Green Acres Landscaping Resource Center
Articles and Tips
Landscaping
Walls, Patios and Terraces
- Consider a Flagstone Patio for Your Falls Church VA Home
- Turn Your Patio Into a Winter Wonderland
- Enjoy Northern Virginia Evenings On Your Patio With a Fire Pit
- Creating More Storage Space On Your Northern Virginia (Northern VA) Patio
- Make The Most Of Your Northern Virginia Patio With The Right Patio Furniture
- Winterize Your Northern Virginia Flagstone Patio To Ensure Longevity
- Choosing a Location For A Fieldstone Patio at Your Northern Virginia Home
- Choosing the Right Type of Patio for your Arlington VA Home
- Choosing a Flagstone Patio for your Arlington VA Home
- Easily Repair Your Northern Virginia Brick Patio
- Timber Retaining Walls a Great Option for Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Interlocking Brick Pavers a Great Material for Your Northern Virginia Patio
- Stamped Concrete Patio Benefits for Your Northern Virginia Home
- Brick Pavers Offer Durable Elegance to Your Patio
- Create a Cozy Garden Terrace at Home
- Concrete: The New Versatile Landscaping Material
- Tips For A Great Retaining Wall
Picture Gallery
Water Features and Drainage
- Benefits of a Soaker Watering System Your Landscape
- How to Plan A Drainage System for Your Landscape
- Get Your Northern Virginia Landscape Ready For A Fountain
- Choosing A Water Fountain For Your Northern Virginia Garden
- How to Protect Your Northern Virginia Irrigation System During the Winter
- Types of Outdoor Fountains for Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Illuminate Your Northern Virginia Water Feature for Maximum Effect
- Caring for Your Northern Virginia Koi Pond
- Common Pond Plants for Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Landscape Catch Basins — a Drainage Solution for Your Northern Virginia Yard
- Pondless Waterfalls a Low Maintenance Option for Beautiful Waterscapes
- Fountain Maintenance and Care
- Dry Creek Beds Provide Beauty and Remedy Drainage Problems for Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Going Beyond a Filter: How to Thoroughly Clean Your Garden Pond
Picture Gallery
Driveways and Walkways
- Don't Forget to Consider Concrete for Improved Curb Appeal
- Customize Your Walkway to Reflect Your Northern Virginia Style
- How to Get Started with Driveway Design and Construction
- Creating the Right Walkway For Your Mount Vernon, VA Home Begins with the Right Material
- Enhance The Curb Appeal Of Your Ashburn, VA Home With A Driveway Design
- The Ins and Outs of Driveway Resurfacing in Northern Virginia
- Purchasing and Protecting the Concrete At Your Northern Virginia Home
- Pitfalls of Using Rock Salt on Your Northern Virginia Concrete Driveway
- Flagstone: a Perfect Material for Your Northern Virginia Walkway
- Choosing the Perfect Driveway Material to Fit Your Northern Virginia Landscape — and Budget
- Tending To Your Damaged Driveway: Repair Tips
- Walkways: Your First Landscaping Project for Your Northern Virginia Home
Landscape Design Considerations
Picture Gallery
Lighting and Art
- Use Garden Art to Liven Up Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Outdoor Lighting Types for Your Northern Virginia Home
- Illuminate Your Northern Virginia Water Feature for Maximum Effect
- Outdoor Solar Lighting Highlights Your Northern Virginia Landscape without Increasing Your Electrical Bill
- Looking to Illuminate Your Northern Virginia Landscape?
- Incorporating Garden Art Into Your Northern Virginia Landscape
Specialty Gardens
Design and Ideas
- How to Create a Backyard That Supports Wildlife
- Create A Natural Oasis in Your Northern Virginia Backyard
- Conquer Difficult Areas in Your Yard with a Shade Garden
- Tips on Starting Your Northern Virginia Vegetable Garden
- Add a Personal Touch to Your Northern Virginia Landscape with a Theme Garden
- Designing a Children's Garden for Maximum Fun and Outdoor Play
Caring for Greenery
Seasonal Activities
- How to Winterize Your Landscape
- Fall Gardening Projects for Northern Virginia Home
- Spring Landscaping To Get Your Northern Virginia Lawn And Garden Ready
- Northern Virginia Winter Gardening
- The Advantages of Fall Planting
Design and Planting Ideas
- Seasonal Flowering Bushes and Shrubs for Summer
- How to Achieve a Professional Landscape Design
- Consider Indoor Garden To Continue Your Northern Virginia Landscaping Throughout Your Home
- Dwarf Trees For Your Northern Virginia Landscape?
- Annual and Perennial Flowers: What Can They Add to Your Northern Virginia Landscape?
- How to Create a Fern Garden for Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- How to Landscape Vibrant, Successful Northern Virginia Butterfly Gardens
- Try Your Hand at Growing Roses
- How to Create a Beautiful Northern Virginia Herb Garden
- Create A Backyard Oasis
- Using Northern Virginia Landscaping to Shade Your Home
Picture Gallery
General Maintenance
- Sprinklers To Keep Your Northern Virginia Landscape Looking Healthy
- Protecting Your Northern Virginia Garden From Pests Naturally
- Should You Fertilize Your Ornamental Trees and Ornamental Shrubs?
- Spring Cleaning for Your Oakton, Newington, or Herndon Landscape
- Ergonomic Garden Tools Offer Ease of Use for All Gardeners
- Fall Landscaping Prep
- How to Keep Your Yard Healthy and Happy All Summer
- Using Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer
- Making Your Northern Virginia Lawn More Green
- How to Water Your Lawn
- A Quick Look at Garden Tools
Useful Links
Associations & Community
Better Business Bureau
dc-easternpa.bbb.org
Mount Olivet Methodist Church
www.mtolivet-umc.org
Arlington VA
Arlington Youth Football League
aflva.com
Arlington, VA
Contractors & Suppliers
Deck Doctor LLC
www.novadeckdoctor.com
Chantilly, VA
Rock, Stone & Sand Yard, Inc.
www.rssy.com
Lorton, VA
Carter Fence
www.carterfence.net
Dunn Loring, VA
Mickey Simpson Architects & Builders
www.mickeysimpson.com
K Hovnanian Homes
www.khov.com
Traditions Homes
www.builtbytradition.com
Arlington VA
Real Estate
Washington DC Realtor —www.buckmanrealtor.com
Michelle Buckman has been Washington DC area resident for over 25 years and is licensed as both a Maryland Realtor and Washington DC Realtor. If you're looking to sell or purchase a home we recommend you give her a call, she's very familiar with Maryland suburban communities including Chevy Chase MD, Silver Spring, MD, Takoma Park, Maryland and Northwest Washington, DC.
Inside — HVAC, Plumbing
Harvey W. Hottel
Inside — Mold Remediation and Asbestos Removal
RTS Environmental Services
Victory Mold Remediation
The Pitfalls of Using Rock Salt on Your Northern Virginia Concrete Driveway
Of all the products on the market today for ice removal on concrete driveways, rock salt may be one of the worst choices. This is especially true when used on concrete driveways that have not been properly poured.
When poured properly, concrete is a fantastic material. It is durable, long lasting and affordable. However, the life of your concrete driveway can be significantly reduced if inappropriate chemicals — even salt — are used on it.
Concrete gets its strength from its compression; it is “squeezed” together to become strong but the compression also can be its biggest weakness. When concrete is exposed to pressure or great tension, it becomes weak — this is the weakness rock salt takes advantage of.
Concrete absorbs water, which you may have noticed if you have ever poured water onto it and notice watched it disappear. The water is absorbed by the tiny pores of the surface and eventually seeps out the bottom. However, when you add salt to the mixture, it may spell trouble for your concrete driveway.
Rock salt melts snow and ice, resulting in a salt and water mush, if you will. The mush is then slowly absorbed into the concrete driveway where it will freeze again rather than drain out the other side. When the water freezes, it expands and can cause fractures in the concrete leading to weak spots, cracks, breaks and what may appear to be small potholes on the surface.
Rock salt is also hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water, and causes concrete to become more saturated with water than if just exposed to rain or melting snow without salt. In fact, water’s volume increase by approximately 9 percent by the time it freezes inside the concrete driveway. The added pressure from the expanding water — which obviously turns into ice crystals—often causes the surface of the concrete to break apart.
Contact the landscaping and driveway experts at Green Acres Landscaping and Masonry for a professional assessment of your concrete driveway. Serving all of Northern Virginia including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Newington, Oakton and Reston since 1992, we pride ourselves in excellent customer service and outstanding products.
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Driveways and Walkways
- Don't Forget to Consider Concrete for Improved Curb Appeal
- Customize Your Walkway to Reflect Your Northern Virginia Style
- How to Get Started with Driveway Design and Construction
- Creating the Right Walkway For Your Mount Vernon, VA Home Begins with the Right Material
- Enhance The Curb Appeal Of Your Ashburn, VA Home With A Driveway Design
- The Ins and Outs of Driveway Resurfacing in Northern Virginia
- Purchasing and Protecting the Concrete At Your Northern Virginia Home
- Pitfalls of Using Rock Salt on Your Northern Virginia Concrete Driveway
- Flagstone: a Perfect Material for Your Northern Virginia Walkway
- Choosing the Perfect Driveway Material to Fit Your Northern Virginia Landscape — and Budget
- Tending To Your Damaged Driveway: Repair Tips
- Walkways: Your First Landscaping Project for Your Northern Virginia Home
Green Acres Landscaping is a full service landscape design company, serving both residential and commercial clients in the Northern Virginia area since 1992. Our experienced team is ready to help you with any landscaping project, large or small.