Learning Center · Basics
Concrete Basics
What concrete actually is, how it gains strength, and the vocabulary you'll hear on a quote.
Almost every bad concrete experience starts with a misunderstanding rather than a mistake. Someone assumes concrete dries like paint, or that a crack means the job failed, or that a higher number on a quote means a better slab. None of those are true, and all of them are fixable with twenty minutes of reading.
This category covers the fundamentals: what concrete is made of, what actually happens in the twenty-eight days after a pour, what PSI and slump and aggregate mean, and how to read the specification on an estimate so you can tell one quote from another.
You don't need any of this to hire a contractor. But knowing it is the difference between accepting a number and understanding what you're buying.
Every guide in Basics
Most readWhat is concrete?
What concrete is actually made of, why it isn't cement, and what happens chemically between the pour and thirty years later.
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Most readHow long does concrete take to cure?
When you can walk on it, drive on it, park heavy loads on it, and seal it — with the reasoning behind each number.
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What does PSI mean?
What the strength number on your estimate actually measures, which PSI each application needs, and why higher isn't automatically better.
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Pouring in winter
What cold and rain actually do to a pour, when it's fine to go ahead, and when waiting is the right call.
Read the guideOther topics in the learning center
All topicsPlanning a concrete project?
Free written estimates across San Jose & the greater Bay Area — with the specification stated, not just a price.