6 Important Questions Before You Hire Decorative Concrete Contractors
Humble concrete has come a long way, with more options available for decorative concreting than ever before. Decorative concreting makes for a brilliant option for patios, and pathways. For hiring the best concrete contractor, you must ask about the price quotations and the years of experience that the contractor has.
Right from the questions regarding the cracks in your driveway, to the concrete filling of your garden path, the concrete contractors can give you a good estimate of everything related to your concrete construction.
What are the questions that you must ask to the concrete contractors?
- What techniques and options is the concrete contractor most comfortable with?
There is stamping, staining, dyes, polishing, overlays, and a whole lot of other techniques when it comes to decorative concreting. When hiring concrete contractors, ask them the techniques and products they are most comfortable with. If their product knowledge matches with your requirements, it is a go. For better verification, you can ask for past samples of his work.
- Can the concrete contractors show you some samples?
Experienced concrete contractors will always have samples to show you. If they are local, you can even visit the sites they have worked on recently and check the quality of work yourself. It is also helpful to ask them if they have local knowledge to procure building materials for the job. Local knowledge also goes a long way in understanding the weather and climate of a place. If you know the weather fluctuations and how they affect the concrete base and slabs of your room or garden, then you can browse through different samples to know the right one.
- What is the timeline for the job?
When you decide to hire professional concrete contractors, always ask for a tentative timeline that is required to complete the job. Good contractors will always give you a milestone based timeline, instead of a calendar timeline. The problem with calendar timelines is it can lead to a rushed job, which can ultimately botch-up your concreting work. Concrete needs time to settle in and look good and more so with decorative concrete. Thus, if concrete contractors quote you a calendar timeline, you know you are better off looking elsewhere.
- What about maintenance?
Certain types of decorative concrete floor require regular reapplication in order to keep looking good. When you hire concrete contractors, make sure you negotiate the maintenance bit. It is always advisable to include maintenance in the contract. While it makes the contract a little more expensive, it does away with the hassle of hiring concrete contractors every time your floor needs touching up.
- What is the amount of experience the concrete contractors have?
The more experienced a contractor is, the better he will be at this job. Ask him for referrals, and check out a couple to see if he is telling the truth. Asking him some basic questions about decorative concrete flooring is also helpful. For example, ask him about the preparation process of a floor before decorative concreting is done. If his response includes checking the moisture of the slab at regular intervals, keeping the designated area clean and free from residue, and minimizing foot traffic, you have almost found the right guy.
- What is the back-up plan?
Weather is a crucial element in all concreting jobs. Thus, when you hire concrete contractors, make sure you discuss the back-up plan categorically. If there are delays due to weather conditions, who is liable to pay for the escalated costs? Under what conditions is the contractor completely liable for delays, and what his back-up plans are in case the weather does not improve?
While hiring concrete contractors, discuss all these details comprehensively before you sign on the dotted line, to avoid disputes and arguments later on. Visit this link and get some more important ideas about hire the concrete contractors.