5 Facts That Nobody Told You About Concrete – South Wales Concrete Pumping

At South Wales Concrete Pumping, we deal with concrete on a daily basis. As the cornerstone of our industry, concrete is something we know the in’s & outs of, fully understanding the qualities it can bring the commercial & industrial sector. From this, there are a few points & facts that a lot of people would be interested in knowing! We decided to collate a few uncommon facts about concrete, going over things that most people wouldn’t know.

1. Concrete is the most used material!

It’ll come to no shock to a lot of our readers that concrete is one of the most used materials in the world! Coming second to water (as a consumed resource), concrete is abundantly used in every major city, country & continent. Concrete has amazing qualities that make it the best material for creating hard-wearing structures that’ll stay standing for decades, if not centuries.

2. Reinforced concrete is the only material that is fire & water resistant!

Concrete is naturally fireproof as it doesn’t burn! Concrete also won’t release toxic fumes when in contact with flames. This is why it’s widely used a fire shield to great effect since it’s thermal properties make it a great fire retardant.

Concrete also has great resistive qualities to water if used with special membranes. These special blends are able to make concrete practically waterproof! Depending on the usage, particular types/blends of concrete are ideal for structures that are below ground. This is why reinforced concrete is such a popular material for underwater structures, as it’s properties make it a much more suitable material compared to steel or wood.

3. Concrete has amazing compression qualities

Concrete is one of the hardest non-metal materials that can be used on large scale structures. This is because of concrete’s incredible compressive strength since concrete does become denser over time. This is why older structures that pre-date modern society are still standing! For large structures, concrete the best material we have. It’s superb strength as well as it’s stablity makes is an amazing construction material.

4. Concrete gets stronger with age!

Concrete does actually strengthen with time as the chemical hydration process compounds the aggregate together. Curing occurs as soon as the concrete is moisture free, leaving the concrete to strengthen & harden. Over time the density of concrete will increase, resulting in a stronger material with age.

Watering the concrete once it is cured is actually a proven method in strengthening concrete. The longer the hydration/curing period is, the stronger the concrete will be! The only thing to consider is the fact that the concrete will shrink and expand as it cures. This could cause fitment issues if your concrete structure has to join/interact with another fitting/structure.

5. Concrete is one of the most diverse building materials

Concrete is an amazing substance to build with since it has so many qualities that make it the ultimate construction material. Whilst it isn’t the lightest material, the density & strength of concrete makes it ideal for so many uses. Concrete can be shaped & moulded into many forms, taking on the look & style of whatever you intend it to be.

In summary, concrete is an amazing material for those looking to build structures that are hard wearing & robust. South Wales Concrete Pumping are leading experts in the industry, with decades of experience providing industrial & commercial clients with professional concrete services. We have a lot of experience in the field, making us one of the go-to providers for anything to do with concrete! Visit our website to find out more about our other services or visit our page on Concrete Cardiff

When you’re working on/managing a construction project, it’s vital that time restraints & deadlines are met & managed properly. Unessecary expenditure of labour or time is a huge killer of construction projects & everyone in the industry knows that wasting time & money is a bitter pill to swallow. In most modern building sites, concrete pumping acts as a vital tool due to the amount of time & resources it can save. A concrete pump is ultimately far quicker than any human manually laying concrete!

What is concrete pumping?

Concrete pumping is the process of transporting unset concrete to a specific location. The concrete “pump” is usually an engine-driven machine that pumps the concrete through thick tubes wherever the site needs it. Whether it’s on top of a housing development or it’s the floor screed of a new industrial warehouse, concrete pumps are able to provide a diverse range of benefits.

There is a range of different concrete pumps that are on the market. There are specific models that are best suited for certain uses depending on the requirements of the user. Smaller concrete pumps are ideal for domestic sites whereas large diesel pumps are a better fit for industrial scale projects.

Most concrete suppliers are able to provide the concrete pump itself as well as the concrete since it makes sense for the supplier to provide both. Concrete can be mixed onsite or delivered straight to your site. These conveniences make acquiring concrete for any site much simpler than it has been before since you’re only having to deal with one supplier for everything! One supplier, one contact & one delivery!

Why does concrete pumping matter?

Like we’ve mentioned before, concrete pumping is a hugely advantageous tool for those that are looking to speed up the progress of their construction site. Laying concrete with a concrete pumping can save a lot of time over manual labourers hand laying the same amount. It’s much easier for large amounts of concrete to be pumped into the intended location, especially if the required location has restricted access.

This brings us to another great advantage concrete pumping can bring to your project, as concrete pumps can make use of cranes. Construction sites aren’t always going to be easy to access hence why restricted access pumps are very handy if you need them. A pipe/hose can be lifted up or down into a hard to reach area, still making use of the speedy concrete laying as you would anywhere else.

Where can I find a good concrete pumping service?

Finding a good concrete pumping provider will all depend on your needs. Certain providers may be better suited for your use, but not for others. It all depends on what you need to have fulfilled & your surrounding factors like budget, timescale & environment. Experience says a lot about a company, since standing the test of time in a competitive industry is a good sign of a companies level of service & how cost effective their offerings actually are. A company that also has great reviews that are legitimate is a good sign since it takes a good service to prompt people to leave good feedback! Mediocre service usually warrants a mediocre response.

If you’re looking for a professional concrete pumping service for your commercial or industrial construction project in South Wales, we have you covered. We’re able to offer a wide range of services & products that can save you time & money with your site. Call the number on our homepage and speak to one of our advisors – Concrete Cardiff. They will discuss your needs/requirements & try and help you find the best service for your site.

Different Types of Concrete – South Wales Concrete Pumping

There are many different types of concrete available out there. We have gone through and gathered some of the main types that you may need some further information about. We hope that providing you with some benefits of the different types of construction material listed will help you make an informed decision on what material is best for your needs.

Pre Mixed

This type of concrete is renown for being very versatile and easy to use. The construction material will arrive at the site of construction pre-mixed and ready to be used for the required purpose. This construction material is also very cost effective as all the transportation and the mixing of the material is taken care of compared to other materials that must be transported by yourself. This uses up time and money and this is why pre-mixed concrete is considered one of the best options available. We have discussed the benefits of pre-mixed concrete further in our latest blog. Take a look at our new blog – Top 5 Benefits of Ready Mix Concrete. (more…)

The Top 5 Benefits of Ready Mix Concrete

Our professional team has gathered the top 5 benefits of ready-mix concrete. We hope this top 5 really helps to improve your understanding of the construction materials available and what benefits they may have. We have also discussed a small step that can be made to help reduce your environmental impact.

1) Saving you time

One benefit of ready-mix concrete is that it is mixed off-site meaning that when the material is purchased it will be delivered to the construction site premixed. This will save you time as the construction material can be used instantly from the delivery compared to bagged-concrete which must be combined with water and mixed before use. Mixing construction material can take up great amounts of time. If your construction plans have a deadline it is important that you take into consideration how much time premixed material may save you. (more…)

Concrete Pumping – Can it save me money & time?

Innovations in construction technology are hard to come by. When it comes to finding tools that provide efficiency & cost-effective, it takes a lot of development to find construction methods that are better than what the industry is currently using. The introduction of concrete pumping as a standard in the past decade or so has most likely contributed to the completion of thousands of projects. The sheer logistical advantages of concrete pumping make this format of concrete laying very beneficial to construction projects around the world. For more information, visit our website: Concrete Pumping Cardiff (more…)