Old timer at the job site told me to wet cure for 14 days instead of 7 - glad I listened

3 comments

3 Comments

Sounds like that old timer saved you a headache. I had a foreman once who insisted on covering fresh concrete with wet burlap and plastic for a full three weeks. We all thought he was nuts but the slab came out like glass and never had any cracks or dusting issues. Turns out concrete keeps gaining strength for way longer than most people realize. The hydration process just keeps going as long as there's moisture present. That's why those ancient Roman structures are still standing, they used volcanic ash that kept reacting for centuries. Now I just tell my guys to wet cure anything structural for at least 10 days. Roads and driveways can get away with 7 but foundations get the full treatment. Funny how the old school methods usually outlast the modern shortcuts.

quinnm774d ago

Had a buddy who poured his own garage slab and skipped the wet cure entirely. Three years later it's spalling like crazy and he's kicking himself for not listening to the old timers. The extra week of effort is nothing compared to ripping out and repouring the whole thing.

nancy_king294d ago

That thing about Roman concrete is actually the key here. Nobody talks about how those old structures used seawater as part of the mix, which created a totally different chemical reaction than modern Portland cement. Makes you wonder if we overcomplicated everything with all our fancy admixtures when the simple solutions already worked.