So the biggest question over here is how and what makes something conduct electricity. Whether or not it is wood or concrete. The primary element that describes this complex question in simple words is the transporter facility that acts between any material or substance. So the answer is the electrons and ions present in various substances play their role as the transporter. And different meanings have different shapes that tell us about their movement of electrons.

Does Concrete Conduct Electricity?

Yes, concrete conducts electricity through the concrete ions. However, concrete is a poor conductor, and the low conductance of concrete can prevent electric shock. In addition, water content, temperature, concrete construction shape, and size affect concrete conductivity.

What Factors Make Concrete Conductive?

• Concrete water content increases electric conductivity, and a wet environment increases concrete conductivity.
• Dry concrete (sand, cement, natural aggregate without water) is a bad conductor of electricity and can be used as an insulator.
• Thick concrete construction will conduct better than a thin object.
• Short concrete construction will conduct better than a long construction shape.
• The higher temperature of construction concrete objects can increase the conductivity.

Concrete does conduct electricity, but it is called the more inferior conductor of electricity. But there are states of concrete that define its conductivity of electricity. First is when concrete is in the viscous mixture; it’s the most dangerous state because losing ions (water content) in it electricity can travel with more speed.

Second is the state of dry concrete when it gets the shape of hardened material; electricity can not move since concrete is hard enough for the electricity to travel. Finally, it can also be classified as an insulator since it gives high resistance to electricity passing.

For example, people commonly say that if you are standing outside and it’s a thunderstorm, you must stick to some concrete wall thing rather than staying in a grassy area. The reason behind this is, concrete conductance of electricity is lower than the grassy area.

Some of the concrete properties act well when coming in contact with water since it gains its strength. Cement is being crushed and then added with water and ground, milled like limestone, and then became ready to use. Various components are being present in the cement, those are:

• Silica (SiO2)
• Gypsum (CaSO4.2H20)
• Iron
• Alumina, Al2O3

Some of these materials are being blended in two ways. One is dry, and the other can be the wet process of mixing.  The mixture with these components is then heated up at the temperature of 2,600º F. After going through this process, the whole material is cooled down to average temperature until it gets the fine-grained cement shape.

Sometimes, when you try to build any concrete structure as yourselves you need to make a plan. The most important part is to calculate a number of bags of concrete and all prices.

How Many Bags of Concrete is a Yard?

You need exactly to take 72 50lb bags, or 60 60lb bags, or 40 90lb bags to fill one cubic yard of concrete. If you use a 30kg bag, you will need 61 bags to fill one cubic concrete yard. To easy measure, remember that concrete weighs about 150lbs per cubic foot.

Table: How Many Bags of Dry Mix Concrete in a Yard:

Suppose we talk about the density of the concrete and the yards that will be covered with this. Then having a hunk of concrete that weighs around 150lbs per cubic foot is not as dense as it seems because when we work to cover three-dimensional areas, there are higher chances that we would end up with large numbers in terms of volume. Take a small example to understand that the concrete quantity covering 27 cubics of feet will weigh around 4,056 pounds.

Some people get the idea of concrete bags since concrete bags usually come in the packaging of pounds. Sometimes it is being rounded up whenever the summed up amount is giving an incomplete figure of number. It is a usual practice that is being advised or recommended to people who buy some extra concrete rather than coming and buying again.

Another fun fact about this is that there is always a tiny amount present in the concrete bags than written on its label. Therefore, it can make and cover an additional area.

The reason behind it is that when we add water to the concrete, it spreads and adds up to a few extra pounds of weight to concrete that ends up covering additional feet of the area.

Are you planning to construct your sidewalk? If yes, then there are thousands of questions that might be your concern in the first row. It can be really the biggest mess when choosing the materials and seeing just what product is best suitable. This can be hectic and a tiring job plus it can be proved as an expensive activity as well.

The Best Concrete Mix for Sidewalks

Quikrete is the best concrete mix for sidewalks because it is crack-resistant concrete that offers a cost-effective, high-quality, and professional-grade concrete mix. The biggest advantage of quikrete concrete is its higher concrete early strength than most concrete mixes.

Quikrete is the best material for other concrete products; this provides professional and high quality when applying to sidewalks. If someone is concerned about the concrete material’s affordability, quikrete is still the better option since it comes at affordable prices. It times effective material because it has the higher early setting properties that are the ultimate option to give your project a clean look. The third and most concerning property in this material is that it is weather resistant. It is officially the best material for sidewalks.

These Quickrete products are specially for sidewalk construction that can help in the process. These products are easily available in the following market.

• 1- Lowe’s
• 2- Ace Hardware
• 3- The Home Depot
• 4- Walmart
• 5- and any other hardware stores.

Please see how to make a concrete sidewalk in the video below:

Now comes the explanation about different products that are being named above. Here you will get to know about the other properties of the products.

QUIKRETE 5000

QUIKRETE 5000 is a high-grade material of concrete, and it is consists of stones, gravel, sand, plus cement. This is specially designed for heavy-duty construction projects since it provides early strength and is ideal for projects with 2 inches of thickness required with early strength.

In most constructive projects, the structural quality requirement is to be set and dry and come in shape on the first day (24 hours ) after applying concrete material. For this type of project, Quickrete is the ultimate option. Moreover, quickrete provides the best setting facility for the project in cold weather since it sets faster than other concrete materials.

This is a small reading table that can give you an idea of the time duration and the quantity.

What is the Compressive strength of QUIKRETE 5000?

Quikrete 5000 strength is 2500 PSI after 7 days and 4000 PSI after 28 days. In this case, Psi terms as the pounds per square inch (psi), and for most of the projects, 2500 to 3000 psi is required.

But for the sidewalk footings, construction needs a higher level of 3500 to 4000 psi. But as the time reaches 28 days after applying the concrete, the material will reach 5000 psi, which will become the exact product you would want. You can also set the product by adding only 2.8 liters of water for every 80 lbs of concrete bags; this can easily yield 17 liters of concrete per average. But in the end, try to make sure that you would not leave any water that remains unabsorbed in the concrete mix. These are some of the tips that can be useful for mixing and applying in the construction process.

QUIKRETE Crack Resistant Property of Concrete Mix.

This is the second product of the quickrete that is called QUIKRETE crack-resistant concrete mix. This is a construction-grade concrete material with a compressive strength of around 4,000 pounds per square inch (Psi).

This small table shows the days and psi, the duration and quantity ratio among the concrete, and the setting days.

What is the Compressive strength of QUIKRETE Crack Resistant Concrete?

This is the third product f concrete specific for sidewalks with at least a thickness of 4 inches in total. And if the material applying is done in the right form, this material of concrete mix will exceed 2500 psi within a week, and most probably, it will exceed the range of 4000 psi in around 28 days after it applies. This can yield 80 lbs of concrete mix bags. Obviously, if you are planning the larger projects, you will need larger containers for mixing. And if you are working with 80 lbs of concrete bags, you will need a large container that can at least have the capacity to hold 21 liters to mix that 80 lbs of concrete.

This material comes in different packaging; you can buy them in any of them. For example, 40 lbs, 60 lbs, or 80 lbs too. Here are the short table readings that can give you an idea about the concrete duration and the quantities that apply to the material.

What is the Compressive strength of the QUIKRETE Concrete Mix?

Before mixing, make sure you’ve removed sod or soil from the area.

There must be at least 1 cubic foot around the 28 liters of water or any liquid ( this indicates the volume) mixer into the 80 lb bag of concrete mix. Yes, you can always add a little bit of water drop by drop if the material is too difficult to mix. See the below table that gives the readings.

If you expect it to rain or have a lower temperature for around 10 degrees centigrade, then do not start the process of curing. If it gets a freezer, it will have cracks that you can not avoid, so if there is an emergency or an unexpected drop in temperature, you can use the insulation sheets, or if not, then plastics sheets can serve the purpose as well. At least the first 48 hours after starting the process should remain at the dry and normal temperature with moisture or freezing.

If you expect it to rain or have a lower temperature for around 10 degrees centigrade, then do not start the process of curing. If it gets a freezer, it will have cracks that you can not avoid, so if there is an emergency or an unexpected drop in temperature, you can use the insulation sheets, or if not, then plastics sheets can serve the purpose as well. At least the first 48 hours after starting the process should remain at the dry and normal temperature with moisture or freezing.

How long does Quikrete high strength take to dry?

Quikrete high-strength concrete will take 24 hours to dry for footwalk, 72 hours for vehicular traffic. However, the best recommendation is to wait 7 days to concrete get strength at least 2,500 PSI.

How To Do Site Preparation?

Here are some of the following tips or instructions that can help make or prepare the construction site.

1. Always start with the measurements and start measuring the area in squares with any tool like twine or measuring tape, or anything that you usually use to take measurements will work here.
2. Then clean the area by removing sod and soil from the area you want to construct your sidewalk.
3. Then do not forget to take account of the width of the lumber as well.
4. Nail and then place them in the exact location where you want them. You may have to place and dig the nail a bit deeper to get the exact height.
5. Then fill up the digs to have stability and a bit of strength.
6. Then comes the level checking; when you know the things are stable and the nail is pretty much solid in their places, check the slope’s level. Just measure that when you are holding the level, the right corner of the level shows 1/2 inches above. So it would indicate a slight slope, which would be a bit away from the building point.
7. Then tamp the sub-base firm to check the proper form depth, here of 4 inches.

What is the Process of Mixing and Placement of the Material?

Here are a few instructions that will help you make your concrete mix to start the construction process.

1. Take the mixer and add 3/4 of the water to the mixer. Then turn it on and start adding the concrete mix; here is the example of quickrete fiber reinforced concrete, or you can also take the QUIKRETE 5000 or Concrete Mix.
2. Then damp the area where you will pour out the material.
3. Then go for the spread of the material throughout the form.
4. Then hit off the concrete level and then use the screed board at the top of the forms. Fill in any deep and weak spots; as you work on them, you will know them. Several passes may be needed after intervals.
5. Float the concrete surface smoothly, using a wooden or metal float or darby. Then, swing the tool in circles, holding its leading-edge up slightly to keep it from digging into the concrete.
6. Then cut down the concrete away from the forms by running an edging tool to compact the slab edges.
7. And just after you get the complete setup, you need to swing the trowel in the specific rotatory motion, plus them in floating. After doing that, repeat the edges.
8. The most important is that you need to properly manage the concrete mix, seal it (close), and do it with an acrylic concrete cure. And after around 48 hours of duration, when you see the concrete is in its shape and it hard completely removes the forms carefully.

Good luck with your project; remind yourself of all those tips and tricks to help you have an easy construction process.  And don’t forget to take safety measures that would not be something to compromise on. Every construction process includes chemical processes so being on the safer side is the best choice for those who would like to work on their construction projects by their own selves.

This is quite a typical story if we talk about stains on various objects, especially when it comes to the “hardest to remove” objects. This can reduce the life and effectiveness and even the look of that object, such as clothing, wood materials, or concrete-made patio.

Not many people know how to remove the stains if they have them on their sidewalks or patios in ancient times. Let alone talking about the market that sells those stain-removing objects. But now the time has changed and so do the things along with it. Many of the stain removal cleaners can vanish the stains in just no time with no stain left.

How to remove paint from concrete?

To remove paint from concrete, do the following steps:

• Step 1: Do Concrete deep cleaning.
• Step 2: Wait to dry.
• Step 3: Apply paint stripper.
• Step 4: Wait some time to set.
• Step 5: Scrub the surface.
• Step 6: Do scrubbing with a power wash.
• Step 7: Repeat steps until all the paint is removed.
• Step 8: Clean the area to get rid of all paint strippers.

Here are some examples and some of the names that can bring back your stained patios’ original look if you have one. The best general or you can a standard one, cleaner for the concrete is

1- Simple green OXY Solve Cleaner. 

2- Driveway Pressure Washer Cleaner

Yes, these two Genes can remove the hardest of all stains from the concrete. They are not expensive, which is not in the access to everyone, but contrary to this, they cost only $19.99, plus you can easily find them in any utility store or even on Amazon.com.

This product is even rated by 937 people on Amazon, and it got 4.2 stars out of 5. Its descriptions show that it can remove even the dirt of grease stains and all other stains.

Not only are these two in the market, but there are also a massive number of products that can serve the purpose on the other frequencies as well. For example, semi-permanent concrete stain removers can work quickly on the concrete and the other rough and hard surfaces.

They can work on different notes, have their frequencies, or say their capacity to remove the stains; not all the products serve with equal ability. Here we have other options mentioned as well. Since many people have different criteria of their choices, many want cheap cleaners, and many others may wish to have the expensive one for their concrete. Many may want to in bulk quantity, or many may want in small amounts.

Here is the list as follows, which is categories based on stains:

Permanent vs. Semi-Permanent Stains

Before we proceed into other categories, here is the fact that you need to check before deciding on the cleaner. First, you need to check whether the stain you want to remove is a semi-permanent stain (removable one) or a permanent one.

If there is a stain on your sidewalks or patios (concrete), it has been sealed or coated with other materials surface instead of cutting down the stains. Therefore, there might be no chance for t to be obliterated since it has been covered under the surface with a non-resistant material.

Under any surface, if there are stains, it can only be cut down if the upper layer of material is removed. And even in such a case, if the color is being pushed down by the upper layer material, the case would be the same as it will not be obliterated.

But No worries since there is still one option for you: to paint over those stains. This can give your concrete a new look, and you can have an even-looking surface by putting no effort at all.

On the contrary, if your case is a reverse or opposite, you don’t have the stain covered or sealed by other material’s surface. Then there is a hope that it can be removed easily by using different cleaning materials.

But make sure that you do not use any other material over the stain before it is completely removed, or else it will cause the same effect or sealing the color and causing it to be not removed.

There are different types of stains, and similarly, there are different kinds of stain removers. Here are the followings.

Different Types Of Stain Removers

1- Not every stain remover is created equal because not every stain is comparable.

Using the standard-level cleaners that are generally used for all purposes can be a good choice. Since if the stains are typical, the available cleaner will solve the problem immediately. However, on the other side of the color is giving you a hard-to-remove look, and you doubt if it can be cured or not, you might need to go with a special treatment for the stain removal.

Here are some of the stain types and their roughness to remove.

Removing oil stains from concrete

To remove oil stains from concrete, do the following steps:

• Squirt dish soap onto the oil stain
• Scrubs the stain with a heavy-duty brush.
• Rinse away the soap with water.
• Repeat the process until the oil stain fades.

Oil stains can be things like kids throwing some greasy or oily food or something; the other complex colors can be grease or car oil dripping. It may be the machine’s leakages of oil. Since oil is the only thing that is hard to remove, especially from concrete, it always finds its way to spread concrete.

So, here comes the answer about removing stains, and that is if your concrete has semi-permanent colors, then go for the de-greasing of oil, or the other option is breaking down.

This is not it; this is the start of the process here; you will pour out the degreasing material on the stain and let it sit for some time and then wash it off with a power washer, or you can scrub off the paint. The de-greasing material cut down the strength of the stain and let it get divide into many pieces.

How to Remove Rust Stains from concrete
To remove rust stains from concrete:

• Mix 1/2 cup baking soda to one gallon of water
• Add 1/8 cup of liquid dish detergent.
• Spray on patio surface,
• Wait for 30 minutes
• Scrub and rinse. You can use a pressure washer as well.

Rust stains are not always hard to remove; they get their strength when it applies to them. The longer the rust stays on the concrete, the more it has a strong shape, and it can be removed easily.

When they get water, these stains develop on the metals or are in humid areas for longer than their lives. So commercial rust stain cleaner or the standard is the way to go, and chemicals like oxalic acid, trisodium phosphate, and hydrochloric acid are things to look for.

Be careful since these materials are chemical-based, and they can be proved dangerous if they are not used correctly or if someone is allergic to dust or inhaled gases. It will help if you protect yourself when you are using it. Would you please not use them without wearing masks or gloves?

How to remove organic stains from concrete?

To remove organic stains from concrete, do the following steps:

• First, using a pressure washer removes all solid leaves.
• Apply an organic detergent to damp concrete.
• Wait few minutes.
• Scrub with a scrub brush.
• Rinse the concrete with water until you remove all the soap.

Organic stains are those stains that are made by organic materials, such as leaves, pine cones, and sap, that stay on the concrete for a more extended time and then they leave their signature marks on your concrete which are annoying sometimes, and the point is that they sometimes become so strong that it becomes difficult to remove. The main reason behind this is that the carbon decomposition process and those stains developed due to this chemical process are often hard to remove.

Stains made from organic materials that undergo the organic chemical process are usually developed from organic pigments or oils, implying that they are not easy to remove.

All those stains that are developed due to the organic chemical process are hard to remove as well. For example, the plastic back covers of the cell phone that is transparent in appearance. Still, after a few months of using them, they become brownish because they undergo chemical combinations. So those stains are also quite impossible to remove.

But for concrete surfaces, some of the semi-permanent organic stains can be removed using detergents since detergents have ammonia in them like bleaching agents. The reason is that these chemicals containing ammonia or bleach are natural to cut down the organic stains.

Drink Stains on Concrete

Drink stains (wine stains) are sometimes stubborn because they contain a food color or any fruit’s natural color that can stay on the concrete longer and get strong as a stain. Using those cleaners with acetic acid can clean the drink stains, whether it is wine or mango juice. The solvents in that sour acid cleaning agent will dissolve the stains in no time, and after that washing, the whole will give the concrete of your patio or sidewalk a good look.

Paint Stains on Concrete

Paints stains are called the most stubborn stains that are ever got this name and property in the history of colors. Like seriously, they get the most annoyed look once they are dry on the concrete surface. If you are the one with this case, the ultimate option is the cleaning agent containing something more like tri-sodium phosphate. It is referred to as the intense cleaning or stain removing agent with more prone to paint colors eliminating properties.

Salt Stains on Concrete 

How to remove salt stains on the concrete?

1. Spray affected areas with water.
2. Fill the area with warm water and add vinegar or dish soap, or detergent.
3. Dip the broom into the water
4. Scrub the surface of the concrete several minutes
5. Use the Shop-vac or Mop to soak to remove the excess water.
6. Cover the area with clean water to rinse.
7. Scrub again.
8. Remove the water with the vac.
9. Allow the area to dry.

In especially the chilly winter season, when there is heavy snow, many people try to throw salt on their sidewalks and patios to prevent slipping on the snow. And that salt leaves its marks as yellowish or brownish on the sidewalks once the snow is melt and the summer season begins to arise. However, those stains can be removed as well by just using the Hydrochloric acid-containing cleaning agents.

Pet Stains on Concrete

How to clean pet stains from concrete?
To remove pet urine, feces & Odor From Concrete, you need to do the following steps:

• Step 1: Saturate the stain and/or odor with Skout’s Honor Patio Cleaner & Deodorizer or Urine Destroyer.
• Step 2: Let it soak into the surface as urine would.
• Step 3: Wait 5 minutes.
• Step 4: Hit it with the hose.
• Step 5: Allow to air dry.

If you have a dog or cat who left their marks on the concrete, there are no worries about those stains since the cleaning or stain removing agent containing the hydrochloric acid can work best on those stains well.

Some of the best cleaning agents and their names. With this table, you can easily find the market products according to the stains you remove.

Best Concrete Cleaner for Removing Semi-Permanent Stains

The best Concrete Cleaner for Removing Semi-Permanent Stains is Zep Neutral pH Floor Cleaner Concentrate ZUNEUT128 because of the neutral formula that shows excellent results on marble, granite, vinyl, and stone floors. This concrete cleaner maintains polish without stripping a protective coating.

Advice

The most basic ways to get the work done, especially removing the stains, are scrubbing and power washing. These two ways are more gross and easy because you don’t have to deal with the chemical materials or chemical-oriented products that can be proved as harmful agents to one’s health. Many people want to have the quick results of the cleaning, but that can be harmful as well since many cleaning agents that work on the hardest stains might have hydrochloric acid in them, which releases the harmful gases when they are pouring out on the colors, and that can push the lungs to cough. And coughing can shake hands if the chemical is still in the hands of the coughing person that can turn into an accident.

On the contrary, working with human beings’ physical capacity and using the lower degree of chemicals to remove stains is better. For example, you can use the power washing pipes directly on the colors. This will tear them down into smaller pieces, and after scrubbing them out, the stains can be gone all over.

Concrete is a beautiful material for any construction project. This binds the components to combine and form a firm wall surface that can stay longer in its shape. However, such concrete material does not work best for the smooth and clear surface since sandstone or gravels are present in the concrete.

If you have noticed in the old areas that people used to have their sidewalks’ rocky appearance that looks like old school, that can be changed and don’t want your sidewalks like them. But the only concern that might be bothersome is how this can be achieved. For example, how you can avoid having this kind of curvy sandstone shape.

Concrete without rocks

Can You Make Concrete Without Gravel?

Yes, concrete without rocks or concrete without coarse gravel is called mortar concrete. Mortar concrete with a fine-grained appearance is made from Portland cement, sand, and fine aggregate.  Popular mortar concrete brands that sell mortar mixes in the US are Sakrete, Quickrete,  and Sika.

One of the terminologies that explain the concrete, which does not contain any gravel or rocks, is called the “mortar concrete.” Several ingredients make it look smoother and plain when applied. There is portland cement present in it, plus fine aggregate and sand. It provides a completely smooth look. Once used and let stay set, it will appear as a smooth surface for your sidewalk or any surface you want to work on.

See on the image left, “mortar concrete.”

Can you mix mortar and concrete?

Mortar and concrete can not be mixed because mortar has higher water content, making it difficult to make a suitable mix. However, if you have mortar for decoration, you can add gravel or other additions to provide texture or strength to the mix.