Services

Count on Us for Exceptional Concrete Flatwork

At Campbell's Custom Concrete, working together means supporting a collaborative, service-oriented approach to concrete flatwork construction.

Each project we build is more than just concrete and rebar. Every completed plan is an opportunity and responsibility to deliver safety and durability to the people who rely on the flatwork project.

 

What We Do

You found a concrete contractor specializing in flatwork with predictable completion. Our team values the importance of craftsmanship, safety, and budgets.

You can depend on us for outstanding concrete flatwork services to create different features on your property.

Commercial

  • Curb (Excavate, Grade, Hand Form, Pour, and Finish)
  • Sidewalk (Form, Pour, and Finish)
  • Integral Curb and Sidewalk
  • Utility Pads for Dumpsters and Air Handlers

Residential

  • Driveway
  • Sidewalk
  • Garage
  • Barn
  • Approach
  • Apron
  • Patio
  • Slab for Air Unit, Hot Tub, or Basketball Hoop

Flatwork Problems and Defects To Avoid

Concrete flatwork problems can range from unsightly to dysfunctional.

Blisters

These are air or water‐filled bulges that form under a dense skin of mortar during the finishing of a concrete surface. Their sizes can vary from 1/4 to 3 inches in diameter and may move during troweling or be apparent only after finishing is completed. They break under traffic after the concrete has hardened.

Popouts

A popout is the breaking away of small portions of a concrete surface due to localized internal pressure that leaves a shallow, typically conical, depression. Popouts are generally caused by a porous aggregate with high absorption and relatively low specific gravity. The susceptible aggregate absorbs moisture. In the winter, the moisture freezes, expands, and creates an internal pressure that ruptures the aggregate.

Scaling

Scaling is flaking or peeling away of the near‐surface portion of hardened concrete. Cement and Concrete defines degrees of scaling as follows:

  • Light scaling: Doesn’t expose the coarse aggregate
  • Medium scaling: Loss of surface mortar to 5 to 10 mm in depth and exposure of coarse aggregate
  • Sever scaling: Loss of surface mortar to 5 to 10 mm in depth with some loss of mortar surrounding aggregate particles 10 to 20 mm in depth
  • Very severe scaling: Loss of coarse aggregate particles as well as mortar generally to a depth greater than 20 mm

Bug Holes

Also called blowholes, bug holes usually do not exceed 15 mm (0.6 in.) in diameter. They result from the entrapment of air bubbles in the surface of formed concrete during placement and consolidation.

Blowup

A blowup is a localized upward movement of a concrete curb or slab, usually at a joint or crack. Blowups often occur when joints have become filled with incompressible material and thermal expansion during hot weather. This creates compressive forces high enough to cause buckling of pavements, sidewalks, or curbs. Cracking may also happen parallel to or perpendicular to joints.

Honeycomb

This refers to voids left in concrete due to the failure of the mortar to fill the spaces among coarse‐aggregate particles effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a composite material made with different ingredients, including cement, water, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, and fibers.

Concrete flatwork can be used to construct sidewalks, curbs, gutters, patios, driveways, and more.

As the name implies, this type of construction job entails pouring concrete on a horizontal plane, creating a perfectly flat and smooth surface. Concrete flatwork installations are popular with property owners due to the material's strength and decorative options.

Concrete flatwork is any surface poured which moves along a horizontal plane. Flatwork surfaces include patios, sidewalks, basements, and driveways. Concrete is the material of choice for flatwork because of how it can shape a flat and even surface perfectly.

We use a combination of materials, depending upon the job requirements. We commonly use steel and wood forms. We use plastic to form the radius and steel pins to hold the forms to grade.

To properly finish concrete takes years of experience. We use a variation of tools to help aid in the process. Hand floats, trowels, fresnos, bull floats, and concrete brooms help us achieve the desired look.

Due to the variables associated with each job, the price fluctuates from site to site. Typical variables that influence cost include the price of materials and labor, size of the job, time of year, and many other factors.

A concrete slab in a structural member is supported on subsoil and usually reinforced. A floor is a poured surface to be walked on, such as a garage or barn, which is not a structural member. You will see pads referenced as a slab; however, a pad can become the subgrade foundation for the concrete to be poured on in rare instances. It would be compacted using 304 size stones.

The wet concrete is a flowable mixture of sand, cement, water, and aggregates that becomes fresh when poured and molded before curing. This stage is also called green concrete.

The six properties of hardened concrete include:

  1. compressive strength
  2. tensile strength
  3. modulus elasticity
  4. shrinkage
  5. creep
  6. coefficient of thermal expansion.

The presence of control cracking does not indicate low integrity of your concrete structure. A series of refinements will reduce cracking for your concrete project.

  • a solid subgrade
  • reduction of water quantity
  • the mixture of additives
  • use higher aggregate stiffness
  • protect the surface from rapid drying
  • use the proper curing process
  • proper reinforcement such as wire mesh, fiber mesh, or rebar
  • correct finishing
  • strategically placed joints
  • spacing of saw cuts

We’re Here To Help

For questions or concerns about our services, reach out to us now. Our dependable group looks forward to helping with your concrete project.