types of concrete. These are ready mixed, which is the most common form and is in the trucks with the spinning drums. Another type is precast, which is preformed into blocks or bricks of various shapes and sizes. Thirdly, there is masonry, which is known as the rectangle shape with holes in the top, and finally, soil cement, which is often used in the poured construction of dams and basement. Knowing about the different types of concrete can help you have a successful building project. With a successful building project you can know that your structure is secure and safe for years to come. When in need of concrete, Detroit contractors and residents want convenience and quality. For the details on one local option, visit Detroit Ready Mix Concrete, Inc. at the following link: http://www.detroitreadymix.com
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