Concrete Science
There are moments in construction when the smallest decisions carry the largest consequences. In swimming pool construction, one of those pivots happens quietly, almost invisibly, at the bottom of the deep end when the drain sump is set in place.
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Few structures in American history embody the scale of ambition, engineering prowess, and transformative impact as Hoover Dam. Rising from Black Canyon on the Colorado River, southeast of Las Vegas, its massive concrete arc, once the tallest and heaviest dam in the world, stands as both a monumental physical achievement and a symbol of the nation's ability to turn bold ideas into lasting progress.
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When you build swimming pools and surrounding structures on the hillsides of Los Angeles, you enter a world of extremes—steep terrain, shifting soils, strict regulations, and invisible engineering that must endure for generations, all in a place famous for earthquakes.
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Jon Temple is out to stir things up in the pool-plaster industry. One of his most provocative and potentially impactful crusades is all about water-to-cement ratios in mix design and its implications in plaster appearance and durability. It’s an issue he says that needlessly keeps plasterers in the dark.
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Installing a beautiful and durable plaster or exposed aggregate finish begins with the surface upon which it is installed. Here Jon Temple breaks down the surface preparation process with a concise look at shotcrete and how it sets up a successful plaster installation.
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Cast-in-place coping can be used to create a wonderful, clean-looking edge treatments, but like all construction details on pools and other structures that hold water, what you don’t know can lead to problems. In this case, it might come as a surprise to some that “doing it right” means leaving out the steel.
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Bill Drakeley is passionate about shotcrete, and has spent his professional life becoming a leading authority on its proper use—a pursuit that has led him into a world of concrete that goes far beyond the comfortable confines of swimming pool construction.
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When it comes to concrete curing, cutting corners today often leads to serious problems tomorrow. Observing proper curing practices is a hallmark of professional craftsmanship—and a commitment to delivering a quality product that homeowners can enjoy worry-free. As Scott Cohen explains, relying on homeowners to water their newly placed concrete can be a prescription for failure.
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