what is Concrete

The first thing to know is, what is concrete? Here’s the difference.

Concrete has stones in it and is used for thick jobs like sidewalks and foundations and it adds more strength.

Mortar is concrete but without the stone. You would use mortar for patching or applying a stucco finish on a foundation wall. Or other similar repairs.

Both have sand and lime in them. The sand helps to make it stronger. The lime is the hardener used in both concrete and mortar.

Cement is actually just one component of concrete.

Concrete is made up of three components. Water, aggregate “rock, sand, gravel) and Portland cement. Portland cement when in contact with your skin for any length of time will burn you.

Concrete is used for many things, foundations, sidewalks, driveways, footings, walls, and many many other things. Did you know that concrete takes about 100 years to cure? Did you know that concrete takes 28 days before you can build a house on it? Some building inspectors may make you wait that long before setting a prefab house on a new foundation.