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The bi-monthly QUIKRETE® eNewsletter |
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Vol. 1 Issue 4 |
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The QUIKeNews delivers the goods on all the ongoings from The QUIKRETE® Companies - from contests and news to the latest products and projects.
Please forward along to any of your home-improvement minded friends and reply back to us if you would like to unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for supporting The QUIKRETE® Companies! |
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT:
THE QUIKRETE® COMPANIES ASSIST IN BUILDING KaBOOM! PLAYGROUND AT DALLAS, GA. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |
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The QUIKRETE® Companies lent a hand to The Home Depot and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, to build a playground at the Dallas Elementary School in Dallas, GA.
During the day-long construction, which took place on Thursday, Oct. 12, QUIKRETE® Concrete Mix was used in the anchoring of slides, monkey bars and other equipment in addition to setting fence posts around the perimeter of the playground.
The KaBOOM! playground was built as a joint volunteer effort between employees from The Home Depot's Lumber and Building Materials Divisions and its vendors, parents and school employees.
Dallas Elementary School Principal, Joel Slater, and Mayor Boyd L. Austin Jr. also were on-hand during the project which began around 9 a.m. and concluded around 2:30 p.m. with the official opening of the play space. |
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THE QUIKRETE® COMPANIES HELP MAKE OWNING A HOME A REALITY WITH ATLANTA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
 In a continued showing of community support, the QUIKRETE® Companies combined efforts with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and a number of local businesses to make owning a home a reality for two deserving Atlanta families.
Working with Atlanta-based companies, the QUIKRETE® Companies sponsored a recent home building project through funding and volunteerism. During two build days in August and September 2006, volunteers installed siding, railings and hardware, painted interior/exterior walls and helped with general site cleanup. The home was completed in October. Project partners included Citigroup, Havertys, Lathem Time and Smith Barney.
The QUIKRETE® Companies also participated in building another Atlanta Habitat for Humanity home. Volunteers worked to install interior/exterior walls, subflooring and wall insulation in early November 2006. The build was a joint partnership between Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and The Home Depot. |
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IN THE NEWS:
THE QUIKRETE® COMPANIES SUPPLY SPECIALLY MODIFIED MIX IN FACE OF RECORD TEMPERATURES
 With peak temperatures reaching more than 103 degrees in Utah this summer, the QUIKRETE® Companies specially modified the set time of its QUIKRETE® FastSet™ DOT Mix to provide extended working time during the installation of taxiway lighting at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
Allstate Construction Inc. used 150 cubic yards of the pre-extended mix to fill 1,200 linear feet of taxiway and runway conduit trenches. The QUIKRETE® FastSet™ DOT Mix extended working times between 45 minutes to an hour while also achieving a compressive strength of 3,000 psi an hour after setting and 10,000 psi after 28 days.
Workers dealt with temperatures topping the averages by more than 10 degrees in Salt Lake City, where the average high during the months of July and August is 93 and 91 degrees, respectively. On July 23, the thermometer at the Salt Lake City Airport hit 104 degrees, matching a record set in 2003, according to the National Weather Service.
Beginning in July 2006, the project utilized a low profile QUIKRETE® Mason Mix dispensing silo mounted on a trailer and a portable hydraulic mixer on a forklift. The upgrades to the Salt Lake City International Airport were completed at the end of August.
"Facing record-breaking temperatures and the need to prevent airport slowdown caused by construction, the QUIKRETE® Companies were able to respond directly to our needs," stated Mark Ebert, president of Allstate Construction Inc. "The QUIKRETE® FastSet™ DOT Mix provided a smooth transition between repairs and actual reopening of taxiways. As with any airport, the main order of business each day is getting planes back into the air."
The Salt Lake City International Airport typically is ranked in the top 10 U.S. airports for on-time departures by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Serving more than 20 million passengers a year, the airport ranks as the 23rd largest in the United States with more than 300 daily departures to 71 non-stop destinations. |
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QUIKRETE® CONCRETE PROVIDES FOUNDATION FOR LOWE'S KATRINA COTTAGES
 Concrete and mortar products from The QUIKRETE® Companies will create the foundation of the recently announced "Katrina Cottages" offered by Lowe's Home Improvement. The new bungalow-style homes will be sold first in Louisiana and Mississippi to offer alternative, lower-cost housing to people in the Gulf Coast areas with the idea of replacing the temporary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that were brought into hurricane-damaged areas.
Katrina Cottage foundations will be created using QUIKRETE® 5,000 Concrete Mix, QUIKWALL® Surface-Bonding Cement and pre-blended QUIKRETE® Mortar Mix. When completed, each foundation is designed to help a Katrina Cottage withstand heavy rain and winds up to 140 mph and meet most hurricane codes.
With large front porches and simple designs, the 544 to 936 square foot homes are designed to resemble English-style cottages of the 17th century. The two-bedroom dwellings will be delivered in phases as build-it-yourself "materials packages" to buyers in Mississippi and Louisiana beginning in November 2007 at the cost of $45 to $55 per square foot.
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PROJECT SHOWCASE:
CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS: A UNIQUE LOOK FOR LESS
 Owning to its unique appearance, affordability and high durability, concrete countertops continue to gain popularity as the material of choice for kitchen and bath remodeling. In addition, concrete countertops can be customized to individual specifications with a variety of decorative colors, stains, finishes and optional features for far less cost than using stone or even hiring a professional.
For example, a concrete countertop that is 22 inches deep by 1 1/2 inches thick can be completed in a weekend at a cost of $15 to $17 per foot. Conversely, a professionally installed concrete countertop can cost about $65 to $125 per foot, according to The Concrete Network.
To create a concrete countertop, homeowners will need QUIKRETE® Precision Non-Shrink Grout, QUIKRETE® Cement Colors, QUIKRETE® Wet Look High Gloss Sealer, a drill with paddle mixer, trowel, wood float, two plastic buckets (5 gallon and 1 gallon), 3/4-inch laminate wood board and wood strips, 1 1/2-inch wood screws, form release agent, 2-inch paint brush, rubber mallet and 400 grit sandpaper.
- Construct the countertop form by securing the laminate strips to the laminate board with wood screws. In order to obtain the correct form angles, it is important to remember that the bottom of the pour will be the top of the counter.
- Apply a form release agent to the inside of the form. This allows for easy removal of the countertop once the concrete has cured.
- Mix the Precision Non-Shrink Grout to a flowable consistency using the drill with paddle mixer.
- For a decorative touch, add Liquid Cement Color (available in red, brown, buff, charcoal, terra cotta) to the mixing water.
- Pour the completed mixture into the pre-constructed forms and spread evenly using a wood float. Level the grout to the top of the form using the wood float.
- Tap the sides of the form with a rubber mallet before finishing the countertop to reduce air pockets that could leave voids in the surface.
- A steel trowel finish can be applied to the bottom surface of the countertop once the surface is "thumbprint hard."
- Remove the form after the countertop has set for 24 to 48 hours.
- Lightly sand the countertop including the corners to remove imperfections and residual form release. Thoroughly rinse with clean water.
- Allow the countertop to dry before applying the Wet Look High Gloss Sealer. Refer to packaging for specific application instructions.
- Secure the concrete countertop to the vanity or cabinetry using silicon sealant.
For more information, visit http://www.quikrete.com.
ASK "Q":
 Do you have a question about a QUIKRETE® product or project? If so, send your question or comment to "Q" - our resident home improvement expert from the QUIKRETE® Technical Center.
I want to use Mortar Mix or Mason Mix to repair my fireplace. Will those products stand the heat in the fireplace?
QUIKRETE® Mortar Mix and Mason Mix can stand temperatures up to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use these products to repair the parts of the fireplace that are made with ordinary brick. Do not use Mason Mix or Mortar Mix in the areas of the fireplace that are made with fire brick.
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The building inspector says I need to damp proof my new basement. What can I use?
QUIKWALL® Surface-Bonding Cement is a trowel applied product which is code approved for dampproofing basements when applied at a minimum thickness of 1/8-inch. Apply to dampened surfaces. Use QUIKRETE® Concrete Acrylic Fortifier in the mix when coating concrete. QUIKRETE® Heavy-Duty Masonry Coating is a brush applied product that can be used to damp proof a basement. Use two coats of Heavy Duty Masonry Coating with Concrete Acrylic Fortifier to meet most building code requirements. |
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