Care to guess the location of the oldest known natural concrete outcropping? We'll give you a little hint: it's been dated at 12 million years old. If you guessed Israel, you're right.
A major cause of foundation issues in older homes is called foundation settlement. Over time, the foundation is affected by erosion and often weather, causing the soil underneath the foundation to shrink and necessitating repair.
The majority of concrete is actually aggregate, making up about 60-75% of the concrete mix. Whether the aggregate is sand, crushed stone, or recycled concrete, this is one of the reasons why concrete has such as strong compression strength.
Using concrete as a building material has a long history, going all the way back to the Romans. They used concrete to build many of their structures, including the Pantheon in Rome. A lot of these were built between 300 BC and 476 AD and are still around today.
Because it consists of calcium, silicon, aluminum and iron, modern Portland cement is classified as a calcium silicate cement. Portland cement includes eight primary and numerous specialty formulations, including the durable and attractive white Portland.
One of the great benefits of precast concrete is that it can be formed into a variety of shapes, many of which can be used in houses. Great examples include fireplace mantels, cladding, or trim, but it can also be used for structural uses like foundations or support beams.
