Hit my 500th pour on a driveway yesterday and it changed my mind about color matching

I've always been the guy who says just match the batch and move on. But after 500 pours over 8 years, I finally had one go bad on a big stamped patio in Phoenix. The homeowner pointed out the shade difference before I even finished. Now I mix all batches together in a wheelbarrow before pouring any of it. Keeps the color dead even. Has anyone else had a problem with batch variation on bigger jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameron_hernandez694d agoMost Upvoted

Huh, I gotta disagree with you on this one man. Mixing everything together in one big wheelbarrow sounds like a huge pain in the ass for a big commercial job. You're talking about mixing 40 bags of concrete at once and hoping it stays wet enough to finish. I've seen guys try that and end up with hot spots or the mix setting up on them before they can get it all down. Plus you're introducing way more variables like water content and temperature that can mess with the color just as much as batch variation. I'd rather stick with matching each bag as I go and just blending the edges with a sponge float if the color looks a little off.

young.michael4d ago

Is this really that deep though lol

patricia323d ago

40 bags at once in a hot wheelbarrow I never even thought about how bad that would dry out before you got it all placed. I used to think mixing a big batch was the shortcut to saving time but this actually changed my mind. The hot spots and setting up before you finish makes total sense for a big commercial pour. I'm sticking with bag by bag now too and just blending the edges like you said.