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HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR CONCRETE DELIVERY

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HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR CONCRETE DELIVERY

There are several things you should take into account when it comes to concrete delivery. Regardless of the amount you’ve ordered, it’s important to be prepared. To ensure your delivery is taken safely and responsibly, we’ve presented you with a few hints and tips to help make the process run as smoothly as possible.

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Choosing the right company for you

For the best customer experience, it’s important that you select a reliable, trustworthy concrete supplier, and there are a number of things to look for to help find a company which is right for you, including:

  • Evident, extensive industry experience. This should shine through during their mixing processes and standard of customer service.
  • The supplier has a number of depots that cover a wide area.
  • They’re able to serve both commercial and domestic clients.
  • A high-quality website with copious amounts of information detailing the company, their values, their fleet and the type of concrete they’re able to supply.
  • Ensure that a concrete supplier is able to provide the correct grade and quantity of concrete to meet your requirements.
  • Industry recognition and a number of accreditations is something to lookout for. This ensures the supplier is safe, responsible, reliable and quality conscious.

Ensure you request the right amount of concrete

It’s important that you’re ordering only what you need to complete a project. In order to accurately determine the amount of concrete you’ll need, give our concrete calculator a go. Simply input the length, width and depth of the area you’d like to fill into our system, and you’ll be provided with the exact amount of concrete you’ll need to purchase to complete your project. If you’d like some help or advice before placing an order, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our professionals.

Before the concrete arrives

There are a number of things you should do before your concrete is delivered, this includes:

  • Finding a suitable location for your supplier to park and manoeuvre their concrete mixer truck. Ideally, this should occur on private land and be adjacent to the work site. If this isn’t possible, you may have to hire a concrete pump to transport the mix from the truck to the work site.
  • Double check with your supplier that you’re being provided with the correct, agreed amount of concrete. If there’s too much, you’ll be charged for its disposal, if there’s not enough, you’ll be required to pay for a separate delivery.
  • Warn neighbours in advance that you’re expecting a concrete delivery. They should be notified of the date and time of its arrival.
  • Prepare the ground where you’re planning to lay your concrete, this gives you time to mitigate and resolve any problems which may occur beforehand.
  • Remove debris from the ground where the concrete is to be laid, and make sure the surface is level.
  • Use an appropriate subgrade and ensure it has been sufficiently compacted.
  • Check all framework/formwork, everything should be strong and stable enough to support the amount of concrete you’ve purchased.

Consider weather conditions

If your delivery has been arranged a few days in advance, you should check the weather forecast the day before your delivery. Rain, snow and cold temperatures can all affect the performance of the concrete, subsequently making it weaker than first intended. To avoid cracks and crumbling concrete in the future, be prepared to protect the concrete from the rain. You could do this by erecting a tent, or covering trenches with tarpaulin. However, if you can wait for a dryer day, we suggest you do so.

When it comes to laying concrete in the snow or when the temperature drops, we recommend that you wait until the winter season has passed. You must never pour concrete on a surface covered in ice or snow. Not only that, but you may find the concrete mix freezes before setting, causing more problems. For more help and advice before ordering your concrete, contact us today.

Accessibility of your site

If your site isn’t easy to access, then you must do your best to make it accessible. A concrete mixer is a relatively large vehicle, and will therefore need as much space as possible to manoeuvre. For a domestic delivery, you’ll only really need to move cars, wheelie bins and other objects which may hinder the manoeuvrability of the concrete mixing lorry. You should also warn neighbours that you’re expecting a large vehicle to deliver your concrete.

Commercial concrete deliveries are generally easier when it comes to accessibility. However, if the lorry cannot get to where it needs to be, a concrete pump will have to be hired to get the concrete from the truck to the site, so keep this in mind before you order your concrete.

When your concrete has been delivered

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Once your concrete has been delivered, it’s important that work on laying the concrete starts as soon as possible. In order to make the process as smooth as possible, we’ve presented you with a few tips for laying your fresh concrete:

  • If you’re using a wheelbarrow to transport your concrete from the truck to the site, it’s important that you have an adequate amount of manpower first. This helps to ensure the process is completed quickly and efficiently. The same applies to pouring and tamping your concrete.
  • Pour and rake your concrete to ensure the surface is level and even. It’s important to note that the correct tools will be needed in order to do this.
  • In order to tamp your concrete, you must use a tamping beam to compact and level the concrete out. It’s advisable to have two people involved in this process, as one person will be required to be at one end, and another person should be at the other end. Each person must tamp down the concrete using the tamping beam, then the surface should be smoothed by applying a ‘sawing’ motion.
  • After the concrete has been poured and formed, it should be covered with polythene sheets to prevent any moisture from escaping. This ensures the concrete adequately cures, subsequently reaching its peak strength.

Health and safety when pouring concrete

It’s imperative that concrete is poured safely and responsibly. This is to ensure the safety of both yourself and others who may be in the vicinity. Some things you can do to protect yourself, include:

Wearing the right clothes and gear – hard hats, long sleeved clothes, safety goggles, gloves and construction boots should be worn when laying concrete. This prevents wet concrete from coming into direct contact with skin and eyes. Concrete which has set is also very heavy, so protect your feet with a pair of robust construction boots.

Prepare your site adequately – the strength of your concrete slab will depend on the condition of the ground you pour it on, together with any reinforcement materials you use. Depending on what your requirements are, the ground or surface will need preparing in different ways, so keep this in mind before laying your concrete.

Don’t lay concrete in snowy or icy conditions – cold weather can make laying concrete very difficult, but it can also make a site treacherous to navigate around. Wait for the temperature to rise a few degrees, and let the ice and snow melt before working onsite again.

 

EasyMix are proud to supply domestic and commercial customers with fresh concrete which has been mixed to your exact specifications and project requirements. We’re able to provide many different types of concrete, as well as concrete pumps for your convenience.

If you live in BedfordshireHertfordshire, BuckinghamshireNorthamptonshire or the surrounding areas, and would like more information about the concrete we’re able to offer, get in touch with our knowledgeable team today – we’re always happy to help.

Watch this short video to learn about our process and be fully prepared for your concrete delivery

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