Construction

The Top 15 Types of Cement And When To Use Them (used by permission from ACI's Concrete Craftsman Series "Concrete Fundamentals") Freshly mixed concrete is made of cement, water, and aggregates such as sand and gravel. Frequently, it…

For the highest quality mix, the paddle is your most important choice. There is a definite science behind mixing. Many contractors are not aware they can save a lot of time and money by perfecting their mixing techniques. When you match…

Encouraging A Safe Frame Of Mind Framers play a critical role in construction. Since they assemble the structure around and upon which a building is constructed, the need for safety is built into framing. In fact, one of the tenants of the…

6 Steps to Avoid Losses from 2020’s Hurricane Season Weather forecasters are warning severe weather may throw another challenge to contractors' profitably this year. In May, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…

Somewhere between 75°F and 100°F hot weather problems can become an issue for concrete. And without using the proper care, your pour may suffer from reduced strength and cracking due to drying too quickly. 

What Are Waterstops? Waterstops are important construction elements that prevent water ingress at construction joints. Contractors place these products in concrete structures to form watertight diaphragms at structural transitions where…

Test Your Soil Compaction Knowledge!

To learn more about the products and techniques you can use to help avoid these problems, download our FREE "Building Envelope Installation Checklist/Guide” DOWNLOAD PDF Proper installation techniques and product selection are critical…

Bridge The Gap On Jobsite Communication The recent coronavirus situation has forced us all to rethink not only the way we do business, but also the way we interact with each other. We can no longer take for granted those large team…

OSHA Launches New NEP On Silica On February 4, 2020, OSHA published a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) revolving around Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS). The previous NEP, drafted in 2008, was cancelled in 2017 when OSHA released its…

Six Tips For Better Slabs Proper planning is the key for placing large, high performance floors.  Slab-on-ground placements are becoming larger and more complex. Owners are demanding tighter flatness numbers, increased jointing…

Best Practices For Resolving/Avoiding Disputes Construction jobs involve diverse people, large sums of money, tools and heavy equipment, and deadlines: what could possibly go wrong? Disputes on the job are significant risks factors for…

Power Up Your Jobsite! Many of us have home generators to run appliances in case of an electrical outage, but the power requirements on a construction site often demand a different class of generator. On the jobsite, generators are used to…

We're Building America Construction is hard, but meaningful, work! Whether you are pouring concrete for a foundation, maneuvering a crane dozens of stories high, or every job in between, it is a noble endeavor to be involved in the…

Turnaround and shutdown projects demand pinpoint accuracy and execution for success Turnarounds are scheduled events, while shutdowns are emergency events that are rarely, if ever, planned. In both cases, this scope of work completely…

What Is A Field Adhesion Test? Field adhesion testing is an important way to ensure quality jobsite application and surface preparation of installed sealant joints. When an authorized field representative performs it, this test is a good…

Proper Concrete Practices Can Avoid Surface Scaling In the last few years, complaints of spalling (scaling) of exterior concrete surfaces have been on the rise. There are several non-contractor related reasons scaling issues are on the…

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Test Your Concrete Knowledge!

What Is Lean Construction? Lean construction is a philosophy by which the construction team adopts practices and technologies that reduce costs, materials, time and effort, specific to the project at hand. For most contractors this sort…

How Are Drones Used In Construction? Drones with specialized software have allowed construction projects to be more efficient, building projects to be better managed, and inspections to be more thorough. Drones allow contractors to…

Balfour Beatty goes modular on Atlanta's Osprey project https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=tXpPHsPbDaE Go digital with offsite construction. In the last eight-to-ten years or so, modular construction has entered the…

Tilt-Up is still an under-appreciated method As a constructing method, Tilt-Up has only been around for a little more than a hundred years. And during that time, it’s been used in countless creative and innovative ways, but it still…

Facing A Monumental Challenge One World Trade Center stands quietly at 285 Fulton Street as a proud but solemn memorial to our fellow citizens who perished tragically on September 11, 2001. But the teams that designed, engineered and built…

After the Pour The forms are ready, the slump is rolling down the chute, and workers are preparing to finish the slab. At this point, the most important step to take to ensure the slab is structurally sound and has a smoother surface is to…

How Renting Equipment from White Cap can help you increase profits. Every contractor wrestles with this question. Renting costs less, but is it as good as owning? Truth is, it can be a lot better than owning if you’re renting from White…

Used by permission from Husqvarna https://youtu.be/6RD8621RGUg DIAMOND BLADE TROUBLESHOOTING

Repairing Common Slab Surface Defects  Concrete contractors are often asked to address non-structural blemishes that can occur soon after a concrete slab is placed. Blemishes, such as popouts, plastic shrinkage cracks, and drying…

Waiting for the dust to settle We are seeing some buzz in the industry that OSHA may pull back on the Silica regulation requirement. Yeah, there have been a few big fines, but in general, the feedback is that OSHA has not been aggressively…

How To Ensure A Successful Sealer Application (Original article appears in a SpecTech article from SpecChem. Used by permission) Surface Preparation All surfaces to be sealed must be properly cleaned. Ensure the concrete is clean, dry,…

Jobs Don't Stop When the Temperature Drops Don’t let cold weather slow down your pour. As we head into winter, understanding cold weather concreting will keep the jobs going and the crete flowing. Concrete is often the foundation…

Starting at the base of the problem Experienced contractors know that producing quality concrete flatwork begins with the proper preparation of the slab support system. Using proper compaction techniques, contractors efficiently transform…