GLOSSARY OF CONCRETE COUNTERTOP TERMS

Provided by The Concrete Countertop Institute

www.concretecountertopinstitute.com

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R

rebar (or reinforcing bars) – Ribbed steel bars installed in cast-in-place or precast concrete as primary reinforcement to provide flexural strength. Rebar come in various diameters and strength grades.

reinforced concrete – A structural composite of concrete with embedded tendons designed to carry tensile loads. In reinforced concrete, the concrete itself carries compressive forces while the primary reinforcing carries tensile forces. The addition of reinforcement transforms a brittle, low tensile strength material into a strong, ductile material.


The Concrete Countertop Institute

S

sealer – Solvent- or liquid-based material used to protect and enhance the appearance of decorative concrete. (Also see film-forming sealer and penetrating sealer.)

seam – A joint between 2 adjacent slabs of countertop material. Seams function as control joints in brittle materials such as granite or concrete.

secondary reinforcement – non-structural reinforcement designed to control shrinkage cracking. Often welded wire mesh and/or fibers are used as secondary reinforcement in slabs.

shim – Used during installation to insure that adjacent countertop slabs are flush and level.

shrinkage – The tendency of the cement paste in concrete to shrink as it cures, causing concrete slabs to either curl (due to unrestrained shrinkage) or crack (due to restrained shrinkage)

slab on grade – A concrete slab that is fully and evenly supported by an substrate such as the ground. Sidewalks are slabs on grade.

superplasticizer – High-range water reducer (30% and above water reduction)

T

tensile strength – The ability of concrete to resist tension forces, or pulling apart forces, expressed in pounds per square inch (psi).

template – A physical pattern that represents the space into which a countertop will fit. For precast concrete countertops, templates are created on the finished cabinets, then the templates are used to determine the size of the forms.

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