In the construction industry, concrete reigns supreme. Contractors build homes on concrete foundations. Crews use this fortifying substance for sidewalks, bridges, parking lots, curbs and in so many other structures. In a sense, modern civilization was laid upon this simple marvel. But while concrete makes our lives smoother and considerably more secure, this powerhouse material […]
Category: Precast
How Are Concrete Pouring Buckets Used?
If you are filling forms or doing pre-cast work, one of the biggest time savers can be the addition of concrete pouring buckets to pour large batches of concrete directly. The difference for most contractors is that you can focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about the transport of your material to […]
Tips To Help You Grow Your Precast Concrete Business
Pouring concrete always involves variables that change and multiply as you address bigger projects. There are customers who are never-satisfied, unreliable vendors, and it seems constant issues with holding on to good help, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows only 163,360 concrete finishing jobs nationally for 2015. But there are ways to grow your […]
Shake Things Up With Our Concrete Form Vibrator
Precast products are all around us and are a vital part of the infrastructure in our modern lives. From skyscraper floors to septic tanks to innovative concrete architectural details, precast concrete is a basic building block in our world. As a builder of precast products, you know how important consolidation of concrete is during placement […]
Concrete Hole Forms Made Easy
Using foam to cast holes in precast concrete pipes, walls or other applications is a common practice in the industry. But unless you need a custom form every time, foam concrete hole forms may cost you money. Foam can be relatively cheap, but making a foam form can be a long process. First, the foam […]
Keep Safe With A Concrete Storm Shelter
With the arrival of Hurricane season in the United States, millions of homeowners in coastal areas and throughout Gulf Coast states turn their attention to preparation, in some cases installing a concrete storm shelter. While hurricanes pack a lot of force and can decimate huge areas of land, this time of year is also ripe for increased tornado […]
Precast Concrete Steps Give You A Leg Up
One of the biggest successes of the precast industry came thanks to the development of precast concrete steps. The steps showed how precast concrete could help save time on a job site and keep a project moving forward without the usual downtime while waiting for concrete to dry and cure. The precast steps, made at […]
Lift Stations Keep Neighborhoods High and Dry
Lift stations are an important component of a community’s sewer system. Without them, it would be impossible to move wastewater away from homes and businesses. The function of a lift station is relatively simple: move wastewater from a lower to a higher elevation on its journey to the water treatment plant. Sewer systems use gravity […]
Form Oil Sprayer: How To Keep Concrete Non-Stick
The use of oil to keep concrete from adhering to a form is a tried-and-true method, but the search for the perfect form oil sprayer continues. Del Zotto offers a self-contained, portable oil sprayer that gives you the convenience of a manual sprayer, with the performance of a compressed air sprayer. Oil is used to […]
Precast Concrete Use Continues To Grow
Around the United States and much of the world, precast concrete use is so prevalent that it touches nearly every aspect of your life. The ubiquitous material forms the infrastructure that allows the world to function. From sewer systems to bridges, precast concrete has become the material of choice both for its structural properties and […]
Why Precast Concrete Costs You Less
While the initial price may be more, precast concrete costs less because of the time it saves on the job site. Pouring concrete in place is cheaper in theory. Looking at just the price of materials and labor, a poured-in-place product wins every time. But a deeper look at what it actually costs you to […]
Steel Rebar: The Unseen Concrete Construction Hero
Concrete is among the strongest building materials available. But when used on its own for concrete construction, it has an Achilles’ heel. Pitted against compression forces, concrete is tough to crack. But the material doesn’t hold together as well against pulling or twisting forces. The addition of rebar, short for reinforcing bar, helped strengthen concrete’s […]
Aggregate: The Overlooked Star of the Concrete Mix
Up to 80 percent of your typical concrete mix is made of aggregate, which is mostly filler material from fine sand to chunky gravel. The cement, which gets nearly all the recognition, binds the aggregate together and hardens to form concrete. But without the right aggregate, the cement is useless and the resulting concrete will […]
Fibers in Concrete: The Old is New Again
For millennia, fibers in concrete and other masonry were used to strengthen and reinforce the material. Use of natural fibers like horse hair and straw fell out of favor with the introduction of reinforced steel and wire mesh. But today the development of super-strong synthetic fibers has made the use of fiber-reinforced concrete more widespread. […]
The Most Creative Ways to Use Concrete
We know that concrete is one of the greatest materials that you can work with, so we have decided to compile a list of the most creative ways we have seen concrete used. With the help of our Pinterest page, we have found some pretty unique ways to use concrete. Fire Pits From fire pits […]
How Does Heat Affect Concrete Projects?
With our headquarters being located in Ocala, FL, Del Zotto Products has had its fair share of dealing with concrete in the heat. We oftentimes are asked about how concrete projects are affected by these extreme temperatures and we have the answer for you! Spoiler alert: Even though 100 degrees seems like a cruel joke […]
Our Favorite Precast Concrete Tools and Equipment
It’s obvious that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but imagine how modern technology might have helped. Today, precasters and concrete contractors often take their tools and equipment for granted. At Del Zotto Products of Florida, we are committed to developing and providing new technologies to further the precast concrete industry. Here are some of […]
Concrete As a Decorative Material
When you think about concrete, what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you might envision the historic features such as the ancient Pantheon or the impressive Hoover Dam. You might not be thinking about the ways in which concrete can be used in home décor. Recently, however, concrete is gaining ground as a […]
Fascinating and Functional Wire Mesh Projects
Wire mesh is more versatile than most people realize, and it can be utilized in a variety of projects from handcrafted furniture to functional crates. If you want to make something interesting and useful out of wire mesh, all you really need is a little ingenuity. At Del Zotto Products of Florida, we believe in […]
All About Concrete Canoes
Concrete canoes are usually created for engineering competitions, where the goal is to make the seemingly unfloatable float. According to Archimedes’ principle, boats and ships float because the weight of the water they displace is equal to the weight of the vessel. Many boats, however, are designed and built with materials that have a greater […]