Using De-Icers Safely and Effectively

Winter can be a treacherous time of year. Freezing temperatures, white-out blizzards, icy roads and walkways. Icy roads cause millions of dollars in accidents and damage every year. It’s important for snow clearing businesses to have the proper tools and resources to ensure projects are completed quickly and efficiently. To do this, you’ll need to use de-icers, which are chemicals that help to break or prevent a bond between the ice and concrete, making it easier to shovel and plow. Here’s how to safely and effectively use de-icers:

De-icing Options

1. The best choice is calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). It melts ice and is no more damaging than tap water.
2. Magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, or calcium chloride are other options; however, they can corrode metal, damage walkways and stain carpets.
3. Rock salt is a quick and effective way to rid sidewalks, driveways, and roads of slippery ice.

For areas large and small, we’d love to work with you to determine and supply the needed de-icier for your job!

De-icing Steps and Walkways

1. Apply de-icer according to package instructions to steps and walkways before the snow or sleet comes down. De-icer acts like cooking oil under the ice and keeps anything from sticking.
2. After a few inches of snow have fallen, shovel the walkway. If more snow is predicted, apply another layer of de-icer.
3. To remove ice, carefully chip away with a snow shovel or ice pick. Start at edges and work in.
4. For stubborn ice, melt using boiled water and mop up immediately. Leftover water will freeze. Wear gloves to avoid scalding your skin.
5. Store the de-icer and snow shovel in a safe and easy to reach place. You don’t want to walk over a slippery walkway to get to your tools.

If you need to stock up on ice-melting rock salt, come to Lafarge Fox River Decorative Stone! We have untreated and treated salt in bulk and a variety of bagged offerings including ProSlicer and Rocket Ice Melt. Both are high performance, treated de-icers and are available in 50-pound bags. And for snow removal jobs that can’t be tackled by ice melt alone, we also carry snow shovels. Contact us today!

Deal or Snow Deal: Preparing for Snow Plow Season

Whether we like it or not, our weather is bringing snow to the forecast. Cold, slushy, and bitter days will soon be upon us. Whether you’re brushing off the dust from the snow plow in your garage, or you and your crews are prepping for a season full of snow plowing, here are some helpful tips to help your winter season go as smoothly as possible.

Check Out the Areas You’ll be Plowing

Ideally, check out the areas you’ll be plowing before the first snowfall of the season. Things that should be on your radar include: curbs, speed bumps, mailboxes, and other things that could damage the plow. If you’re tackling your driveway and/or walkway, mapping out the curves would be a smart and efficient use of your time. It’s always a good idea to be aware of objects that could be easily hidden in the snow.

Check to Make Sure All Equipment is Working Properly

The prepping season is the time when you should take your equipment out and make sure that everything is working properly. Check all the lights to make sure they are turning on and off when they are supposed to. Should you be working with a truck and plow combo, make sure that the truck’s weight is balanced. If it’s unbalanced, you risk losing control of the truck in slippery conditions. We suggest adding weight to the back of the truck, past the rear axle.

Check the Plow for Any Signs of Damage

Checking the plow itself is also extremely important to do whilst preparing for the snow. Inspect the plow for damage, including cracked welds or hydraulic fuel leaks. The cutting edge is also something to be on your maintenance checklist- making sure that it’s not worn down to the point where the ground may come in contact with the blade.

Complete your prep season by stocking up on supplies. Lafarge Fox River Stone has you covered for your de-icing needs! Available in both bulk & bagged. Contact us for pricing today at (847)-888-6133 or visit our website for more information.

Winter is Coming: Protecting Your Custom Stone in the Colder Months

We may not be in the time of Game of Thrones with swords and battles for kingdoms, but the weather is getting colder, and precautions must be made regardless of what century we are living in. Your custom stone is something that you’ve worked hard to build, so it only makes sense that you should maintain it. Here are some helpful tips to keep your stone protected from whatever elements this winter may throw at you.

Move Your Furniture

As the saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy.” If you want to keep your custom stone in tip-top shape, preparing for cold weather with strategic maintenance is the way to go. The first step that we have found to be very handy is storing your patio furniture. It may not come across as something that is pertinent to take care of, but heavy patio furniture can crack stone if there are drastic spikes in temperature. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Check Your Sealants

Polymeric sand in between the stone can help protect it from weathering and sealants can protect the stone from any kind of water seeping through, whether it be rain, snow, or ice.  Sealants also help to protect against scrapes, chipping, or eroding from extreme weather conditions. Lafarge Fox River Stone has a large offering of polymeric and sealants to help get your job completed.

Watch Out For Mold & Mildew

No one wants to deal with mold and mildew growing on their stones, so it’s extremely important to clean thoroughly before the cold sets in. One way that mold and mildew likes to build up is in leaf piles, so make sure that you don’t leave them to sit under mounds of snow. The longer that you wait to clean off your stone, the more you put yourself at risk for unpleasant substances to take root.

At Lafarge Fox River Stone, we take pride in offering the best products and service that you need to complete your projects.  For more information, you can visit our website or give us a call at (847)888-6133.

The Top Four Reasons to Invest in a Fire Pit for Fall

As the leaves change and the air grows crisper, fall arrives with the plethora of activities to do outside. Friday night football, apple picking, and pumpkin farms are just a few that come to mind when thinking of fall festivities. One of our ultimate favorites at Lafarge Fox River Stone is gathering around a fire pit and enjoying our loved one’s company on a beautiful fall night. Thinking of adding a fire pit to your home? Here are four reasons why we’re all for it!

Great Focal Point of Outdoor Space

If you’re looking for a simple, yet effective way to spruce up your outdoor space, a fire pit is a great place to start with the renovations. Even when they’re not in use, they add to your space aesthetically to help create a beautiful gathering space and become a design anchor. Fire pits can tie everything in with several design schemes.

Increases the Home Value

Not only do fire pits add to your outdoor space, but they increase a home’s value as a whole and can add some zest and flare to a more traditional landscape. Because fire pits are now a more popular way to entertain guests, it’ll be a great selling point and draws attention to the architecture of your home as well.

Helps to Make Your Outdoor Space More Enjoyable

Fire pits help create another space for entertainment at your home, which can make your outdoor space enjoyable for many months past the summer. Many believe that outdoor entertainment has to end when the weather grows colder, but we like to disagree! Bonfires, roasting s’mores, or celebrating on game days are now all possible with your very own fire pit.

Creates an Ambiance

We know we’re not in the early 1900’s anymore, but we all still like to keep up with the Joneses every once in awhile. You get a beauty and ambiance to your outdoor decor unlike any other when you incorporate a fire pit into the mix. They create the perfect atmosphere for spending time with family and friends; there’s just something about a crackling fire contrasting the crisp, fall air.

At Lafarge Fox River Stone, we have the supplies you need to help create the perfect fire pit for your outdoor space. For more information on the products we carry, you can visit our website or give us a call at (847)-888-6133 today!

Why You Should Build With Stone

At Lafarge Fox River Stone, we love working with all kinds of stone in our projects. When it comes down to style and durability, there’s a clear winner in our eyes. While there are plenty of products to work with when it comes to landscaping projects, we swear by stone, and all the benefits it can give you in the long run.

Style

We love the organic look that stone can provide to a space. There are so many types of stones that range in size, shape, and color that can really give you a variety of options to choose from. Working with stone gives you the opportunity to pick exactly what you’re looking for that can naturally blend in with the rest of your space.

Durability

Stone is about as durable as they come. With it being fireproof, rot-free, and vermin-proof, anything made with stone is going to be around for a long time, with little or no maintenance work required. No worries about leakage or cracking in your walls- when built properly, it’s durability can last for years to come. If you trust the professionals to build with stone, you’ll save time and money without a worry of anything going wrong.

Affordability

Stone can be some of the most affordable products on the market when it comes to big projects. There’s also a lot of it, and can be found just about anywhere. At Lafarge Fox River Stone, we offer several types of building stone and thin stone, along with cultured stone, which is manmade but resembles natural stone and weighs significantly less, all at an affordable price. Because of its low-maintenance care, it also saves you a lot on repair projects in the future.

At Lafarge Fox River Stone, we believe in using the best products for every project we are part of. While we work with a plethora of resources, we love the look of stone and highly recommend choosing stone as your product when executing a project. To learn more information on our products or services, you can visit our website or give us a call at (847)-888-6133 today!

Our Landscaping Products for Contractors

When it comes to taking on a big-scale project, we at Lafarge Fox River Stone understand what contractors need to get the job done swiftly and securely. They need reliability, accountability, and products they can trust. With our wide variety of products that we offer, we are the leading supplier of construction material in the Chicagoland area, with our landscaping products at top of the list.

Mulch

Whether you’re looking for an aromatic mulch or for a more generic brown mulch, we have several varieties of mulch and topsoil ready to be used for any kind of landscaping project. We also have pulverized topsoil and a playground mulch that exceeds the ASTM testing requirements that is recommended by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for playground surfaces.

Decorative Ground Cover

Not a big fan of mulch? We offer a wide variety of over 25 stone products that come in all shapes, sizes, and colors that can be used in flower beds, gardens, and other areas. We also have large rocks or fine gravel to choose from that can absorb water and prevent weed growth while adding a stylish appeal to your project. Stones can be ordered by the bag or by the ton depending on the scale of the project.

Boulders

If you’re looking for bigger stones, we got you covered there too. We offer boulders that can be angular or rounded so that they can fit into any design scheme. Boulders are priced by the ton based on their size category: 12”-18”, 18”-24”, or 24”-36.”

Outcropping

Outcropping is a vital resource when building retaining walls and hillsides. To ensure that they are built the proper way the first time, Lafarge Fox River Stone has years of experience, knowledge, and resources at the ready. We have several standard sizes and finishes available for economical installation.

Patios, Walkways, and Steps

When it comes to building patios, walkways, and steps, it’s important to not only have a material that is eye-appealing, but also one that is durable and will make your investment worthwhile. We have several varieties of patio and walkway material available with our most popular being the Natural Steppers and the Concrete Steppers.

Accessories

Landscaping is no easy task, which is why we carry all the landscaping accessories that you need to make your job go as swiftly as possible. We carry everything from grass seed and fertilizer, to weed control and drainage products, along with edging materials to keep everything neat and where it’s supposed to be.

Trust Lafarge Fox River Stone to sell you the best products out there to help you complete the best jobs you’ve ever done. For more information on our services and products, you can visit our website or give us a call at (847)-888-6133 today!

Weed Tips for Hardscapes

The summer season is here, which means the dreaded weeds are finding their way to the surface. They like to show up in the most inconvenient places, making a beautiful patio an eyesore with a tough job to clean up. Weeds start growing in the cracks of patio pavers due to joints not properly filled with polymeric sand, or if the sand has weathered out. This allows the joint to fill with dirt and become conductive to growing weeds. Here are some helpful tips to take care of your hardscapes!

 

Use the Proper Tools

Weeds in hardscapes can be challenging to take care of, but with the proper tools, you can keep them controlled. We have found that the a string-trimmer, hand-pulling, a propel flame, or a natural, non-selective weed control product are some of the best ways to work with getting rid of weeds. Depending on the severity of the weeds in the area you’re working with will determine the process you’ll need to successfully get rid of them for good.

 

Invest in Polymeric Sand

If you want to be smart and efficient with your time and money, invest in polymeric sand to fill between the cracks of your patio pavers. Regular sand won’t do the trick - polymeric sand is a mix of sand and a polymeric bonding agent that hardens the sand once the bonding agents are activated by water. It’s in the best practices to replace polymeric sand every three to five years.

 

Spray and Powerwash

Spraying weeds and then power washing  is one of the most efficient ways to rid yourself of the pesky invaders. Existing weeds in a patio can be killed with a weed control product. Once they are dead, you can power wash the surface and into the joints to remove any dirt and old sand. Replacing with new polymeric sand will prohibit future weed growth.

 

At Lafarge Fox River Decorative Stone, we have a variety of polymeric sand options to get the job done. For more information on our inventory and services, you can visit our website, or give us a call today at (847)-888-6133. Let us help you choose the right product for your job!