Ed the Concrete Man

Breaking Ground: The Art and Science of Concrete Replacement

• Ed Rivas • Episode 4

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What’s The Process For Tearing Out And Replacing Old Concrete?

Demolishing old concrete isn't just about swinging hammers and making dust – it's a precise science that requires expert knowledge and specialized equipment. In this eye-opening episode, Ed Rivas shares essential insights about concrete replacement that every property owner should understand before tackling deteriorating driveways, patios, or walkways.

Ed walks us through the critical first steps of concrete demolition, explaining why it's vital to identify whether your concrete contains rebar or post-tension cables before breaking ground. You'll discover why improper cutting techniques can compromise entire concrete sections and create dangerous situations. Plus, Ed highlights the environmental responsibility of concrete disposal – revealing how recycling concrete benefits our planet while creating materials for future projects.

Not sure if your cracked concrete needs repair or complete replacement? Ed provides clear guidance on distinguishing between cosmetic hairline cracks and serious structural issues. Learn to recognize when shifting concrete sections create dangerous trip hazards that demand immediate attention. The episode also covers realistic timeline expectations for concrete projects, explaining why some replacements can be completed in a single day while others require multiple visits due to city inspection requirements.

Perhaps most valuable is Ed's detailed explanation of the concrete curing process. While concrete might look solid within hours, Ed reveals why the full curing process takes 28 days and how weather impacts installation quality. You'll learn practical tips about watering new concrete during its first week and why keeping vehicles off fresh concrete for 10 days ensures maximum strength and longevity. These insider insights will help you make informed decisions and properly care for new concrete investments.

Ready to transform your cracked, uneven concrete into smooth, beautiful surfaces? Contact Ed for a free consultation at 972-292-8057 or visit Csius.net to learn how Concrete & Epoxy by CSI can make your concrete dreams a reality!

To learn more about Concrete & Epoxy by CSI visit:
https://www.CSIUS.net
Concrete & Epoxy by CSI
972-292-8057

Speaker 1:

you're listening to ed the concrete man, the only podcast where cracks get fixed, floors get fancy and concrete becomes cool. Hosted by ed revis, founder and ceo of concrete and epoxy by csi, serving up solid advice and even more solid surfaces across north dallas, whether it's your driveway, patio, garage or mystery slab, we build and beautify concrete and we've got the trowel marks to prove it.

Speaker 2:

Moving old concrete isn't just about breaking it up. It's a precise process that ensures a strong, long-lasting replacement. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer. Back in the studio today with Ed Rivas, founder and CEO of Concrete and Epoxy by CSI. Ed, how's it going today?

Speaker 3:

It's doing great Sofia. How about you? It's doing great Sofia how about you?

Speaker 2:

I'm also doing great Ed. Now, ed, tearing out and replacing concrete sounds intense, but I know there's a method behind the madness. Let's break it down. What's the process for tearing?

Speaker 3:

out and replacing old concrete. You know it sounds funny when you say it sounds like a very difficult thing, but when you do it all the time, like me, it's pretty simple. But you have to make sure that you do it the right way. Tearing up concrete it can be like depends on what. What exactly the project the project entails. If you going to demolish a whole piece of concrete, or you going to demolish a certain area on an actual piece of concrete, or you're going to demolish a certain area on an actual piece of concrete, okay, concrete especially if it's done the right way, it has like rebar, it can have a post tension cable. There are different ways that you can do concrete. Well, first, before you do any concrete, you have to ensure that you know what type of concrete you're tearing up, to make sure that you don't get in trouble. Let's say you don't cut the wrong area of the concrete. If you're doing the whole concrete, it's easy, because then you're going to just break up everything. If you're doing a certain area, you want to make sure that you cut in the right way. If not, you can mess up the whole area. When you're only doing a piece of it, okay, you have to have the right equipment, which we have, by the way. You have the right equipment to do it. You have to learn how to use that equipment. It's not just having the equipment, because it can become dangerous. There's big equipment where you use either big machines like tractors to break big pieces of concrete, or saws, where you can. If you don't do it the right way, it can be dangerous and you can be caught, or things like that. So you have to know how to do it, which we have qualified people to do.

Speaker 3:

The job that we do, and tearing off concrete is not about just breaking it and picking it up. You have to know how to dispose the concrete right Because, as we mentioned before, one of the things that we care about is the environment. So it's not just like putting concrete on your trash can or you cannot, just go dump it anywhere. There are certain places where you have to bring the concrete to be, especially if it can be recycled, which is a good thing that if you recycle it, you're not just wasting stuff. You can reuse it later for different purposes. So, yeah, there is a good process, and what I can tell you is that we're expert in doing that. We do a lot of demolitions like taking concrete out and putting concrete back in.

Speaker 2:

Now, ed. What are the signs that the concrete needs to be replaced instead of repaired?

Speaker 3:

As well many, depending exactly on the project that you want to do.

Speaker 3:

Maybe you, if you're doing like an addition in a house and you want to cut to add something else, it's different. But if you're talking about something simple, every day that people things, that happens all the time if you see a piece of concrete that is cracking and I think we discussed this before in a previous episode if it's like a hairline crack, it's not a structural issue. You can start seeing the concrete moving up and down between the cracks or opening more than one inch, and then you're having a structural issue in the concrete. Okay, which eventually, when the concrete, depending on how you use it, if the concrete started getting in a different level one to another, it become a trip hazard, which I mean actually we fix a lot of those because you don't want to have somebody tripping and having an accident and things like that. So if you see big cracks and the concrete is moving up and down, that's probably an indication that may need to be tore up and put in a good foundation to put a new concrete on it.

Speaker 2:

Now, how long does the entire replacement process typically take?

Speaker 3:

Depending on the size, of course, right, but it depends on the size and depends on the area of the city that you work at. Just to give you an idea a simple driveway for a two-car garage we can probably tear it down and put it back on on the same day. We have the equipment to do that. However, there are certain cities that require or have certain rules, like, example, you may have to tear it up, prepare the area and then request an inspection from the city, because cities like to see if you're doing things right or wrong, and then you have to come back and do the pouring in a different day, so that takes you an additional day.

Speaker 3:

But there are certain cities that they don't have as many requirements to do that type of job and if it's a small area, we can tear it up and put it back on on the same day. Now, if it's very large that example is a small area we can tear it up and put it back on on the same day. Now, if it's very large I'm talking that example is a small driveway, let's say for a two-car garage. If it's a large piece of concrete, then you may require additional time because you know, the larger the more work Now.

Speaker 2:

how does weather impact the curing process for fresh concrete?

Speaker 3:

how does weather impact the curing process for fresh concrete. I'm sure it's a big factor. It is. Concrete actually takes 28 days to cure. Okay, regardless of the weather.

Speaker 3:

Now, what weather affects the most is the process of putting the concrete on. Okay, if it is cold, too cold, you don't wanna pour concrete in very low temperatures because then the concrete is a mix of cement, sand, water, rocks. It's a mix of different materials, which one of them is very important is water. So if it's too cold and you put in concrete, the water on the top may freeze and later on that concrete may be peeling. So you have to, you have to make sure that you take care of those issues.

Speaker 3:

Now, if it's too hot, the concrete may dry fast. It don't give you enough time to do a nice finish. You can still do it, but you want to have a nice concrete. You don't want to have just a piece of concrete. But I mean, in Texas, north Dallas, we don't get as low temperatures, really only a little bit in the winter, not even a month. So we have the ability to do concrete most of the time or most of the year, and I mean we have done concrete in 110 degrees because you need more people to make sure that you work fast enough to finish the isolated concrete.

Speaker 3:

But it can be done. But the actual curing process it takes 28 days. During the first week when you pour concrete, it's important to water the concrete because the rate of the concrete drying from the bottom to the top is different and it dries faster on the top than in the bottom. So you want to put some water to give some kind of at the same rate of drying from the bottom to the top so you don't get hairline cracks. And during the first 10 days you should not put any cars or anything heavy to allow the concrete to get some strength before you put something heavy on it.

Speaker 2:

Wow, ed, that was super informative. Concrete replacement isn't just about tearing things up, it's an art and it's a science. Thanks for walking us through the process and we will catch you on your next episode.

Speaker 3:

Thank you. Thank you, Sofia, for having me and I'm glad to give any information related to concrete to our listeners.

Speaker 1:

That's it for this episode of Ed the Concrete man, because boring concrete is so last season. Want your space to shine and not crack. Call Ed at 972-292-8057 for a free in-home consultation or visit csiusnet. From driveways to patios and everything in between, if it's concrete, we've got you covered. Until next time, keep it smooth and let Ed handle the heavy stuff.