Modern Concrete

10/14/2026

Nothing stays the same forever, and concrete is no exception. Over the last 2,000 years, we've learned a thing or two about making it.

🏭 1824: Cement gets an upgrade

Before modern cement, builders relied on lime and other binders, whose performance could vary depending on the materials and how they were made.

British bricklayer Joseph Aspdin patented a new artificial cement in 1824, naming it Portland cement because the hardened material resembled Portland stone. His invention became the basis for the Portland cement we use today, although manufacturing methods and formulations have continued to evolve.

🚚 The mid-1910s: Concrete hits the road

Imagine mixing all your concrete right at the job site. That was common before ready-mix delivery came along.

In the mid-1910s, ready-mix deliveries began gaining a foothold. Instead of mixing concrete at every job, a central plant could prepare it for delivery. The industry was beginning to change how concrete got from the plant to the pour.

And that brings us a lot closer to the mixer trucks we know today!

From ancient harbors to the trucks rolling out of our plants now, the industry has come a long way. 😄

10/07/2026

Tonight's pour is blessed

10/07/2026

This concrete has been underwater for nearly 2,000 years. 👀

Yep. Concrete.

The ancient Romans used concrete to build everything from walls and roads to massive harbors and other structures.

Their recipe was different from ours. They used lime, volcanic ash, water, and pieces of stone or brick. The volcanic ash was especially important—it helped create a concrete that could perform remarkably well in marine environments. 🐠

And some of those structures are still here today.

Concrete may be a modern-day staple, but we've been figuring out how to make things with it for a very, very long time. 🏛️

09/30/2026

Not every concrete problem looks dramatic. 👀

Sometimes the cracks are so small, you have to know what you're looking for.

Plastic shrinkage cracks happen while concrete is still fresh, when the surface is losing moisture faster than the concrete underneath can replace it.

They’re more likely on hot, dry, or windy days, when that moisture loss happens especially quickly. ☀️💨

And here's the annoying part: you may not even notice the cracks until the concrete is hard.

So what can you do now?

If they're small, shallow, and stable, maybe nothing. If the concrete is still doing its job, these may be more of a cosmetic issue than a functional one.

If the cracks are larger, changing, or you aren't sure what you're looking at, that's when it's worth getting a closer look. 🔎

Not every crack needs to be fixed. Sometimes you just need to know what you're looking at.

09/23/2026

Scaling is one of those concrete problems that can look a lot worse than it actually is.

Instead of one obvious crack or hole, the surface itself starts flaking or peeling away.

❄️ So what causes it? Freezing and thawing, deicing chemicals, and even how the surface was finished can all play a part.

🛠️ What can you do about it?

That depends on how much damage there is. Minor scaling might just need monitoring or a suitable surface treatment. More extensive damage may need a repair—or a professional opinion before deciding what comes next.

And remember: rough-looking doesn’t automatically mean unusable.

Sometimes concrete needs a little TLC. 😉

09/17/2026

When the weather outside is frightful,
Interior pours become delightful.
Though the rain refuses to go,
Let the mud flow, let it flow, let it flow! 🌧️🚚

09/16/2026

Ever find a little chunk missing from your concrete?

You may be looking at a pop-out.

Pop-outs can happen when a piece of aggregate near the surface contains a material that reacts poorly to moisture and temperature changes. That material can expand enough to break away from the surrounding concrete.

So what do you do about it?

Sometimes, nothing.

Repairing individual pop-outs can be labor intensive, so when they're isolated and don't affect the function of the concrete, they may simply be tolerated.

If you don't like the way it looks, an individual pop-out can be repaired. But if you're seeing a lot of them, that's a different conversation and worth having the concrete evaluated.

One little crater? Probably not worth losing sleep over.

A whole field of them? Now we have questions. 👀

09/14/2026

Our industry is built on teamwork — and that means looking out for each other, too. ❤️
Notice. Ask. Support.

A pause can save a life.

Every hard hat represents a person. A family. Friends. Team members who care.

This Construction Su***de Prevention Week, remember three simple actions:

Notice. Ask. Support.

Notice when something feels off. Ask the hard question. Support one another through the tough days.

Because when something happens to one of us, it affects all of us.

You matter beyond the work you do. And this team is better with you here. ❤️

***dePreventionWeek

09/13/2026

Good company, good football, and a great way to kick off the season! 🦁🏈
Ron enjoyed the Lions season opener with some of our employees.

09/09/2026