Concrete

I want this blog to serve not only as a way to keep clients, colleagues and friends updated on the goings on at cj architects, but also to try to educate at the same time. For this particular post, my broad topic is to eradicate one of the most common misconceptions in the construction industry. The misconception is that the words 'concrete' and 'cement' are interchangeable, both meaning that hard, gray stuff used for buildings, pavement, and pools.

In fact, these two terms are not interchangeable. You see, cement is simply one ingredient that makes up the finished concrete product. Including Portland cement, some of the other components usually used in making concrete are water, sand, lime, and aggregate - usually limestone rock or gravel. Concrete is a concoction that was first used by the Romans for the purposes of sound and semi-permanent building.

So when you see that hard gray stuff in your basement, on the sidewalk, or in your pool, please, please do not call it cement... it is concrete. Concrete is not a product you can go buy, since it is mixture of which I have already explained. You can; however - and this is pretty typical - go buy either a bag of cement to make your own concrete, or a bag of concrete mix which contains all of the necessary components - when buying for a DIY project, you need to know the difference. These components are combined in a hopper or a ready-mix truck and then delivered in a timely fashion to the end site.

Concrete, when all of the ingredients are combined, begins its chemical reaction immediately upon mixing and thus begins to harden. It usually sets up in an hour and a half, so it is imperative to pour, finish, and begin to cure soon after it is batched. Since concrete gets harder the longer it is allowed to cure, it is typically cured for a period of one to four weeks to reach maximum strength - or at least the strength that the concrete was designed so that it can hold the loads planned to be imposed upon it. Curing is the process of keeping the concrete moist and covered through the length of the curing time it takes to reach strength.

So there is a little crash course in concrete. I also wanted to clear up the difference between concrete and cement to spread awareness and keep the two aptly separated, not only within the construction and design communities, but also in the public in general. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to respond.