Am I the only one who thinks wet curing beats spraying cure and seal every time

I see guys on big commercial jobs all the time just spraying on that cure and seal and walking away. But on a 40,000 square foot slab we did in Denver last July we went with wet burlap and soaker hoses for a full 7 days. The owner of the building even commented how there wasn't a single hairline crack after 3 months. I know cure and seal is faster and some guys think it does the same job but I have seen too many jobs where it flakes off or leaves an uneven sheen. When we wet cure we get denser concrete and way fewer callbacks. Has anyone else noticed a real difference doing it the old school way?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenny_lane1214h ago

My buddy talked me into trying wet curing on a job last summer and I honestly didn't think it would matter that much. But that slab came out so smooth and solid I felt like an idiot for all the years I just sprayed and prayed.

walker.julia13h ago

Oh wow, that's interesting! I mean, wet curing is one of those things where everyone talks about it but like half the crews I've seen just skip it. Idk if anyone here has tried the burlap method specifically where you keep it damp for a full week? I did that on a driveway last fall and the finish was so hard I could barely scratch it with a nail after it set. Maybe it's just me but I think people underestimate how much the slow drying helps with microcracking especially in hot weather. It's a pain to keep it wet but the results speak for themselves honestly.

zara_sanchez10h agoTop Commenter

Yeah, the burlap method is killer if you can commit to it. That week-long damp cure sounds like a pain but I bet the surface density you got is unreal compared to just spraying it once and calling it done.