How to Care for Reclaimed Lumber

At The Lumber Baron, we tell our customers that one of the advantages of using reclaimed lumber is that it has already stood the test of time. Because of that, it is not as susceptible to rot, insects, or mildew as new growth lumber would be. With that said, there are still some best practices that should be used to ensure that your reclaimed lumber continues to be durable and look good for years to come. Additionally, sealing exposed exterior lumber helps prevent mildew and mold from growing on horizontal surfaces, keeping things like decks safer for the whole family to use.

Home Remodel - Knowing When to Call a General Contractor

Improving your home can be both fun and rewarding. It is exciting to plan a home remodeling project and imagining new functional spaces for your changing needs and updating the design of your home. However, depending on your project, it may be better to work with a general contractor rather than do the whole project by yourself. Here are a few things to keep in mind to know when you should consider calling a general contractor in your area.

Why is Decorative Concrete Under-Utilized

Decorative concrete is an easy to install, long lasting, and sustainable flooring material. It is also extremely versatile and is an aesthetically-pleasing surfacing that can be customized to work with nearly any environment. With so many benefits, why is decorative concrete still under-utilized, even in cities like Portland’s concrete projects?

Skyscrapers and the rise of Concrete

Modern cities have come to be defined in part by their skyline. From the Space Needle in Seattle to the new Salesforce Tower in San Francisco to the iconic Empire State Building in New York City, skyscrapers and the innovation of concrete construction techniques have become part of our cities' identities.

Post-Tensioning Concrete

Concrete is a uniquely versatile building material because of its readily available components, its ability to be placed as a liquid, and its high compression strength that allows it to support the tremendous weights required in construction. Despite these qualities, concrete alone does have a few drawbacks. Concrete can be brittle and weak against lateral forces like bending. Many techniques have been developed to improve concrete's performance in certain situations, such as post-tensioning. Post-tensioning is a technique used to reinforce concrete over unstable surfaces and across spans. It is a very safe concrete strengthening technique that has gained popularity in the last few decades as the technique has been perfected, with trainings and certifications standardized. In any project that calls for reinforced concrete, it is important to utilize a skilled concrete contracting team like The Conco Companies, the leading steel reinforcing concrete contractor in Portland.

Articulating concrete boom pumps

One of the main characteristics that makes concrete a great construction material is that it remains a liquid after mixing all its components until it cures to become a solid. The fact that concrete is a liquid mixture allows it to be transported through pressurized piping, like how water moves throughout a city. Pumping concrete means that it can be mixed and held in a different location than where it will be finally placed. Over the last 100 years, concrete pumping technology has advanced to accelerate the concrete placement process and push the boundaries of the scale and accessibility of concrete projects.

Conco is Involved in Oakland, CA’s Building Boom

If it has been a while since you last visited Oakland, CA, you are in for a surprise.  Over the last few years, Oakland has seen dozens of new construction projects throughout its downtown core and nearby neighborhoods. The Conco Companies have been pleased to be involved in several of them.