WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.040 KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:10.279 House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app. Hey, 3 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:12.839 do you know this very program is also the House 4 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:18.280 Whisper podcast that you can listen to anytime, anywhere on demand. 5 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:23.280 Hundreds of episodes, all searchable by topic. It is literally 6 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:28.879 a home improvement reference library just for you. Today's show, 7 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:33.920 this Concrete broadcast with my very special in studio guest 8 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.880 Chris Carson, is going to belong and live for a 9 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:41.320 long long time on the House Whisper podcast. So if 10 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:44.640 you've missed any portion of today's show, about an hour 11 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:46.920 after we go off the air of the live broadcast, 12 00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:49.920 it has already been converted into podcast form and it 13 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.799 is there waiting for you. Chris is going to tell 14 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.479 all his friends, oh, go check out the podcast I 15 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:59.520 was on with the House Whisper, my friend Dean's show, 16 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:02.600 and they'll all go back and they'll listen to him, 17 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:04.239 and then they're going to call him and ras him 18 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:07.439 do what everything that they do. And if you're thinking, hey, 19 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:09.799 that's all great, what we really need is Dean and 20 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.159 Tina standing in our house addressing that thing that we 21 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:16.560 have never been able to figure out. Well, you can 22 00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:18.280 do that too. You can book an in home design 23 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:21.439 consult with me and the tea you just go to 24 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:27.959 house whisperer dot design. Okay, Chris, back into this conversation 25 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:30.879 about we were talking about crack control, I want to 26 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:34.280 switch over. I'm kind of we're ping pong and back 27 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:38.319 and forth when it comes to when it comes to 28 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:43.239 homes and an actual slab on grade house foundations. Most 29 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:45.599 of our listeners are not planning on building a new 30 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.560 house right now, but there are I would also say 31 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:52.920 that most of our listeners are not aware that since 32 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.560 the nineteen eighties, there are two very distinct kinds of 33 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:02.439 slabs out there that their home may be sitting on. 34 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:06.319 And if they're thinking about a remodel, if they're thinking 35 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:08.759 about a room edition, or if they're thinking about something 36 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.639 as simple as well, we're changing the configuration of the 37 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.879 bathroom and I'm thinking about putting the toilet on the 38 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:18.639 other side, and that's going to involve, you know, saw 39 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:22.319 cutting some concrete and moving a drain. There's something very 40 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:25.479 important for them to understand, and that is that the 41 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.039 way you deal with a traditional rebar slab versus a 42 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:34.080 post tension slab very very different, and it's important that 43 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:36.439 we know what the difference is. So why don't you, 44 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:39.000 first of all, I mean, I think everybody understands rebar, 45 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.759 you know, it's the traditional thing. Talk to me about 46 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:44.879 post tension slabs. Why are they so great? 47 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:45.800 Uh? 48 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.080 And also what is their vulnerability? 49 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:55.120 Post tension is a way advanced reinforcing method that we 50 00:02:55.240 --> 00:03:01.120 have now the good the post tension and it's a 51 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:07.159 cable wrapped in a heavy plastic sleeve and this cable 52 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:11.360 runs through it and it is attached to each you know, 53 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:13.840 each end of the form. If it's a square, it 54 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:17.800 goes both ways. And after you pour, you come and 55 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:23.199 hydraulically tension that cable up to a certain percent. It's 56 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.159 fresh concrete, so you won't go to its max PSI. 57 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.039 But what it's doing it's pulling. You know, this cable 58 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:35.240 is stretching and stretching, pulling this concrete together, eliminating the 59 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.719 possibility of separation and cracks. And then after it comes 60 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:42.719 up to so many days of the PSI getting to 61 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:44.639 where it needs to be, then they come in and 62 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:50.800 do the last post tension tightening. And that's mostly on 63 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:54.000 the newer homes I've been starting to do it on 64 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:57.919 the sports courts, in the town basketball courts, tennis courts, 65 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:00.840 there is a minimum of six inches thick on a 66 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:07.919 post tension slab. Huge, huge gainers in the respect that 67 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.680 you don't need all these control joints that we've been talking. 68 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:15.719 About, because that that concrete has been pushed together on 69 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:19.759 itself so tight hydraulically, just that it is just solid 70 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:21.720 and so like on a sport or like a basketball court, 71 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:23.439 you don't want to but I'm dribbling, I don't want 72 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:25.680 a bunch of crack control joints under me because it's 73 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:27.519 just you know, I just want it nice and smooth. 74 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:31.439 But that's a big slab. To have no crack control. 75 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:33.680 Joints, well, they usually put one down the middle of 76 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:37.000 a tennis quarter basketball court, surety one in the middle, 77 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.600 But there's no way you can put score marks ten 78 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:41.600 foot on center. 79 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:44.399 It just it just messes up the point of the 80 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:48.959 thing signed the layout. Okay, So so in case you're 81 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:53.240 still kind of wondering, so instead of this uh these 82 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:59.199 rigid uh bits of rebar half inch diameter rebar being 83 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:03.199 tied together in grids all over the house before the 84 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:06.639 slab is poured, a post tension slab has these cables 85 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:10.519 strung through it. Uh and uh, and those cables stretch 86 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:13.079 out and and drill through the sides of the forms. 87 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:17.000 They hang out with Oh sorry, I did not mean 88 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.560 to bunch the more you know, buttons, But now I 89 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.600 know more. Yeah, now you know more? Right andrew yep. 90 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:26.120 So they hang out of the edge of the of 91 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:29.879 the forms, and then we pour. And then as that 92 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:34.279 concrete is setting up, then we put hydraulic equipment on 93 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:36.800 the outside and grab those cables. Essentially, but think of 94 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.639 it this way. Instead of rigid steel in your slab, 95 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:45.399 we we we're gonna run guitar strings through your slab. Okay, 96 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:50.079 steal guitar cable strings and uh. And after the concrete 97 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:54.120 is placed, we're gonna crank those knobs and we're gonna 98 00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:57.800 tighten those guitar strings. We're gonna tune the guitar until 99 00:05:57.839 --> 00:05:58.759 they are tight. 100 00:05:59.439 --> 00:05:59.639 Uh. 101 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:04.600 And under tension post post poor post meaning not a 102 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.079 post sticking up in the sky, but after the poor 103 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:11.759 meaning post tension. We put tension on the concrete after 104 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:16.040 the poor And so a traditional rebar slab has no 105 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.639 tension on it. It's just the bar is in there, and 106 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:22.360 it's helping to reinforce the brittleness of the concrete. But 107 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:26.879 this extra pressure and tension really helps the cement hold 108 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:27.639 itself together. 109 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:32.199 Totally totally different than rebar. Rebar. It's a myth people 110 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.800 think I'm going to put a bunch of rebar in 111 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:36.920 this lab to keep it from cracking. Rebar does not 112 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:40.519 keep concrete from cracking. It's going to crack. It's not 113 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:44.160 a post tension. It's not something that's hydraulically, you know, 114 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:46.839 brought up to a PSI. It's like, you know, concrete 115 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.360 with post tension, it's like a vice. You know, you 116 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:51.480 put the concrete and a vice and you tighten it. 117 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:52.800 That's the way it is forever. 118 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:56.839 So now post tension, it's realistic to say we're keeping 119 00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:02.160 the concrete from cracking exactly truly, but post tension when 120 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.680 it comes to future work, has an achilles heel. We 121 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:08.279 need to talk about that literally, an achilles heel. I 122 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:12.319 think that's actually a really good metaphor for it. We're 123 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:14.240 going to discuss. So go nowhere. We're going to talk 124 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:15.759 about this on the other side of the break. If 125 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.079 you don't know, here's the critical thing. If you don't 126 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:20.519 know whether you've got a post tens slab or not, 127 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:25.519 you got to find out before anybody touches that concrete. 128 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.079 So hang with me. Yeah, did I tease you enough? 129 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:28.560 Good? 130 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:29.560 Hang tight. 131 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:34.079 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 132 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:35.959 KFI AM six forty. 133 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:40.079 At your service. Thanks for joining us on the program. 134 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:44.439 We are talking all things concrete today with my special 135 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:49.439 in studio guest Chris Carson, and so we were talking 136 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:55.480 about before the break to a traditional slab slab on 137 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:59.040 grade for a house is done with rebar, a reinforcement 138 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:02.279 bar tied with I think everybody knows what rebar looks like. 139 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:05.000 And if you've ever seen a pore before it happens, 140 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:08.480 you see it's all tied together in a grid of 141 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:12.240 some sort and people wonder how close and what kind 142 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:15.240 And there's no universal answer to that, all right, It 143 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:19.199 really it's an engineering thing. The size of the rebar 144 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:21.439 I can tell you. Typically the size of a rebar 145 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:23.959 for a residential slab on great house is usually what 146 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.439 we call number four rebar, which is a half inch rebar, 147 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:30.600 and it's usually tied somewhere in the area of eighteen 148 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.360 to twenty four inches on center, you know, eighteen to 149 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:35.840 twenty four inch squares, and Chris is nodding his head, 150 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.840 so I know I'm telling you the right thing, and 151 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.799 that's you know. And plus then there are extra bits 152 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:44.279 of rebar at the bottom of the bottom of footings 153 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:47.799 and the top of footings, and what we call grade beams, 154 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:51.399 and there's just and pads for structural posts, and on 155 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:56.200 and on it goes. The other kind of slab that 156 00:08:56.360 --> 00:09:00.799 has been more and more utilized started off on kind 157 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:03.480 of exclusively on the high end, and then more developers 158 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:06.960 started using it later on, starting in the eighties, would 159 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.000 be a post tension slab, which before the break we 160 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.559 were saying uses cables that are tightened after the fact. 161 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:18.360 Those A post tension slab, because of the nature of 162 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.320 its structure, doesn't need as much stuff in it. In 163 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:26.159 other words, you don't find post tension slabs at eighteen 164 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:30.000 inches making eighteen inches square grids with these cables. Most 165 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.919 of the time. It's three to four foot apart from 166 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:37.080 each other in general. That's but my experience. You can 167 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:39.759 correct me if I'm wrong about that, Chris, But it's 168 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.080 about three to four feet on center. But right before 169 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.679 the break. You know, I teased you a little bit 170 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:49.159 and said, a post tension slab for all of its 171 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:53.039 immense benefits. I mean we're talking essentially a crack proof 172 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:58.440 slab without any control joints in it. It has an 173 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:01.440 achilles heel, and the achille heel is very simply this. 174 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:06.440 You can work. You can remodel and work around a 175 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:11.279 post tension slab butt unlike a traditional slab, where I 176 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:15.000 can just go in with a concrete saw and make 177 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:18.000 cuts and cut through rebar if I need to. Because 178 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:20.639 if I cut open a pad of a concrete and 179 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.039 I've cut out a section of rebar, then I can 180 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:25.720 turn around and dowl in to the side of that 181 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:30.720 old cut with some epoxy, some new rebar, and remake 182 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:34.279 the pad and retie it in. But if we cut 183 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:38.519 a post tension cable, one of these high tension cable 184 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:43.480 that's running across, it not only affects that cut right there, 185 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:47.440 but it affects the structural stability of the slab along 186 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.480 the entire length of that cable. Not only it could 187 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:55.559 be a dangerous thing as well, but most importantly, ultimately, 188 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:00.639 putting the danger side across, you can you can mess 189 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.200 up an entire section of your slab. 190 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:07.519 You can. I'd say the danger part that you were 191 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:11.320 mentioning would be the more concerning problem if you lost 192 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:14.440 a cable. You have so many cables in there. Without 193 00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:17.679 one cable, you're going to be okay, this slab is 194 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:20.840 not going to fail. But it's a very dangerous thing 195 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:23.240 to not know you have a post tension slab and 196 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.559 to cut into it. I'm sure people have been hurt. Seriously. 197 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:31.519 It explodes because of all the tension in the cable. 198 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:34.799 When you cut it, it basically explodes. And you're only 199 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:37.000 talking a cable that's in a six inch piece of 200 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:41.080 concrete and it's not it's not something that you want 201 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:45.039 to get involved with. To prevent that. We x ray 202 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:49.600 slabs and lay it all out on the top of 203 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:52.080 the slab before you know, you have to get in 204 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:55.480 to do maybe a plumbing repair or an electrical problem, 205 00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:58.159 So you need to be aware. A lot of times 206 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.799 they'll have a stamp in the girl that we'll say 207 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:05.440 post tension foundation. I don't always see them there, but 208 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.799 that's what they used to do. But there might be 209 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:12.159 signs on the side of the stem walls, the sides 210 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.799 of the walls of the foundation that show the cups 211 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:19.000 and how they're mounded, unless they're stuccoed over. But it's 212 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:21.519 good to know if you have post tension slab or not, 213 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:23.000 and you've got a problem with your house, you need 214 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:24.639 to dig into it. You better know what you. 215 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:28.320 Got exactly now. Again not to say there's really there 216 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:30.360 aren't any limits to what you can do with a 217 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:33.080 post tension slab versus the standard slab as far as 218 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:36.720 making alterations and so on. It really just comes down 219 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:38.679 to this, You've got to know where the cables are 220 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.200 and you don't cut them right. Apart from that, we 221 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:44.279 can go in and do In fact, we can expose 222 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.000 a cable, a section of cable. We can cut around 223 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:49.559 it very carefully. We can expose a section of cable. 224 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:51.279 We can get in there and do all sorts of 225 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:55.600 stuff and put it all back, and there are processes 226 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:59.240 for all that. But we don't cut the cables because 227 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:02.440 that can be problematic on a number of levels. So 228 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:05.799 know what you've got, And if you're just sitting there, 229 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.639 you know, not doing any work on your house, No, 230 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:10.480 you don't have to go find out what you got tomorrow, 231 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:12.559 because it doesn't matter right, and the house of the house, 232 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.360 you're just gonna know that you've got a house that's 233 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.360 never had any uplift and no cracks in the slab 234 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:20.840 and so on. And if it's a house after built 235 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.120 after the eighties, there's a good chance that it might 236 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:27.879 be a post tension house there. But any work in 237 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:32.480 which anybody is talking about doing anything with that concrete slab, 238 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:34.639 you've got to know ahead of time. And it's it's 239 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.960 only you know, you know, a few dollars I mean 240 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:40.360 talking about a few hundred dollars to have a location 241 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.399 service come out. And these guys specialize in this. The 242 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:47.799 same guys that find, you know, broken water lines under 243 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:50.159 your home and so on, can come out and X 244 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:52.960 ray and scan your slab and literally, like Chris said, 245 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:56.559 put down tape marking like here it is. You know, 246 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.639 if the bear slab, they can paint it for you, 247 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.000 but they can roll tape around to cross and show 248 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:04.039 you right here here, you know, within an inch or two, 249 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.840 here is where this cable is, and here's where that 250 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:10.440 cable is. And then you just make sure that everybody 251 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:14.080 avoids them, you know, so that so that we don't 252 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:18.240 end up with something disastrous on our hands, all right, Chris, 253 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.000 So I want to keep rolling here. I've got just 254 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:26.679 enough time to tease the next segment blameing the structural 255 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:30.639 slab aside. I want to get back into the esthetic stuff. 256 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.720 And we've talked about cracks, and we've talked about the 257 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:38.000 proper way. We've talked about the ideal, the situation for 258 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.759 pouring and all of that, and maybe we can touch 259 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:44.279 a little bit more on that some other weather conditions 260 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:48.360 that are problematic. But I want to talk about finishes, 261 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:52.840 your favorite finishes and your least favorite finishes. Now, why 262 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:56.600 should that matter to me? I'm a designer and I'm 263 00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:59.080 just going to give my clients the finish they want. 264 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:04.200 But the fact the matter is some finishes perform better 265 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.279 than others in the long term. Some finishes promise a 266 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:13.080 lot and in my opinion, end up delivering far less 267 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:16.879 than what they promise. So I want everybody to hear 268 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.799 from you, from your vast experience, the kind of concrete 269 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:26.879 finishes that you like the most, sand finish, broom finish, 270 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:31.440 stamped concrete, exposed aggregate. What are these things, how do 271 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:34.799 they work? And in your experience, which are the ones 272 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:37.799 that really hold up to everything they promise and what 273 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.559 falls short. We will talk about that right on the 274 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:41.600 other side of the news. 275 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:46.080 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 276 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:49.679 KFI Am six forty. 277 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.120 You are home. I hope you feel home. That's my goal. 278 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:58.159 Your Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer. We spend 279 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:03.080 every minute of this program every weekend on Saturday mornings 280 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:05.879 from six to eight and Sundays from nine to noon 281 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:10.000 talking about your home. It's design. We talk about it 282 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:12.679 all the way from its architecture down to the nitty 283 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:18.799 gritty of home repair, home construction, inside, outside, the whole thing. 284 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:22.360 It's all about your house and your home and taking 285 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:26.919 your ordinary house and turning it into hopefully an extraordinary home. 286 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:30.600 One of the most basic and fundamental elements, whether it's 287 00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:35.360 in the slab itself or in the outside decorative flatwork, 288 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.960 is concrete. Concrete is just simply one of the most 289 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.879 important things that we do on planet Earth, and one 290 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.440 of the biggest things that we do. It's been a 291 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.600 great show so far. We're turning the corner around eleven 292 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:51.519 thirty here and I have in studio with me my 293 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:59.000 very special guest, Chris Carson. Fantastic Concrete and masonry contractor. 294 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:02.720 And we've been talking all things concrete, So Chris, now 295 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.200 let's get back out into the decorative side of things. 296 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:09.319 As I said before the break, from a design perspective, 297 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:12.319 we have a lot of options for finishes of concrete, 298 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:19.119 and as a designer, there are so many options that 299 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:24.799 it might be tempting if I wasn't anchored in the 300 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.680 builder side of me, to just say yes to anything 301 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:32.599 that a client is looking for. But there are finishes 302 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:35.200 that I've encountered over the years that I like definitely 303 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.480 better and worse when it comes to concrete. And I'm 304 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:41.640 interested from your perspective if there are finishes that you 305 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.599 like for better or worse. And it's not that Chris's 306 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.880 taste or my taste should determine your taste, but you 307 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:52.759 should listen to some experts who have some serious experience 308 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:57.400 with it in terms of maybe that finish is not 309 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:02.200 going to follow through with everything that it's promising. So 310 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.559 I would love to hear from you, what, by the way, 311 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:08.599 what so, what is your favorite concrete finish? I think 312 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:12.119 most people have seen all of them, whether they realize 313 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.880 it or not. Probably not, but most people have encountered 314 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:18.680 all the finishes. They just may not know what it 315 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.359 is that they're looking at. But what's your favorite finish for? 316 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:25.839 Right? We have so many options now. The thing that 317 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:29.039 you need to look at it also is the longevity 318 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:31.960 of the looks, whether or not it's going to fade, 319 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:35.359 and what's going to happen in the future with this 320 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:39.200 type of finish you've created. There's finishes now, an exposed 321 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:43.319 agg again and finish, a sand finish that those involve 322 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:45.759 a chemical that we put on and wash off the 323 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:49.200 next morning and expose Maybe a sand finish would be 324 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:54.119 exposing the very top layer of the concrete into a 325 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:57.200 porous sand finish, and then you can go deeper into 326 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:00.359 that into the aggregant. That is a look very popular 327 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:06.799 is the stamp. Stamp colored finishes. Those to me and 328 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:09.519 after doing this all those years, I come back and 329 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:13.720 look at them underneath the patio cover. They look beautiful. 330 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:16.599 With the colors put out in the sun. They're faded. 331 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:19.759 People want to know what can I do? This looks terrible. 332 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.880 It's all watched out For that reason alone, right there, 333 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:27.400 I would tend to stay away from the stamp and 334 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:30.480 the coloring. Sometimes it works on a house, or sometimes 335 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:32.759 you have it and you have to match it. But 336 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:36.799 to come back and put a sealer on it and recolor, 337 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:38.960 you're going to be married to that and it's going 338 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:43.880 to be a constant thing, moving furniture, pressure watching, ceiling coloring. 339 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:47.359 Where a sand finish and other types of finishes don't 340 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:49.759 require anything you come back in ten years. They look 341 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:52.720 just like that, you know, other than your just standard 342 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:55.319 broom finishes. But people want options with their house. They 343 00:19:55.359 --> 00:19:57.519 want something that looks good. They want to put in 344 00:19:57.559 --> 00:20:00.920 a new backyard, a new back patio, definitely put in 345 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:04.000 a kicked up finish. There's so many alternatives, but you 346 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:05.960 want something that you aren't going to come back in 347 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:09.119 five or eight years and go goud. It's all getting 348 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:13.200 bleached out, but it looks great under the cover. Right, 349 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:15.880 I didn't finished, is my answer to your question. 350 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:17.759 All right, so I knew you were gonna rag on 351 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:24.000 stamped concrete because here is the thing I think my 352 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:29.480 experience has been in working with most homeowners that I 353 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:33.079 think right now, most of our listeners would prior to 354 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:37.599 this conversation, at this moment right here, would assume that 355 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:43.920 a stamped concrete finishes the pinnacle of concrete finishes, and 356 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:49.799 what y'all are not aware of is within the industry itself, 357 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:53.319 it is the finish that makes most of us roll 358 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:56.400 our eyes the most because of everything that Chris just 359 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:59.400 talked about. Well, so let me talk from a design perspective. 360 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:05.400 From a design perspective, stamped concrete is usually not my 361 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:07.960 first go to, never my first go to at all, 362 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:11.599 for a couple of reasons. One, it is an attempt 363 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:17.680 to emulate another material, and as a designer, I would 364 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:21.880 rather just use the other material. In other words, a 365 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:25.680 stamped concrete is trying to look like a cobble, or 366 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:29.119 it's trying to look like a flagstone, or it's trying 367 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:32.359 to look like some kind of a natural stone finish. 368 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.599 So we have the stamps, and we have the mats, 369 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:37.960 and we press in and we emboss the top of 370 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.119 the concrete, and then if we really want to go 371 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:45.039 to the nth degree, there are powders and color additives 372 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:48.519 that are put on the surface that affect the surface 373 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:51.599 color to try and get that stony two or three 374 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:55.440 tone finish, and believe me, it can be done beautifully. 375 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:59.319 I've seen Chris's stuff look beautiful. But the point is 376 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:05.519 every one of those additional elements can react differently to time, 377 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:11.240 to UV, light from the sun, uneven, fading and blotching 378 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.319 and all, I mean, just all sorts of stuff. So 379 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:17.880 it really the big secret is within the industry, it's 380 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.440 the least desired finish within the industry. 381 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:25.960 And now also with pavers, they seem to be quite 382 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:30.960 popular for many reasons. Just talking about the color with pavers, 383 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:35.319 it's so dense. Pavers don't have the qualities of concrete. 384 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:39.759 They don't fade as much in pavers. The colors, You're 385 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:42.759 going to get a lot more time out of your 386 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:45.880 pavers with the color almost no problem. I haven't seen 387 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:50.319 pavers completely fail with their colors make a stamp concrete. 388 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:53.000 And also the pavers another benefit. Hey, if you've got 389 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.559 a tree root that grows underneath your driveway sad lab 390 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:58.839 and it's all lifted, you pull the papers up, you 391 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:01.240 put them back down, you take the roots out. You 392 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:04.720 never know anything that happens pavers. You know what, within 393 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:06.599 the last ten fifteen years, you're starting to see a 394 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:09.240 lot more people doing pavers. They've been around for a while, 395 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:11.880 but now they're starting to make more sense. With trees, 396 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:14.599 which you're in getting bigger trees are our number one 397 00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.480 caused tree roots probably most concrete crackings. 398 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:20.119 So absolutely a no brainer. If you're thinking about a 399 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.920 concrete driveway that is supposed to emulate cobble, then just 400 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.000 do it in pavers. Because you talk about papers been 401 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.359