Useful Terms
Rebar – What’s he most important thing you need when replacing a concrete driveway? If you said rebar you’d be right. Rebar is a long metal rod that’s placed in multiple pieces in multiple directions to form a metal “tic tac toe” structure that is placed in the middle of the newly poured concrete. All concrete is going to crack. The question is what’s it going to do once it cracks? If it has rebar in it, it will hold it’s place. In other words, it won’t move up or down or start to spread apart. Properly installed rebar should be spaced 24 inches apart running both north and south. With proper installation rebar can add 15-20 years on to the life of your new concrete.
PSI – This term stands for “pounds per square inch” referring to the strength or weight the concrete can stand before breaking. If you were to call all of the local “Big” concrete suppliers who deliver the concrete to our jobs and ask them what strength they recommended? They would tell you 3500psi is more than sufficient. This is standard and works great. A lot of companies will try and upsell you and tell you that you need 4000psi or 4500psi. While these are both slightly stronger, they are also overkill. It’s like buying 150mph tires for your minivan. The higher psi concretes are needed in commercial applications. If you absolutely think you need or want a higher psi the cost is minimal around $200 for a standard 2 car driveway.
