Surface Prep has really advanced, from machines and accessories to techniques. The construction now wants surface prep to complement traditional sawing and drilling services.

With this complement, concrete slabs can be rejuvenated and repaired at a fraction of the cost of demolition and replacement. The surface can now be changed to provide more light and creativity.

Surface prep is basically mechanical preparation of concrete slab surfaces. It does not include chemical acids, phosphates, degreasers poultice or pressure washing.

Surface prep is classified under three categories:

Stock removal is the process of removing material to lower the slab height. It removes loose delaminating concrete. Smoothes trip hazards. It removes portions of slab that are defective or remove material to provide drainage.

Coating removal is the process of removing an existing coating from a slab. Coatings could be paint, epoxy, urethane, waxes, elastomeric/waterproof membranes, waxes or synergistic.

Coating Preparation is the creation of an ideal surface profile for a particular coating to improve the bond strength and integrity.

The surface prep equipment groups are as followed:

-          Grinders/Polishers

-          Shot Blasters

-          Needle Scalers and scabblers

-          Chiesel Scalers and strippers

-          Saws

Read here for details about each surface prep equipment group’s cutting action.

The advancements in surface prep are bring new market opportunities to CSDA contractors.

If you are ready to experience a true polished concrete slab today without major shortcuts to the claim of a polished slab, purchase your surface prep equipment from G&M Services.

Call us Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more about our surface prep equipment.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

When in a construction area there are many things that can cause damage to underground pipes and result in thousands of dollars worth of residential and commercial property damage. Most of the cost to resolve damage of underground pipes is finding pipes and locating problem areas. These tasks can be simplified with the usage of GPR services.

GPR is a radar technology used for surveying construction and underground repair industries. GPR can identify pipes and provide an easy guide for underground work.

The following are ways GPR is employed for several applications:

Leak Detection

GPR is most commonly used for leak detection on residential properties to discover the location of leaks in water pipes. When leaks are left unrepaired they result in exorbitant utility fees and major property damage.

This is definitely true for water pipes that run beneath concrete slabs. Concrete slabs can shift and create major structural problems for a home.

In this type of situation GPR provides plumbers a fast method for identifying areas where water pipes are damaged and clear the location for digging and repairing.

Utility Line Location

Another way GPR can benefit construction projects is through locating utility lines. GPR is often used this way to plan new construction and dig underground. During these tasks GPR can ensure you no damage will be done to current utilities and discover where old utilities could be located.

GPR is able to detect these utilities because GPR is able to detect all types of pipes and their locations.

Identifying Ground Composition

GPR cannot only detect any type of pipe but it can provide an accurate ground survey before you start on any construction project. This ground survey with GPR is necessary because soil types vary and require different methods to ensure structural integrity.

For example, when concrete slabs are not placed on solid foundations, they can crack and cause cosmetic structural damage to your building structure(s). GPR will scan below concrete structures and even map rebar within the concrete.

You can take advantage of GPR services during your next construction project. GPR reduces costs. It offers high quality surveys that help architects and structural engineers to design buildings around subterranean composition. Above all, it gives construction companies the knowledge of potential problems so appropriate steps can be taken to avoid damage.

The use of GPR is essential in planning and executing projects both large and small.

If you need GPR Scanning for your next construction project, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more about our Concrete GPR Scanning Services.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: The Many Benefits of Ground Penetrating Radar Services

What Is FireStopping?

Firestopping is a type of fire protection process that uses various features to close out joints and openings in walls, flooring and wall assemblies.

When fire-stops are not in place, openings are left without protection and do not provide fire resistance safety. Fire-stopping purpose is to restore and pacify fire resistance rating of floors and walls. It does this by preventing the spread of fire through openings by sealing them with fire resistant materials.

Some areas where fire-stops can be used are joints and openings. Fire-stops protect electrical components, mechanics, structural components and openings.

Fire-stops are necessary for many industries, here are just a few:

-        Mines

-        Oil fields

-        Factories

-        Warehouses

-        Commercial Centers

-        Facilities

Without firestops in place, an inferno can happen at anytime in a building structure. Firestops can be put in place in various ways. Coating spray can be used to protect electric cables from catching on fire. Penetration seals can be used to safe guard fire, smoke and gas tight cables.

If you need fire-stopping products and services today, come see what G&M Services LLC has to offer.

FireStop is a division of G & M Services, LLC. The safety of others is very important to us, and we have standards and proper procedures in place to make sure that all FireStop services are installed properly. Improper Installation of FireStop materials can result in potential injuries and/or risk to lives in the event of a fire. Proper installation of FireStop saves lives!

Review our Firestop products and services here.

If you need concrete cutting and sawing services or safety equipment, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Fire Stopping – Prevent Industrial Fire Disaster

Management is seen as a solution to safety concerns in the culture of workers because workers want to ultimately please management to keep their job so they can provide for their families.

Most in the construction industry believe safety measurements are not a top priority because workers believe that management is only concerned with making money. Money isn’t made without high productivity and this creates a culture that safety is secondary in importance.

Workers will not believe safety is a priority if it seems safety is only important to practice so that OSHA or insurance companies cannot complain about the business’ practices.

To resolve this dilemma the layers of management between you and employees need to practice common work standards all employees must follow. For safety to be valued, you must demonstrate your values about safety to supervisors and other employees alike.

One way to do this is demonstrating how breaking one safety rule can endanger their lives. You have to tell workers that all safety rules are necessary for injury to be avoidable.

You can equate that working safe means following all safety rules by spreading this message:

“ Work Safe and Follow All Safety Rules,”

CEOs and managers must follow this rule so that employees know this is what management finds invaluable. To best demonstrate this you should lead a meeting where the point of discussion is focused on the value gained by working 100 percent safe.

Ask employees to chip in their opinions about this question. Make a list of the best responses to make practicing work safety their idea. To change the culture, the solution has to be composed of workers’ ideas.

Studies have shown when workers practice safety 100 percent, productivity always increases. The best line to make workers practice safety 100 percent is to say:

“ I don’t care if production falls off, I want you to work 100 percent safe.”

If you prove you would sacrifice production and the business just to protect workers, they will feel they need to provide you and your company productivity, success and consistently practice safety.

If you need concrete cutting and sawing services or safety equipment, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Management’s Role in Changing Safety Culture

The building and fire codes of the fire safety industry have drastically shifted over the past three decades. Fire sprinklers are just not enough to protect lives and property from the dangers of fire. Many overestimate the power of fire sprinklers because modern buildings have more fire resistant materials in its structure and compartmentation.

Fire sprinklers are very invaluable to the protection of property and lives, but there should always be a backup fire system in place in case fire sprinklers fail to operate.

Often fire sprinkler systems can fail and not be recalled until years later after a fire incident. A frequent cause for fire sprinkler failures is Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC), which disables sprinkler systems. MIC attacks and corrodes the interior pipes of fire sprinklers and makes those pipes incapable of delivering effectively water to the sprinkling. Instead, it clogs the sprinkler heads.

Fire sprinkler malfunctions can also be caused by human error. Some human errors are leaving water valves closed, painting over sprinkler heads, putting objects between the sprinkler and burning target, and increasing fuel load beyond design capacity of sprinklers.

However, with the right fire-resistant construction and compartmentation installed, you can form a fire system that will protect your property and save lives no matter if fire sprinklers fail. Here is how you can go beyond fire sprinkler systems for fire safety:

-Use fire-resistant construction materials in your property. Some fire-resistant construction materials are plaster, gypsum board, masonry, steel doors, steel dampers, fire-resistant sealants, and fire-resistant glass.

-You can use fire resistant construction to protect structural steel and prevent steel from overheating and collapsing during a fire.

- Fire resistant construction can also confine fires at the place of origination so that building occupants can safely escape.

Start to build your fire-stop system today with G&M Services LLC.

If you need concrete cutting and sawing services, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Making the Case For Balanced Design: Why Sprinklers Are Not Enough

Concrete cutting is done very often in the construction and mining industries of commercial operations. When taking on a concrete project you will be doing plenty of cutting, drilling and wire sawing.

Drilling and wire sawing are used when concrete cutting equipment cannot be used because of project restrictions.

Drilling is often used for plumbing, electrical and mechanical services during a concrete project. The most used type of drilling for concrete is core drilling. Core drilling is an accurate method to help correctly position your plumbing, electrical, and mechanical services in concrete floors and concrete walls.

As for sawing, there are five types: Hand sawing, Ring Sawing, Floor/Road Sawing, Wall Sawing and Wire Sawing.

Hand Sawing is great for small concrete projects such as cutting window and door penetrations. It is very cost effective and helps keep construction projects smoothly running.

Ring Sawing is another fast, accurate and efficient concrete cutting solution. Ring sawing has more cutting depth than hand sawing. It can cut through double brick walls without difficulty.

Floor/ Road Sawing is the best tool to use for removing large areas of concrete floors or roads. This saw is often used for new plumbing and electrical installations.

Wall Sawing has an extremely fast cutting rate and it is capable of a total cutting depth of 1 meter. This tool is great to use for cutting thick, highly reinforced concrete. Some concrete projects you can use it for are safe walls, large door penetrations, and cutting concrete columns and beams. It also has many safety features, including complete remote control cutting.

Wire Sawing is a saw that makes great use of diamond wire to cut large sections of concrete. The advantage of using a wire sawing is that it makes very little noise and has very little vibrations. It is a quick fix for concrete cutting needs.

If you need concrete cutting and sawing services, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Concrete Cutting

Respiratory Health Precautions

During concrete cutting concrete dust can generate in your environment and make breathing difficult. The concrete dust can even lead to the development of respiratory illness based on the level and length of exposure. You can lessen your risk of respiratory illness by practicing dust control methods.

One dust control method is the Wet Cutting System, which collects dust in cooling water and pulls dust away in an air stream. Wet systems should be used on saws powered by combustion engines or compressed air. Never use the wet dust system on saws that are electrically operated.

In wet cutting systems, water can be supplied by a portable pressurized tank system or a mains water system.

Portable Pressurized tank system has a polypropylene bottle that contains eight liters of water. The bottle has an on and off valve to control the water supply.

Mains Water System uses water from a mains supply. It flows a minimum of o.5 liters per minute to optimize dust suppression.

The difference between portable and main water system is that the portable tank has to be regularly pressurized to maintain its flow rate while the mains water system does not need to be regularly pressurized. The portable tank is easily transported through out a construction site but you will need a water source to refill.

Diamond Cutting Precautions

When using a diamond cutting blade or concrete saw, make sure you use water to lubricate and cool the cutting tools. For spillage of the cooling water while cutting, use a drainage or wet vacuum system to control the spillage.

Use sharp tools, a good supply of cooling water and be a skilled operator when using concrete cutting equipment. With these precautions concrete cutting can be simple and safe.If you need concrete sawing services,  call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Precautions During Concrete Cutting

A concrete company can provide you labor services such as coring concrete and concrete cutting to give you high quality craftsmanship results. A concrete company such as G&M Services can offer you skilled workmanship and superior customer service because of its specialization in concrete contracting.

G&M Services can create space for new windows and doors by slicing through thick concrete. If you need to finish a basement bathroom by installing pipes, you can drill trenches into a concrete slab. As a fully equipped concrete contractor, we do it all.

G & M Services, LLC was established in 1999 as a concrete sawing and drilling contractor. Since the beginning we have always worked hand and hand to build relationships with our clients, help devise solutions to the task at hand, and give them quality work at a fair price. Today, G & M Services has grown larger in size due to loyal customers who repeatedly use our services. G & M Services has a firestop division, and a sister company called Concrete Visions, LLC. These combined companies services create a one stop shop for our clients to get the desired job done in a safe manner with competent and knowledgeable staff who have over 25 years experience in the concrete sawing and drilling industry. G & M Services is a member of the CSDA, FCIA, The National Safety Council and is a “FM 4991 APPROVED CONTRACTOR” through FM Global. Safety is very important to us. Our field mechanics are continually trained for their safety and the safety of others at the field site.

Types of projects we handle:

-Commercial Concrete Sawing and Drilling

-Industrial Concrete Sawing and Drilling

-Highway/Roadwork Concrete Sawing and Drilling

-Areas that Require High Security Concrete Sawing and Drilling

-24/7 Emergency GPR Scanning, Concrete Sawing and Drilling Projects

-Contract and Service Work Concrete Sawing and Drilling Projects

-Indoor Service Work to Large Scale Concrete Sawing and Drilling Projects

-Core Drilling

-Concrete Sawing

-Flat Sawing

-Road Sawing

-Slab Sawing

-Wall Sawing

-Wire Sawing

-Concrete Pour Back

-Concrete Demolition

-24/7 Emergency GPR Scanning, Concrete Sawing / Drilling and Firestop Services

Types of services we offer:

If you need concrete sawing services,  call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Slice Your Construction Costs With Professional Concrete Cutting

Fire Stopping helps to protect your industrial building from a fire disaster by using fire safety features to close the joints and openings of walls and floors. If an opening does not have protection, it is not fire resistant and cannot create fire separations to contain blazes of fire.

Sealed openings can prevent the spread of fires with the sealing, if it is made of fire resistant materials.

Where Should Firestops Be Placed?

Firestops should be placed anywhere a fire ablaze can be escalated. Some areas firestops should be placed are joints and openings.

When Firestops do not allow a fire to go beyond a certain point, it gives workers time to stop the fire as well as evacuate.

Some industrial avenues that need firestopping are industrial outfits, mines, oil fields, factories, warehouses, commercial centers and facilities. They need firestopping services so that work can be safely completed at all times.

It is important to have firestopping in place, especially when electrical components are present because electricity can easily instigate fires to a point of an inferno.

Some firestopping services can be coating spray and penetration seals.

A fire can break out at anytime and any place. Be prepared by taking precautionary measures such as firestopping services. G&M Services LLC Firestop division can provide you the safety you need.

The safety of others is very important to us, and we have standards and proper procedures in place to make sure that all FireStop services are properly installed. Improper Installation of FireStop materials can result in potential injuries and/or risk to lives in the event of a fire. Proper installation of FireStop saves lives!

Services performed by FireStop:

-Range from Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing through Penetrations

-Slab Edge FireStop

-Curtain Wall FireStop

-Head of Wall FireStop

-Joint FireStop

-FireStop Systems

-All FireStop Systems are UL Tested or Engineering Judgments if there is no UL Tested System Available

-G & M Services Works with All Clients Providing Solutions, Submittals, Schedules to Complete Projects in a Timely, Proper and Economical Manner.

If you need Firestop services,  call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more about our Firestop services.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Fire Stopping – Prevent Industrial Fire Disaster

GPR Scanning is widely used to locate buried pipes and cables because GPR can detect non-metallic and metallic structures with its simple ‘locate and mark’ capabilities.

GPR can be used to carryout Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE), can control excavation in complex areas, and it can define subsurface infrastructure with its unmatched survey and mapping capabilities.

Here are some details on the process of locating pipes and cables with GPR, as well as using GPR for Subsurface Utility Mapping:

 Locate Pipes And Cables

GPR, unlike conventional cable locating devices, does not need metal pipes and cables to carry electrical current so that it may detect it. GPR detects plastic, asbestos, concrete pipes and metallic pipes.

GPR exploits the instrument positioning and signal travel time to estimate target depth. The device has a GPS and feature tagging data loggers to accomplish standard locating and marking activity.

Subsurface Utility Mapping

When conducting a construction project, you will need a detailed mapping of buried utilities and infrastructure support. Depth and location must be precisely identified with new structure designs.

Implementing Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) practices will make you construction project highly cost effective with 4 to 20 times more cost benefits than standard devices. SUE provides mapping of all buried structures so that engineering design and construction can be effectively planned, while reducing the potential of high-unexpected costs.

GPR in its survey and map mode can deliver to you 3D images of subsurface utilities.

Detect pipes, cables and more structures with GPR to get the most complete maps you possible can get.

If you need GPR Scanning for your next construction project, call Concrete Visions, LLC Today at (410) 766-2210 to learn more about our Concrete GPR Scanning Services.

G & M Services, LLC is your resource for Concrete Sawing, Drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar (Concrete Scanning), and FireStop services for the Maryland, Baltimore, DC and Virginia Areas. Counties include:

Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s

Virginia: Arlington, Dorchester, Fairfax, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Loudoun, and Prince William

West Virginia: Berkley, Jefferson, Morgan, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester District of Columbia

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Source: Locating Pipes and Cables