Vancouver Residential Driveway

Background

Concrete driveways are exposed to a range of conditions that can shorten their service life. In addition to vehicle traffic and surface wear, exterior concrete in British Columbia must contend with seasonal freezing conditions, moisture and deicing salts.

For exterior slabs exposed to freezing and thawing, properly designed and placed air-entrained concrete is an important part of achieving long-term durability. However, conventional surface-applied dry-shake hardeners cannot be used with air-entrained concrete because the finishing required to incorporate the dry-shake can increase the risk of surface delamination. This makes it difficult to add enhanced abrasion protection to exterior flatwork.

A Vancouver-area ready-mix concrete salesperson saw an opportunity to demonstrate a different approach on his own residential driveway. He wanted a driveway with improved resistance to the abrasion and surface wear caused by vehicle traffic while also using a concrete mixture appropriate for exterior exposure.

He also wanted to gain firsthand experience with Hard-Cem®, and used his driveway as a practical demonstration.

Solution

Hard-Cem was selected to provide integral abrasion resistance throughout the concrete slab.

Unlike traditional dry-shake hardeners, Hard-Cem is added directly to the concrete mixture. This allows abrasion-resistant technology to be incorporated into exterior concrete without requiring the intensive surface finishing associated with dry-shake products.

Importantly for this application, Hard-Cem can be used with properly air-entrained concrete. Testing has demonstrated its compatibility with concrete subjected to freezing-and-thawing and salt-scaling exposure, allowing designers and producers to maintain the air-entrainment required for exterior slabs while adding improved abrasion performance to high risk slabs.

Following placement, the homeowner noted:

“By adding Hard-Cem integrally to my concrete and applying an oil- and gas-resistant sealer, I now have the additional resistance to any abrasion and erosion that may occur during our ever-changing climate. This will help extend the life of my driveway and ultimately, save me money.”

The Result 

The project demonstrated an important advantage of Hard-Cem: abrasion-resistant concrete is no longer limited to interior slabs. By incorporating the hardening technology integrally, Hard-Cem allows abrasion resistance to be specified for air-entrained exterior concrete exposed to vehicle traffic and surface wear.

Product Used: 
Hard-Cem® Abrasion Resisting Admixture.