How Strong Is Concrete?

It comes to no one’s surprise that concrete is one of the most important materials in the construction industry. It is used to create floors, pillars, and walls, each of which contribute to a building’s overall structure.

We often think of concrete as an indestructible building material. After all, it is far stronger than cement. However, concrete can develop damage over time.

Much of this damage is due to exposure to weather elements. This includes rain, salt, and extreme temperatures. In this guide, we will go over ways to protect both freshly laid and set concrete from these weather elements.

How Strong Is Concrete?

Before discussing ways to protect concrete, it is worth examining how strong this build material actually is.

Compressive Strength of Concrete

Compressive strength describes the ability of a material to withstand loads that impact its size.

Concrete possesses excellent compressive strength that varies between 2500 psi to 4000 psi. The concrete used in commercial and residential structures is often even higher than this.

Tensile Strength of Concrete

Tensile strength describes a material’s ability to resist cracking and breaking when placed under tension forces. Such cracking and breaking occurs only when tensile forces exceed the material’s tensile strength.

Concrete has a respectable tensile strength that ranges from 300 psi to 700 psi.

Flexural Strength of Concrete

Flexural strength describes a material’s ability to withstand bending. This characteristic is considered an indirect way to measure tensile strength, but it is important for materials used in load-bearing structures such as beams and columns.

Concrete’s flexural strength is approximately 10% to 15% of its compressive strength.

How Salt Affects Concrete

You might be wondering how salt comes in contact with concrete as well as how it affects this build material. In Colorado, concrete driveways often come in contact with the salt/sand mixtures sprinkled on roads during winter.

These mixtures often have a very high ratio of salt. The snow that this salt melts eventually forms concentrated salt water that covers the ground until it eventually evaporates over the course of several days.

Salt can gradually corrode concrete, leading to discoloration and the material eventually crumbling. Over time, small pits will appear in the concrete. These can expand to the size of potholes with repeated salt exposure.

How Extreme Temperatures Affect Concrete

Extreme temperatures can affect both freshly laid concrete as well as concrete that has already set. Concrete that is laid in hot weather conditions will set much faster due to the increased evaporation from warmer temperatures. However, this rapid evaporation rate also leads to the material developing cracks.

Concrete that is laid in cold weather conditions will fail to set properly. This is because the water crystals in the concrete powder and water mixture won’t grow as intended at cold temperatures. Therefore, the concrete will have a relatively low compressive strength once it finally sets.

Extreme temperatures can impact concrete that has already set by causing it to expand or contract. This build material is relatively inflexible, so this expansion and contraction will cause the concrete structure to crack. Such issues are especially prominent in places where the temperature changes greatly throughout the day.

How Plant Growth Affects Concrete

You might have seen plants emerging through solid concrete surfaces in urban areas. Such occurrences might add a bit of greenery to otherwise grey urban spaces. However, this plant growth can have detrimental effects on concrete floors.

For example, if a plant begins growing out of your concrete driveway, it can expand and create cracks as it grows. Such cracks can grow over time and lead to bigger issues down the line. This compromises the strength of your concrete driveways and may force you to get the surface repaired or replaced.

How to Protect Concrete

As we have seen so far, there are many weather conditions and environmental elements that can damage concrete. Such occurrences may seem unavoidable. However, there are many ways to protect concrete. This includes:

How to Protect Concrete from Rain

If you intend to pour concrete in rainy conditions, you can follow certain tips to help it set properly. For example, you can cover the area you intend to apply the concrete to using plastic sheets. This will prevent water from making the area damp.

You can also apply plastic sheets onto freshly poured concrete to shield it from the rain.

Protecting concrete that has already set from the rain is a different matter entirely. Applying a plastic shield to concrete floors whenever it rains is unfeasible. Instead, you should apply a concrete protective sealer through nano-silica treatment.

This nano-silica layer prevents water from getting into the concrete’s pores and causing cracking through expansion. It also doesn’t allow the acid in the water to come in direct contact with the concrete. This helps shield your concrete surface from water as well as the chemicals it contains.

How to Protect Concrete from Salt

Protecting concrete from salt can be tricky, especially in winter when de-icing trucks are required to spread sand and salt mixtures on roads quickly. There isn’t much you can do if this mixture ends up in your driveway. You can attempt to wash away the salt using freshwater, but this route doesn’t offer much concrete corrosion protection.

This is because the salt that has already permeated into the concrete will start the corrosion process and will be difficult to flush out. For this reason, it is best to take a preventative approach that stops your concrete from being exposed to salt in the first place.

Concrete sealing treatments are incredibly useful in this regard. These treatments coat your concrete surfaces in an impenetrable layer that salt can’t get through. Therefore, you won’t need to worry about de-icing trucks ruining your driveway in the wintertime once you get this treatment done.

How to Protect Concrete from Extreme Temperatures

As mentioned earlier, extreme temperatures can have a significant impact on concrete surfaces. Your concrete may be exposed to such temperatures due to seasonal weather conditions. For example, your property’s external concrete surfaces will contract when the outdoor temperatures fall below freezing.

The concrete surfaces around a firepit may also expand rapidly when the pit is ignited in the wintertime. This sudden shift from extreme cold to extreme heat will cause the concrete surface to crack. Most Denver, Highland’s Ranch, Greenwood Village & Arvada homeowners don’t want to compromise on comfort, so they may continue using their fire pit regularly in the winter. You might be wondering how to protect concrete from your fire pit.

In such situations, you can prevent the temperature swing from causing the concrete to crack by applying a sealant. This sealant offers cold weather concrete protection by serving as an insulating layer that reduces the impact that external temperatures have on the concrete.

Concrete Bench Around Tree

Preventing trees & plants from growing through concrete surfaces can be challenging. These roots naturally exist in the soil underneath the concrete and seek the path of least resistance when making their way to the surface. They then break onto the surface through the pores in the concrete.

Removing the roots that have broken through the surface isn’t an effective method of stopping these issues. This is because the roots will continue growing and expanding from underneath. A more effective solution is to seal the concrete from above using a sealant.

This sealant will prevent the roots from considering the concrete as the path of least resistance. Therefore, they will choose to expand sideways rather than upwards.

Is It Worth Applying Protek Sealant for Concrete Floor Protection?

Some Denver, Highland’s Ranch, Greenwood Village & Arvada homeowners may be on the fence about applying sealant to protect their home’s concrete. However, Protek treatment is more than a sealer and can be useful for a variety of reasons. This includes:

Protecting Your Home’s Appearance

As mentioned earlier, concrete sealant treatment can protect your home’s concrete from both weather and environmental elements. This means you won’t need to worry about your concrete cracking rapidly or undergoing discoloration. This helps preserve the concrete’s pristine appearance and prolongs its lifespan.

Helping Your Property Maintain Its Value

Cracked or discolored concrete isn’t just unsightly, it can also impact your property’s value. Prospective homebuyers may see your driveway concrete’s poor appearance and offer a low bid for the property.

For this reason, it is better to get concrete sealant treatment done while your concrete still appears new and pristine if you want your property to maintain its value. The cost of such treatment is relatively small compared to the value it offers, so you can think of such treatment as a sound investment that will pay off once you decide to put your property up on the market.

Why Choose ProNano LLC for Concrete Treatment?

Concrete sealant treatments are becoming increasingly popular over time, and many Denver homeowners & businesses in Colorado offer such services. However, ProNano LLC has remained the go-to choice for Protek concrete sealer treatment. Our Colorado customers trust us to perform concrete sealing treatment for numerous reasons. This includes:

Our Experience

At ProNano LLC, we have been providing Denver, Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch & Arvada Colorado residents with high-quality services for many years. Our staff have completed many projects and understand what is required for each new concrete sealer job they take on.

This experience is invaluable because it ensures your concrete treatment is completed reliably and with minimal delays or disruptions. This gives you peace of mind, knowing that your property is in good hands.

Our Knowledge

We handpick & train each of the Protek concrete sealer treatment professionals we use for our concrete treatment projects. These concrete professionals are chosen based on their knowledge of concrete treatment as well as their commitment towards providing high-quality workmanship.

Our staff are trained to spot potential issues and account for them during the treatment process. This approach ensures excellent results each time.

Our Reliability

You can count on the Protek concrete treatments we provide to last for several years. We guarantee that this treatment will extend your concrete’s lifespan by anywhere from 10 to 15 years, depending on the surface’s initial condition.

Our staff are always thorough in their treatments, and this ensures you won’t need to worry about your concrete’s condition for many years following the application.

10-15 years. Guaranteed. 
Our promise: Protek treatment will protect your Denver concrete surfaces for at least 10 years. ‍ Protek formulas are designed to last, and they’ll keep working incredibly well for years and years. With a warranty that covers all of the most common causes of wear-and-tear – from peeling to high UV exposure – you can rest assured that your concrete is protected with the best technology.

At ProNano LLC, we are committed to providing our clients with upfront pricing for Protek concrete treatments. Our staff take the time to assess your property and its condition before providing an upfront estimate for the treatment’s total cost. This ensures you are fully aware of how much the treatment costs before giving us the green light.

Please contact ProNano LLC today to get your property’s concrete treated today. We offer services in Denver, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Greenwood Village & Arvada.