5 signs of a dodgy concrete job (so you know what to look for)
Most concrete looks fine the day it's finished. The problems show up six months later. Here are five things to look for if you suspect a job hasn't been done properly.
1. No control joints, or joints in the wrong places. Concrete will crack - the job of saw-cut joints is to choose where. No joints means the cracks pick their own spot, usually right through the middle of the pour.
2. Ponding water after rain. A driveway or slab should shed water within minutes. Pools that linger for hours mean the finish was screeded flat instead of to falls.
3. Aggregate showing through where it shouldn't. On a broom-finish driveway, visible stone usually means the surface was over-worked or the mix was too wet.
4. Rust stains within a year or two. That's the reinforcement sitting too close to the surface - a base prep and placement issue, not a concrete one.
5. Edges that crumble when you scuff them. Weak edges point to a low-strength mix or insufficient cure time. Placeholder content - Shane will add real photos of each issue.
"Concrete will crack. A good concreter just picks where."
- Shane Tusel, founder
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