A concrete bowl planter is one of the simplest cast-concrete projects a homeowner can complete, and it demonstrates the same material science used on job sites. The bowl shape is forgiving to make, the material is inexpensive, and the finished piece holds up outdoors for decades when mixed and cured correctly. Decorative concrete work such […]
A concrete tiki torch combines a tall, slender concrete casting with a fuel cup and wick, and it does double duty in a yard: it lights the space after dark, and the smoke from the flame helps keep mosquitoes away. The build uses a section of PVC pipe as both the form and the permanent
A concrete fire bowl is one of the fastest outdoor projects to finish in a weekend, because the mold is a pair of nesting plastic bowls and the material list stops at cement, sand, aggregate, and a roll of chicken wire. The casting method behind this gel fire pit is the same one used for
Post-frame construction has a weak point at the ground line. Timber posts carry the roof and walls, and a horizontal board called a skirt board closes the gap between the finished grade and the bottom of the wall panels. When that board is wood, it sits in the splash zone of every rain event, and
Rotting window sills and spalled concrete slabs are among the most common repair jobs on residential and commercial buildings, and both can be restored instead of replaced. Two-part epoxy consolidants, wood paste fillers, and polymer-modified concrete mortars rebuild damaged members at a fraction of replacement cost. Choosing between them comes down to damage depth, moisture
A building supply dealer in a small town survives by serving whatever the local economy builds. Farms need fence posts and feed, contractors need lumber and concrete, and homeowners need fuel and paint. The dealers that thrive diversify across those lines instead of betting on one. Concrete questions come across the counter daily. Knowing when
Bridges, power plants, and utility structures fail in predictable ways. Cracks open, spalls break loose, reinforcing steel corrodes, and steel members lose cross section. Left alone, small defects become load-bearing emergencies that close lanes, force plant outages, or push owners toward replacing entire members. The economics favor early action: repairing a deteriorated element typically costs
Shuttering carries two meanings in the building industry. On a jobsite, shuttering is the temporary mold that holds wet concrete in place while it cures into slabs, beams, columns, and walls. In business news, the same word describes a factory closing its doors. Both meanings surfaced in May 2025, when JELD-WEN announced it would permanently
Concrete gains strength through hydration, the chemical reaction between cement and water. If the water leaves too early, the reaction slows or stops and the concrete never reaches its design strength. Curing is the practice of keeping moisture in freshly placed concrete long enough for hydration to finish, and it is the most common source
Adhesive bonding has become a standard method for attaching building elements, and the products keep getting faster and easier to use. Thin-bed adhesives set masonry units in minutes, and structural adhesives tie components together where mechanical fasteners are impractical. The same chemistry that bonds aerated concrete blocks, such as the mortar replacement used for AAC
