Residential Concrete Manuals

Residential Concrete Installation Manuals

Many people are unaware of the fact that concrete is a sophisticated and technical building product. I feel this is partly because three of the four basic ingredients of concrete are so common: sand, gravel and water. The fourth ingredient, cement, is where the science and technology come into play. This key ingredient allows concrete to go from a liquid or plastic state to a solid compound in just hours time. It is a wonderful transformation that, when done properly, can yield a product which is extremely durable.

However, homeowners and trades people often fail to properly install concrete. I think that this is due, in large part, to the vast amount of misinformation which has been passed along concerning concrete. Fortunately, there is an enormous amount of clearly written information dealing with concrete. Much of it is available at public libraries. However, probably the most concentrated source of high quality concrete information is available from The Portland Cement Association (PCA - http://www.cement.org).

The PCA is "an organization of cement manufacturers whose mission is to improve and extend the uses of Portland cement and concrete through market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs work". They have been around for years and are considered by many to be one of the most authoritative sources of concrete information in the USA.

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The Portland Cement Association has an online catalog listing all of their publications. Many of them are written so that a layman can understand them. You will be amazed at the number of publications available. Some are small five to ten page pamphlets, and are available for free download in PDF format. Others are full blown books. The photos and illustrations are excellent. Following is a partial listing of publications which would be of great use to homeowners. I've listed the item number and its title.

• LT167 THE CONTRACTOR'S GUIDE TO QUALITY CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

• IS174 CONCRETE FOR SMALL JOBS
• LT209 GUIDE FOR CONCRETE FLOOR & SLAB CONSTRUCTION
• LT202 RESIDENTIAL CONCRETE
• EB122 CONCRETE FINISHER'S GUIDE
• SP038 HOMEOWNER'S GUIDE TO BUILDING WITH CONCRETE, BRICK & STONE
• EB001 DESIGN AND CONTROL OF CONCRETE MIXTURES
• IS177 CONCRETE SLAB SURFACE DEFECTS: CAUSES, PREVENTION, REPAIR

08/2008