Concrete Alberta

Homeowners Guide

Residential Concrete Best Practices

Are you thinking about adding a new concrete driveway, walkway or garage slab to your home? Follow these recommended procedures for placement and curing to help ensure you have a quality product that will last for years.

Why Use Dura-Mix®

You should choose a concrete mix that will yield excellent results and last. Concrete Alberta recognizes Dura-Mix® as the quality standard for concrete, here’s why:

  • Dura-Mix® provides finishers with a workable, quality product.
  • Dura-Mix® reduces unwanted call backs for concrete issues.

Dura-Mix® concrete will meet the following minimum standards:

  • Portland/Portland Limestone cement content of 300kg/m±.
  • Slump range of 80+/-30 mm.
  • Maximum water to cementing materials ratio of w/cm 0.45.
  • Air entrainment with a total air content of 5 - 8%.

Dura-Mix® meets the requirements of CSA A23.1 and Alberta Building Code for C2 Exposure Class required for residential concrete.

Dura-Mix® is a registered trademark of the Alberta Ready Mixed Concrete Association and is only supplied by Members of Concrete Alberta.

Curing for Strength & Durability

We recommend adhering to the following: 

  • Provide moist curing or apply a curing compound immediately after final finish.
  • Keep concrete temperature at 10°C or warmer for at least 7 days.
  • If air temperature is forecast to drop below 5°C, protect the surface with insulating blankets.
  • Allow concrete to dry for a month following the curing period before exposing to freeze thaw in the presence of de-icer salts.
  • Apply a high-quality penetrating silane siloxane sealer to the concrete after the maturing (drying) period.