Many different types of concrete walls are available today. You have the option of a concrete wall that looks like stone or brick. The wall can be made right on the premises or shipped in already made. The traditional color of concrete, although still available, is becoming a thing of the past. These new concrete walls no longer need shrubbery to camouflage their existence. They can be the vocal point of your property.
Precast Walls
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Precast concrete walls come in many forms. Some are reinforced with steel ribs, and others are solid panels. The controlled environment of a factory allows the precast walls to set and cure no matter what the weather. As a building foundation, these panels can be installed in any climate zone. A completed foundation using these panels takes one-sixth the time to complete, compared to pouring a concrete foundation on site, and the panels cost less than the traditional poured concrete.
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Poured Walls
Poured concrete walls can be used for a foundation, retaining wall or decorative wall. First the forms need to be put up and reinforced for the liquefied concrete to be poured into. For smaller jobs, concrete can be mixed in a small portable mixer or even in tubs or pails. For larger walls and foundations, the concrete is usually trucked in for pouring. You need to do this in weather that is conducive to the curing and setting of concrete. This type of wall is expensive and time consuming to construct.
Block Walls
Concrete block walls can be used for foundations and retaining and decorative walls also. They come in different shapes and sizes for different jobs and designs. These blocks are pre-made in a factory and shipped to the site where the wall will be built. The wall is constructed in a brick-laying fashion, with mortar put between blocks. This type of concrete wall is one of the more inexpensive and less time consuming ways to build a wall.
Stucco Walls
A stucco concrete wall is a thin layer of concrete that goes over an existing wall. This not only allows for coverage of cracks and chips, but it also adds texture to the wall. This is an inexpensive way of giving a wall the look of concrete. The stucco material can be put on in patterns that swirl, crisscross or go straight up and down. This type of material is easy to work with and can withstand the coldest and hottest of weather.
Stamped Walls
Stamped concrete walls are becoming popular. The stamping is done using the poured concrete technique, with the forms molding the concrete in the shapes of stones or masonry patterns instead of as smooth panels. The resultant wall can look remarkably like stone or brick, which adds a natural rustic look to the wall you are constructing. This technique is less expensive and takes less time than building a stone or masonry wall.
Colored Walls
Colored concrete walls are available in all the poured concrete techniques and some of the pre-made panels. This works especially well with the stamped concrete in the shapes of stones, giving them a more realistic coloring. Many colors are available in addition to the options for the natural colors of stone and brick. This coloring technique allows you to deviate from the plain chalky look of traditional concrete.