In the last few years, concrete has experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the interior design and architecture community. It’s surprising then to note that for such a popular construction and finishing material, there are a wealth of misconceptions surrounding concrete’s aesthetic and material properties. This week, we debunk four of the most common myths regarding concrete.
Concrete is not environmentally friendly
For a long time, the cement industry has been singled out as one of the world’s largest producers of carbon dioxide. Whilst this is true, the concrete industry has undertaken significant steps to reduce the negative environmental impact of their manufacturing processes, and the product itself is both highly durable and recyclable, making it a much more sustainable option than other materials such as wood. Properly constructed concrete can last for hundreds of years and in fact, over the lifespan of a concrete building, the majority of greenhouse gases it will produce come from the electricity use to run it, rather than the structure itself.
Concrete is impermeable
Contrary to popular belief, all concrete is porous and that means that any liquid or vapour can pass through it. How porous the concrete is however is determined by factors such as mix design, supplementary materials, chemical admixtures, and surface treatments such as membranes of sealants.
You can DIY concrete jobs
If you go to any local hardware store around the country, you’ll doubtless come across an aisle dedicated to DIY concreting. Whilst it might seem like mixing up and pouring down concrete is something anyone can master with the help of a few YouTube videos, in reality concreting is quite a skill that takes years of practice to perfect. Although DIY is fine for small jobs, larger projects like driveways, paving, or any kind of concrete construction should definitely be left to the experts.
Concrete is ugly
One of the most pervasive beliefs about concrete is that it’s ugly, plain and industrial. In reality, there are innumerable concrete colours, textures, styles and finishes. It can even be used to imitate a whole array of other surfacing materials such as slate, wood, brick and paving.
A Better Driveway specialise in decorative concrete solutions for driveways in Melbourne. To learn more about our capabilities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 03 5783 4746.