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Our Address
12402 Woodland Drive Wausau WI 54401
Steel Division
Phone# 715-675-6193 Fax# 715-675-4828
Concrete Division
Phone# 715-675-4800 Fax# 715-675-2973
 Londerville Steel & Concrete Supplies known as Londerville Steel Enterprises supplies steel products and concrete supplies throughout Wisconsin and nationwide.We are a full service supplier of new and surplus steel, aluminum and stainless steel products like tubing, sheets, angle, beam, channels sheets, and bar products. Our concrete division supplies rebar, mesh, ties, poly sealers, chemicals, foam insulation, rebar and masonry supplies. With over 25 years’ experience we are a full service provider of steel products and concrete supplies. |
Answer:
The surfaces you showed me in photographs and the physical sample you sent demonstrated a classic example of what the American Concrete Institute calls "scaling." I define scaling as the local flaking or disintegration of the surface strata or top thin section of hardened concrete. The contractor you spoke to was correct in saying deicing salt can scale concrete. But, in my opinion, I do not think salt attack is the cause of your particular surface scaling.
I am not going to make you wait for my opinion. I think the scaling is due to freeze-thaw attack of an insufficiently air entrained surface. I further believe that the low air entrainment was caused by poor finishing techniques on the part of the contractor's finishers and not because of a defective concrete mix design. Having said that. you deserve an explanation.
Guidelines given to us by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) (www.aci-int.org) recommend that any exterior concrete that is to be placed in regions of the country with severe climate should be 4,000 p.s.i. and contain 6% +/- 1½ air entrainment to resist damage from freeze-thaw cycling. As seen in the U.S. Climate Zone Map shown to the right, a good portion of the United States lies within the "severe climate range." In this climate range, there are specific guidelines for the placement and finishing of this type of concrete which, when followed, can minimize the probability of surface scaling. The basic guidelines call for screeding, broom finishing, curing and sealing the concrete. All to often, however, these guidelines are compromised by common mistakes in finishing or when curing or sealing steps are omitted.
Our experience tells us that the most common causes of concrete surface scaling are:
- Floating in bleed water during the early placement stages
- Hard troweling of air-entrained concrete
- Aggressive deicing salt attack, especially during the first winter
- Low air content in the concrete mix design
- Concrete maturity issues, i.e., late fall placement subjected to freezing and thawing before the concrete develops sufficient strength
- Improper or insufficient curing
- Insufficient or omission of protective sealer
We suspect that improper finishing of the surface is how your concrete became vulnerable to scaling. In much the same way that air and water can be squeezed out of a damp sponge, protective air entrainment at the surface of the concrete can be squeezed out of the concrete cement paste by poor finishing practices. This is what probably happened to your concrete. It appears that the concrete was given a hard trowel finish. While this is a common practice on interior floors, the nature of hard troweling will remove much of the protective air entrainment at the surface of the concrete.
Air entrainment provides millions of tiny pressure relief voids that accommodate the expansion pressure of freezing water in concrete. Their presence is critical in exterior concrete. Without those millions of tiny voids, the surface of your concrete suffered physical damage, damage that we now know as scaling from freezing and thawing. Deicing salts would have only made this condition worse, if they had been used.
In addition to applying proper finishing techniques, there are product solutions that will minimize the effects of exterior exposure. L&M offers many curing products and sealers, such as Dress & Seal and Lumiseal Plus that effectively protect concrete finding itself in severe climate zones.
One of our more popular treatments is Aquapel. This product provides the best protection against scaling. Aquapel is a penetrating water repellent and salt resistant treatment for new and existing concrete. It provides long-term, invisible protection of concrete from salt attack and freeze-thaw cycling.
Thanks for asking!
About Metabo
History
Company history is more than just a nice picture on the wall
Metabo's history stretches over more than three quarters of a century. It is mainly the history of a search for the most robust products with the longest service life.
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- The "Sonnenbrauerei" in Nürtingen was the headoffice from Metabo until 1969
In 1924, at the eve of the economic depression of those times, Albrecht Schnizler, a baker's son, and his business partner Julius Closs co-founded Schnizler GmbH. They wanted to manufacture tools that would meet the higher demands of an increasingly engineered world better than most of the tools that existed at that time. Walter Rauch, a great salesman, entered the business in 1927. Today, the descendants of the three founders are still Metabo Group shareholders.
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- Metabo-Logo from 1929 - 1955
In 1929, the company was transformed into Metabowerke GmbH. The name of Metabo derives from the term used in Germany for hand drills back then: Metallbohrdreher (metal turning drills).
The new company's first product
In 1923, the hand drill No. 18 was the first product this new company sold. More than 50,000 of these very successful drills were sold.
At this time, an increasing number of work pieces was made of metal. Because of this, more robust tools were required for working them. British industrial workers, who performed extensive steel works, placed particularly high demands on their tools.
Because Metabo's machines were able to meet these high standards, their export volume (mainly to Great Britain) generated 80% of the company's total revenues before 1930.
Development
In 1945, a major fire destroyed close to 75% of the manufacturing facilities. Nevertheless, the company boomed. In the 1930's, Metabo already employed more than 150 people. By 1960, this number had grown to over 1,000.
In 2010, Metabo and its 24 foreign sales companies ensure the group's market presence in more than 120 countries. Metabo employs more than 2,000 people around the world, and has 2 manufacturing sites: Nürtingen and Shanghai (China).
Product Innovations (Selections)
1950 first electric hand grinder
1951 first sander
1952 first Futuro quick-release chuck
1969 first electric automatic control for hand drills
1981 first 1000 Watts impact drill with constant speed control
1998 first angle grinder with a Metabo marathon engine
2005 Metabo's lithium ion technology. Higher performance at a much lower weight. Li-Power with AIR COOLED charging technology
2009 New range of professional cordless devices in 3 classes: Metabo L class/ LT class and LTX class
Global Novelties (Selection)
1957 The world's first impact drill series is manufactured.
1997 Metabo's paint miller is introduced on the market.
2002 Metabo PowerGrip is the first tool in a new class of Metabo cordless drills.
2009 Metabo develops the PowerCutter – an all-round tool for the garden.
Relocation to the current buildings
In 1969, the new office building at the Steinachwiesen is ready for us to move in. This completes the relocation of the company to the current site, which was begun in 1953.
Metabo Group is formed
In 1999, Metabo Group acquired the Meppen company Elektra Beckum. The product ranges of these two brands complement each other perfectly.
Most of Elektra Beckum's plants are in Germany.
At the Meppen site, more than 200 employees are manufacturing wood working machines, compressors, welding equipment and devices for garden and domestic use.
A new chapter in our company's history
In 2006, Elektra Beckum, already an important member of Metabo Group, was fully integrated into Metabo.
After this product portfolio expansion, Metabo is now able to offer one of the widest ranges of high-quality power tools, devices and machines
Metabo's Philosophy
The greatest factor for success since 1924:
In the early 20th century, there were no consistent quality standards for resources and bought-in parts. Because of this, Metabo found a special solution for the production of high-performance products: We decided to process our own resources and produce most formerly bought-in parts ourselves to ensure better quality standards. This led to tools with an extraordinarily long service time. We are still working according to this principle.
Dont forget to seal that New concrete and your old concrete usually needs to be sealed every 1 to 2 years depending on Sun and Salt exposure.
We are want to thank the Oscar J Bolt Company and Domtar for the opportunity to work with them to provide the rebar reinforcement for the Bio-Mass project located in Rothschild Wisconsin and look forward to seeing it threw to the finish and know the good it will do for the community for job growth.
We are getting close to having the availability to service your future needs in cutting specialty parts whatever they may be.
Team Lavalle
is another great customer of ours
Way to go Levi
Thanks Joe for the pictures
Londerville Steel & Concrete Supplies known as Londerville Steel Enterprises supplies steel products and concrete supplies throughout Wisconsin and nationwide.
Crandon Wisconsin is home to two legends of short-course racing: the Crandon International Raceway, and Jeff Kincaid. Jeff began racing in 1989 and first tasted victory at the Brush Run 101 World Championship race. As Jeff continued his racing career, he was a consistent top-10 driver and frequently battled with friend and rival Johnny Greaves. In 1997, Jeff and Johnny teamed up to drive for the new Forest County Potawatomi Toyota team. The pair won 19 of the 20 races they entered in their first year.
