The hard trowel trick I wish I learned 5 years ago

Keep seeing guys on jobsites try to burn concrete too early with wet edges, then wonder why they get chalking or color difference. Why would you risk a callback when waiting 20 extra minutes on a 60-degree day saves the whole finish?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixb3418d ago

Okay 60 degrees is COLD for concrete work honestly. On a day that cool you can wait 20 minutes and that slab is barely setting up. I've done footers in 55-degree weather where we had to wait almost an hour to get any kind of finish on it. If you're burning concrete at those temps you're basically fighting the clock and the material. The real trick is knowing your mix and your weather and adjusting on the fly, not some hard rule about waiting.

lunaf6718d ago

Oh man, yes, 100% this. I did a small patio pour last fall right around 58 degrees and I thought I was being smart by waiting a little longer before finishing. Nope. That concrete just sat there, almost like it was taunting me. It took almost 45 minutes before I could even start working the surface, and by then I was fighting the sun going down. I mean, some guys swear by the 20 minute rule but it just doesn't work when it's that cold. You gotta feel it out with your fingers honestly.