Disclaimer

Homeowner checklist and advisement

Let us know of any previous issues with cracking, tree roots, drainage problems, bad neighbors (yes really!) gas lines, water lines, in-ground electrical, lawn sprinklers, or anything you feel we should know before quoting and or starting your project.

Local by-laws and building codes. Codes are different from city to city and also can change from year to year. Please do your own research on what you can and can’t do. We do have many years experience in basic knowledge of by-laws but cities are making some aspects more challenging each year. At high season we do not have time to review the specific requirements for each city. We recommend searching municipal websites and checking before we start a project. Most flat work will not require inspection or permit.

After we pour the concrete please keep car traffic off for 14 days/ foot traffic 24 hrs.

Curing time and coloured concrete. Be aware that environmental conditions can affect the colour and finish of concrete. Concrete placed in shaded areas can appear different to concrete placed in direct sunlight. Concrete poured under cover or close to the structure can appear different then concrete poured in an open space. Concrete placed in cold conditions can appear different to concrete placed in warm conditions. Over time the colour will even out.

In plus 22-25 or over temps, we recommend a light sprinkle of continuous water as soon as 8 hours after we pour the concrete. This helps with the curing process. In winter months if a concrete pour needs to be done in low temps, we recommend covering it with poly or something to insulate the concrete to  prevent freezing if below freezing.

Please be aware there is always a risk of fallen debris, animals, birds, blowing of leaves, and even blowing of pollen from flowers that could possibly affect the surface and colour of the concrete surface. These are things we can NOT control. Houses without gutters or old houses without a proper gutter system can create drip holes into the concrete as well. Please take care of any issues beforehand.

Once we have finished pouring the concrete, we strip out the forms. Once we have done our clean up there will be some landscape work that may need to be done once we are finished. There will be some areas that will need soil, may need new grass or seed, and also basic washing and cleaning of windows or siding. We recommend doing these things as soon as possible, especially on hot summer days.
Concrete on siding will stick if not washed off the day AFTER. We do our best to keep these things clean but we do miss some areas.

Cracking is our MOST ASKED QUESTION

Be aware that cracking (although undesirable) may occur in your driveway, patio, slabs and stairs. We add control joints (cut lines or saw cutting) to try control and minimize the cracking. Please understand that this naturally occurs and beyond our control. We install rebar in all our slabs for that very reason. If it
does crack and not on our control joints, the rebar will still keep the concrete together without a separation between the cracked slabs. Cracking happens on the majority of the work that we do and sometimes as early as the same or following day.

Please note: Water can have small pooling in areas where there is very minimal slope. Any puddle a 1⁄2 inch in depth over a 4×4 rough area can be expected on slopes between 1-2%. On smooth finish driveways where we are required to troweling can also produce a similar issue as mentioned above. Puddling is also something that occurs in stamp concrete, the process can create lower and higher areas from the imprint of the pattern.

Sealing concrete is often done 1-2 days after with a curing sealer and or 1-3 weeks after a concrete pour and is usually done when a decorative concrete is placed. A very important note is to keep the surface clean but also totally dry the day we arrive to seal. It is often a good protector for winter months if the penetrating sealer is selected. This is generally an extra charge.

Depending on the sealer, most sealers will darken the concrete, as well as affect the appearance of the concrete. Today’s sealers are Acrylic and still (in our option) have not come up to the same standard as the old solvent based sealers. Current sealers can have the tendency to bubble and streak, even in
optimal conditions. We do our best to ensure that the surface and weather conditions are right to do the sealing if required.

On-Line Images, Printed Brochures and other documents– Photographs, images, colour cards or displayed product samples (electronic, or otherwise) provide only an initial suggestion of the colour, texture and general appearance of a product. They are only indicative and illustrative of the type of finish to be achieved and no guarantee of the colours or textures.

SALT on concrete. We highly recommend against using salt mixtures on concrete. Decorative concrete SEALED is especially sensitive to these mixtures. Road salt from driving on city streets can also create this issue. We recommend washing/ rinsing your vehicle and driveway as often as possible. This is also
very important in the first year cycle of your new concrete. Sand is a great reusable, and green option for salt. We also recommend using a penetrating sealer to help protect it from these types of chemicals, please inquire if you are wanting this service.

Warranty questions

General Concrete ltd. works closely with the concrete supplier to make sure general practices are followed for a correct install of your new concrete. We ensure that the concrete is installed to recommended guidelines outlined by the supplier. With that in mind, General Concrete ltd. are concrete installers and are not tied to the supplier. Thus we can not carry any warranty for the actual concrete. We DO NOT warranty the surface of your concrete.

We do stand behind the preparation of the site and if there are any surface indifferences more than a 1/4 inch on new surfaces, please let us know so we can correct the issue.