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Don’t Let Winter Weather Crack Your Concrete Cheer

As the holiday season approaches and winter looms large in Colorado, it’s time to ask: is your concrete ready for the chill? Frost, snow, and the freeze-thaw cycle can wreak havoc on unprepared concrete surfaces, leading to costly repairs and compromised safety. But fear not—HEXA is here to save the day (and your driveway) from becoming a winter wonderland of cracks and chaos.

 Why Winter Prep Matters for Concrete

The freeze-thaw cycle can cause small cracks to widen, moisture to seep in, and surfaces to degrade faster than holiday cookies disappear from a plate! Regular inspections and proactive maintenance are like giving your concrete a cozy sweater—it shields against the elements and ensures durability all season long.

Your Concrete Winter Prep Checklist

  1. Inspect for Cracks and Damage: Small cracks might seem harmless now, but winter can make them worse.
  2. Seal It Up: Applying a high-quality sealer provides a protective barrier against water and ice.
  3. Clear the Debris: Keeping your concrete free of dirt, leaves, and snow will reduce moisture retention.
  4. Schedule a HEXA Inspection: Our expert team can spot vulnerabilities you might miss and help you prepare for Colorado’s challenging weather.

 HEXA’s Gift to Your Concrete

Think of HEXA’s inspection and maintenance services as the ultimate holiday gift for your property. Our experts work to prevent costly repairs, protect your investment, and keep your concrete in tip-top shape . . .  because nothing says holiday cheer like stress-free, intact concrete. Give us a call at (303) 279-8700 to set up your inspection today!

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Year-Round Solutions to Keep Your Concrete Surfaces in Good Shape

Colorado’s climate is tough on concrete surfaces. The state’s drastic temperature swings, heavy snowfall, and intense summer heat all take a toll, causing cracking, spalling, and other forms of damage. In fact, here — more than in any other state — concrete is put to the test.

Plazas, parking decks, rooftop terraces, balconies, and other horizontal concrete surfaces in Colorado face a multitude of stressors. They all need waterproofing that can withstand exposure to wide temperature swings, frequent freeze/melt cycles, strong UV rays, salt and de-icing chemicals, and heavy traffic. At HEXA, we understand these challenges and know the best way to keep your concrete surfaces looking beautiful throughout the year.

 Key Solutions for Concrete Maintenance in Colorado

  1. Regular Inspections and Maintenance: The first step in protecting your concrete is regular inspections to catch any early signs of damage. This proactive approach helps prevent minor issues from becoming major problems.
  2. Sealing and Waterproofing: Applying a high-quality sealant protects concrete from moisture penetration, freeze-thaw cycles, and chemical damage. This process is especially crucial in Colorado, where weather conditions are highly variable.
  3. Concrete Resurfacing: For surfaces that are significantly damaged, resurfacing offers a fresh start. This process involves applying a new layer of concrete over the existing surface, restoring its appearance and functionality.
  4. Crack Repair: Addressing cracks promptly prevents water from seeping in and causing further damage. Our expert team uses advanced techniques to ensure durable and aesthetically pleasing repairs.

With these strategies, you can maintain the beauty and functionality of your horizontal concrete surfaces regardless of the season. Whether it’s the scorching heat of summer or the freezing temperatures of winter, HEXA solutions are designed to withstand Colorado’s diverse weather conditions.

Don’t let your concrete suffer the effects of the weather. Contact us today and we’ll find the best solution to end your puddles, pooling, and concrete damage once and for all!

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Innovative Solutions to Challenging Concrete Repairs

At HEXA, we thrive on finding innovative solutions to challenges that stump others. Our recent revitalization of an iconic complex in Denver showcased the diversity of our skills. This multifaceted project included post-tension repairs, waterproofing, and the meticulous routing and sealing of cracks. The project exemplified our ability to not only restore but enhance structures to make them strong and secure.

Project Highlights:

•   Removed waterproofing and concrete overlay under porch deck
•   Caulking application
•   Preparation for waterproofing installation
•   Stress testing of post tension tendon
•   Drain placement
•   Installed drains
•   Poured concrete
•   Prepared coating
•   Overhead patching
•   Crack grinding and caulking
•   Restored and reinstalled decking
•   Epoxy sand overlay application
•   Installed PVC pipes
•   Reinstalled brick pavers
•   Waterproofed

Overcoming the Unpredictable 

Colorado doesn’t play nice when it comes to weather. With our state’s drastic temperature swings and unpredictable precipitation, we go into each project understanding that it will often require innovative approaches. Throughout this particular project, we were able to meet unforeseen challenges with strategic solutions and thorough planning. We also found ways to navigate inclement weather with flexible project schedules and met logistical and technical complexities head on to ensure minimal delays and optimal progress.

The project stands as a testament to HEXA’s commitment to quality, problem-solving, and perseverance. From initial assessments to final implementation, every phase was executed with precision and dedication. The complex was restored through the collaborative efforts and expertise of the HEXA team.

See for Yourself

Experience the HEXA difference firsthand — discover how we make your concrete restoration and post tension repair projects easy. today to learn more about our comprehensive services and tailored solutions or to get a free inspection.

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2023 In the Rearview

January is always a great time to look to the year ahead, but I wanted to take a moment to revisit the highlights of 2023 as we get ready to hit it hard again in 2024.

Earlier in the year, we continued to spruce up our new home base in Golden, this time focusing on the section just outside our building, adding plenty of space for work and play! If you stop by, you might catch us shooting hoops or blowing off steam with our bikes.

We were busy throughout the year with a wide variety of concrete restoration and repair projects in Denver and the surrounding areas. Some of the work we did included coating projects, parking garage restoration and repair, post-tension repair, and window sealing.

We are fortunate to have developed some strong relationships with building managers and engineers over the years and made some new connections as well. Relationships continue to be at the heart of our values and we are excited about some new projects that we will be working on in 2024.

Our year-end “bad ass bike” tradition continued strong, and this past Christmas we did a drawing for our employees at our annual holiday party for this year’s bike, which was an IceBear Maddog. We are staying true to what we said three years ago when we started this tradition— that each year the bike will be better than the previous year! This one certainly delivered and our team member, Steve, was so thrilled to win it! Our culture at HEXA is one where we do our best to put people first. If you’d like to work for a place that values their employees, we’d love to talk with you!

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of 2023 for me personally had nothing to do with business and everything to do with family – the relationships that matter most to me. At the end of October, I became a (very young!) first-time grandpa to my grandson, Oliver. For those of you who are lucky enough to have kids and grandkids, you know how special that moment is when you first hold them in your arms! And, if you have both, you know how fast they grow up. In no time, I’m sure he’ll be revving up his own bike and finding his own path towards living life to the max, just like his grandpa!

Thank you to all of our customers who we also call friends, for your continued business, your trust in us to meet your concrete needs, and for growing with us. As we move into 2024, know that we will be there for you and all of your concrete restoration and repair needs!

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HEXA Defies Gravity in Adams County  

After more than 20 years of weathering Colorado’s climate, this prominent local building’s  windows – spanning six stories – needed a robust, long-term fix. The objective of the project was to caulk between the windows and the building, ensuring a watertight seal. This called for wet sealing, a process that uses a “wet” silicone product to securely join dissimilar materials. The project scope included all exterior windows on the second floor and above, requiring an impressive three miles of sealant!

“At HEXA, we’re not just concrete repair experts, we’re problem solvers. We live for big challenges!” proclaimed Darren Ashford, HEXA Sales Estimator.

This project is a testament to HEXA’s technical expertise, teamwork, and commitment to excellence. HEXA embraced the unique challenges it presented and delivered outstanding results.

First, HEXA assembled a team of four skilled professionals, divided into two groups, to efficiently manage the project. Each member brought their unique set of skills and experience to the table, ensuring seamless execution.

Then, HEXA employed an innovative swing stage scaffolding that would rival any skyscraper window cleaner’s ride. With the ability to handle heavy loads with ease, this suspended platform allowed HEXA’s team to work from the top down, ensuring access to all areas of the building.

Rain presented additional challenges to the schedule and to safety. Both were easily managed with HEXA’s attention to detail, efficient communication, and exceptional safety practices.

Over the course of the project, the team’s superior communication skills shined through. “We recognize that keeping everyone informed and aligned with project goals is crucial to maintaining productivity and delivering top-notch results,” Darren affirmed.

This unconventional waterproofing project was publicly bid and after a rigorous selection process, HEXA was awarded the project. Darren attests, “Landing the project can be attributed to our commitment to building strong relationships with our customers, which often leads to repeat business and positive referrals. We treat every customer like family, and we believe in leaving a lasting impression of quality and satisfaction.”

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Oops!

It happens innocently. A worker is boring into concrete in order to fix an issue with a bathroom or HVAC system and, suddenly, they hear a BOOM! The floor vibrates. Expletives ensue. It’s a shocking moment and often the first response is to hope it’s nothing. Unfortunately, what has likely happened is a post-tension cable has been struck and snapped, and even though it can’t be seen, it can cause safety issues and problems down the road.

When accidents happen, give us a call. We hear from contractors and building superintendents frequently when post tension cables have been unintentionally hit by core drillers. This typically happens during work on HVAC systems and plumbing—especially installing toilets.

The good news is: we can help. HEXA is the Colorado expert in post-tension repair, with specialized training under our belts and the been-there-done-that knowledge to get repairs done quickly and seamlessly.

We understand that post-tension expertise is not something contractors have time to invest in. The best choice is to get our team in right away to repair the problem and return the building to a safe condition. And for building owners who don’t have an engineer on staff who can assess the damage, we do it for you, bringing in an engineer with the experience to diagnose exactly what needs to be done to get it done right.

When it comes to post-tension repairs, we’ve seen it all. Our experience and quality set us apart. Post-tension repairs can be tricky and no two jobs are alike. You can rest assured that we’ll do a fast, safe, and efficient job. Don’t be fooled by low bids. Unfortunately, we see others get into a job with a low bid only to bump up the cost with “unexpected items.” We don’t work that way. We have the expertise to bid it right the first time and we’re honest and upfront from the get-go so you aren’t caught with unpleasant “surprises.” If you suspect an “oops” has occurred on your job site, don’t delay, give us a call!

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Building Stronger Communities Through Stronger Structures

HEXA has always been locally owned, relationship-based, and committed to helping others. We recognize that strong, stable communities benefit us all. That’s why, when we come across an organization that is actively involved in building better communities, we’re happy to give back.

We recently had the privilege of lending a hand to Warren Village – a nonprofit organization located in Denver, Colorado, which exists to help low-income, single-parent families achieve self-sufficiency. We learned of a concrete problem at their facility that was costing them money every day. The sealant on the top deck of their garage had deteriorated, allowing water to leak into their mechanical/engineering room, destroying their electronics. Their budget did not include funds for this type of repair nor replacement of electronic and mechanical equipment.

Our team was happy to step in and help. Our crews first removed the deteriorated sealant from the joints. We then re-caulked all joints and cracks. We prepped and installed a traffic coating on the top deck to prevent a repeat of this type of water damage, which, without preventive action, can be relentless. Check out some before and after photos.

“I’m grateful to HEXA for the repair and sealing work done on our upper deck,” said Forest Ray, Operations and Risk Manager at Warren Village. “For the first time in many years there are no leaks into the shop area below, and it just looks good! It’s been a pleasure working with your entire crew.”

We’re happy we could help so that Warren Village didn’t need to divert funds away from their important, life changing mission. Their program focuses on providing affordable housing, resources for parents, and services for children.

  • Housing: Warren Village offers two- to three-year transitional housing for single-parent families in their 92-unit, Capitol Hill apartment building. Safe, consistent, affordable housing helps families break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency.
  • Parent Resources: Each resident must be committed to working toward specific personal and self-sufficiency goals and is paired with a Family Advocate who has specialized training in core areas. Advocates assist residents as they work towards goals associated with post-secondary education, career development, personal finance, life skills, and child development.
  • Early Childhood Services: The United Airlines Early Learning Center, located onsite at Warren Village, provides high-quality, developmental care and licensed early childhood education for more than 100 children, ages 6 weeks to 10 years. The evidence-based classroom management provides a responsive curriculum which prioritizes mental health and developmental support, with a focus on good nutrition.

We’re thankful to be able to give back to the communities we serve and take part in making them stronger. If you’d like to learn more about Warren Village or how you can contribute to their work, visit their website at warrenvillage.org.

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New Digs

 

We’re moving on up! As we enter our third decade as Denver’s go-to concrete repair contractor, HEXA continues to expand. We’ve moved to a new location in Golden so that we can continue to offer state-of-the-art concrete repair to our loyal customers and many new ones.

Located at 15725 S. Golden Road, we’ve converted a previous four-bay mechanic shop and office to our new, modern headquarters. With blood, sweat, and a few tears, we’ve custom designed the facility with a western rustic biker feeling, open lobby and office space, and our hand-poured epoxy coated floors.

Our new location has room for training, space to hold our equipment, houses a few employee offices and, of course, has room for our bikes! What we like most is that it has plenty of room for our continued growth and expansion.

If you’ve ever moved or renovated, you know the work that goes into it and the pride that goes with it. We’re very excited and would love to show you our new digs – stop by any time!

HEXA is not a huge, faceless, national corporation focused on our bottom line. We are different. Colorado is our home. We’ve been locally owned and operated right from the start, always focusing exclusively on Colorado clients. We take pride in our reputation for innovative communication processes, extremely high client satisfaction, and repeat clients who have become our friends. We’re so thankful for your business and your trust that continues to help us grow so that we can serve you even better.

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An Ounce of Prevention

If it’s true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, now is a perfect time to get garages and structures in shape and ready for the winter months ahead. Maintaining your concrete structures on a regular basis means that you don’t get “surprised” when damage gets so extreme that it becomes costly to repair. We’re all about preventive maintenance!

Colorado winters are tough on concrete. When water turns to ice it expands about 9%. If that water has settled into even a hairline crack, it can mean big damage when the temperatures begin to drop.

Whether you’ve noticed some cracks in your parking structures or aren’t sure the last time you had your concrete structures inspected, call our guy, Mike Hubbard. He knows the concrete industry literally from the ground up and has experience in all aspects of concrete repair and maintenance. He’ll walk your site with your property manager or mechanical engineer and discuss what needs to be done to keep your concrete structures in good condition before anything gets to a point of being costly to repair.

We help you protect your concrete investment by repairing a variety of issues including:

Delamination

Water intrusion

Cracks and leaks

Post-tensioning issues

Damage to concrete coatings

Issues from cut corners

Put your 2022 budget to work and get an inspection scheduled today to give you peace of mind for the cold winter ahead. Give us a call!

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Don’t Let Post-Tension Repairs Become a Stressor

Post-Tensioning is one of HEXA’s specialties and a technique in which we have certification through the Post-Tensioning Institute. Our recent Post-tension Repair blog explained our post-tensioning work at a Denver Metropoint parking garage. Because of our expertise in Colorado post-tension repair, we’ve received inquiries and interest in the techniques involved, so we’d like to share some additional information about this versatile method of reinforcing concrete.

A Unique Structural System

Post-tensioning is often an excellent choice for Colorado’s weather and is used in many types of structures. It is an especially effective technique for reinforcing concrete in parking structures and garages. According to the Post-Tensioning Institute, “Post-tensioned concrete provides a structurally efficient, reliable, and cost-efficient solution” for concrete parking garages.

Cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete has become the system of choice for parking operators, commercial building owners, universities, hospitals, and public institutions for a number of reasons:

  • Post-tensioned structural systems often provide initial cost savings and better life-cycle costs, compared to other framing systems.
  • Since they are more water-tight and resistant to cracking, they typically have fewer maintenance issues.
  • Wide beam spacing and the flat surfaces provided by post-tensioning enhance lighting which improves security, provide a more welcoming environment, and a superior riding surface.
  • The slab thickness and beam widths in post-tensioned structures result in long spans which allow for versatility and adaptability to other structural components such as slopes to drains, ramps, irregular plan layouts, and cost-effective architectural treatments.
  • Post-tensioning provides outstanding structural integrity, including under abnormal and catastrophic loading. This means reduced vibration and resistance to wind, which can be important in our Colorado climate.
  • Post-tensioned concrete is not poured as deep as in other techniques so there is less drying time required, which can also be important during some seasons in Colorado. This technique can also reduce structural depths, excavation, and soil retention costs.

Considerations

Although post-tensioned structures typically have better track records when it comes to maintenance, they are complex systems that are subject to some specific vulnerabilities, especially when initial installation was less than ideal. Identifying and correcting problems requires special investigation and repair expertise and techniques.

Problems that can occur include corrosion and cracking of sheathed, steel cables. In grouted structures, improper installation of grout can leave voids and residual moisture which can lead to damage and deterioration. Post-tensioned steel is also more susceptible to damage from chloride-induced pitting corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and stress corrosion cracking. Tendon damage can occur and, although there may be external signs of distress, specific inspection methods may be required to find or confirm damage. For example, we use special techniques to evaluate corrosion inside sheathed cables.

Trust the Experts

HEXA’s crews are certified in post-tension repair. We are equipped to get the repairs done right, including taking steps to prevent problems from occurring again.  When you can’t afford to gamble with the integrity of and investment in your concrete, contact us. We’ll perform a complementary inspection and our post-tension experts will take the stress out of your repair work. Check out our Post-Tension Repair brochure here.

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