Concrete Contractors in Port Arthur, TX

Port Arthur asks more of concrete contractors than most Texas cities do. Wikipedia lists the elevation at 0 feet, on the west side of Sabine Lake, and ties the city with Lake Charles and Astoria, Oregon, as the most humid city in the lower 48 states. Morning humidity averages about 90%. Rain averages 62.13 inches a year. When the ground is that low and the air that wet, a driveway or patio has very little room for error in slope, base or curing.

Why humidity matters on pour day

People expect heat to be the problem with fresh concrete, and it is, but steady humidity changes the schedule too. In damp air the surface bleed water lingers, and finishing too early traps that water near the top. That leads to a weak, dusty or flaking surface a few years later. We wait for the sheen to leave before we close the surface, and we do not sprinkle dry cement on wet concrete to speed things up. Once finished, the slab gets a proper cure so the top layer is as strong as the core.

Storms have tested this city

Port Arthur's weather history reads like a list of hurricanes. Audrey in 1957, Rita in 2005, Humberto in 2007 and Ike in 2008 all brought wind damage. During Hurricane Harvey on August 29, 2017, 26 inches of rain fell at the airport in a single day, and the mayor reported about 20,000 homes flooded, some with up to 6 feet of water. The Proctor Street Seawall took a direct hit from Rita and protected the city from major flooding during Ike.

Flood water does not usually destroy a concrete slab outright, but it does other things:

• Washes fine soil out from under the edges of drives and walks
• Leaves low spots that hold water for days after a storm
• Lifts or shifts thin patio slabs that were never tied in
• Opens up old cracks that then grow every wet season

When we look at a property in Port Arthur, we check for these first, because pouring a new surface over a hollow base just repeats the problem.

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Matching the work to the house

The city's neighborhoods include El Vista, Griffing Park, Lakeview, Pear Ridge, Port Acres, Sabine Pass and the West Side. Lots, home ages and drainage differ across them, so the scope differs too.

• Concrete driveways: We set the grade so water runs to the street or a swale, not toward the garage. On low lots we may recommend a slightly higher finished elevation at the house end.
• Concrete slabs: Shop pads, carports and slab additions get a compacted base, a vapor barrier and thickened edges.
• Concrete patios: Backyard slabs slope away from the house at a steady pitch, with control joints cut on time.
• Sidewalks and walkways: Front walks and side paths that keep you out of standing water after a heavy rain.
• Stamped concrete: Patterned patios and entries, sealed so the color and texture stand up to salt air and mildew.
• Concrete repair: Panel replacement, crack sealing and leveling where storms or settlement have left trip edges.

Reinforcement and sealing near the coast

Salt air and constant moisture are hard on any exposed steel. In slabs, that means keeping rebar or mesh up in the middle of the concrete where it belongs, with enough cover that water does not reach it. We use chairs to hold steel at the right height during the pour instead of pulling mesh up with a rake. After curing, a penetrating or film-forming sealer slows water and salt from soaking into the surface. On stamped or colored work, sealing is part of the job, not an extra.

An old city with a concrete lesson

Port Arthur was founded by Arthur Stilwell and incorporated in 1898. The 10-story Hotel Sabine, opened in 1929, was built of steel-reinforced concrete and brick on 640 cypress pilings driven 60 feet into the ground. Wikipedia notes it was overbuilt because the strength of concrete was not well understood at the time. Homeowners do not need pilings for a patio, but the idea holds: soft coastal ground needs a sound base and the right reinforcement. We take the time to build that base before we talk about finishes.