Concrete is used in a broad range of applications, from constructing commercial buildings to do-it-yourself residential applications like installing a patio. You see the material every day but might not know how it's created. The professionals at Builder’s Concrete East in Windham produce and supply high-grade ready-mix concrete to customers throughout Connecticut and explain how it’s made.

3 Steps of Creating Concrete

Proportioning & Mixing Ingredients

The first step of concrete production is proportioning the ingredients:  cement, water, and aggregates like crushed stone, gravel, and sand. The cement and water combine to form a paste that coats the aggregate. Having the right amount of each ingredient is crucial because a mixture that has too little or too much paste will form low-quality concrete.

Hydration

This step occurs when water is added to the cement. It forms a chemical that hardens the paste and forms nodes on each cement particle’s surface. They expand and connect to nodes on other particles or attach to neighboring aggregate. During hydration, it’s essential to shape the concrete in the required form before it gets too stiff to spread properly.

Curing

Curing happens after the concrete mix has been poured into the shaping framework and exposed surfaces have hardened. It allows the material to continue to hydrate and gain strength. The longer it hydrates, the more solid it becomes. Surfaces can be cured by covering them with a moisture-retaining material or spraying them with a water fog.

Understanding how concrete is made provides insight into how it becomes so durable. For the best results with your ready-mix concrete application, purchase it from a company that has a long history of high-quality concrete production: Builder’s Concrete East in Windham, CT. Call (860) 456-4113 to order ready-mix concrete for any size job and visit them online to view photos of past projects. Like them on Facebook for more industry insight and news from the company.