You may have heard of reinforced concrete but do you know the many advantages it offers the construction industry today? Concrete surrounds us; from our own homes to roads, bridges, even statues, it’s a building material that provides a wealth of benefits for the construction industry today. South East Formwork Ltd has been working with concrete for many years, and it truly is a remarkable product to use. Known for its strength and resistance to external pressures, our formwork contractors and basement builders use it consistently for domestic and commercial basement construction and the installation of retaining walls.
The services offered by our experienced company cover Chobham, Cobham, Farnham, Guildford, Kingston, Richmond, Wentworth, Weybridge, Wimbledon, Woking, and the surrounding areas.
Let’s start by looking at the main material – concrete. It’s a cement product which is mixed with aggregates and water in specific quantities to form a liquid which will solidify once poured into suitable falsework or formwork. It takes skill to get the mix perfect for use in the construction industry, and that is one of the main reasons why South East Formwork’s services are highly regarded throughout the areas we cover. Our formwork contractors’ experience to date has made us a leading name in this field.
Concrete is suitable for withstanding a considerable amount of compression but, in this form, it’s tensile strength is limited. Domestic concrete, for example, is used for residential building works where its durability won’t be put to the test too much. Commercial concrete, on the other hand, comes in a range of strengths to suit the job in hand. These include waterproof concrete, which is ideal for basement construction and regularly used by our professional basement builders for installations in both residential and commercial properties throughout Woking.
To improve the tensile strength of concrete, we create a framework of steel bars or mesh onto which we pour newly mixed wet concrete. Once hardened in place, the result is what is referred to as reinforced concrete. Its superior strength makes it a perfect material with which to construct retaining walls, for example.
The steel bars used in the framework are known as rebar (reinforcing bar) and usually resemble large, twisted steel wires. The concrete dries around them without splitting, cracking, or forming air bubbles, thus providing a solid combination of the two materials. Steel and concrete are quite similar in the way they react to temperature fluctuations, hence they make the most sense in the production of reinforced concrete.
It is also resistant to stretching, offering a stable foundation upon which both domestic and commercial properties can stand firm. This makes it perfect for ground where the load-bearing weight is going to be considerable, i.e. apartment buildings, large estates, retail outlets, office blocks, bridges, and carparks.
If you’re concerned about choosing the right concrete mix for your residential basement construction or commercial project in Woking or the surrounding areas, talk to our formwork contractors and basement builders at South East Formwork today. This is our area of expertise, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding reinforced concrete, retaining walls, drainage, falsework and formwork.