c/concrete-finishers

The foreman who swore by wet curing in 2003, he was right all along

Back when I started on a slab crew in Columbus, this old foreman named Ray would make us stay late to soak every pour with burlap and keep it damp for a week. I thought he was just wasting time, especially when the newer guys were using curing compounds out of a sprayer. That summer we poured a big warehouse floor, and by the next spring theirs had all these hairline cracks showing up. Ray's sections still look clean today. I drive past that building sometimes and think about him. Anyone else get schooled by an old timer on something you figured was outdated?

1 comments

michael_coleman10•3d ago

The DOT spec on curing compound changed how I bid jobs

I was reading the state spec for a sidewalk tear out near Columbus last month and found out the curing compound has to be applied within 30 minutes of finishing, not whenever you get around to it. I always thought it was just a recommendation, but it's literally in the bid documents. That little detail cost me 3 hours of rework on a 200 foot pour because I sprayed it late and the surface checked like crazy. Now I build the clock into my crew's routine and I write it into every estimate I send. Has anyone else gotten burned by a spec detail you assumed was optional? What other hidden requirements should a guy watch for?

1 comments

elizabeths51•5d ago

I finally stopped using plastic sheeting for curing after 15 years

Old habit was just wetting the slab and covering with 6 mil poly. Did that on a garage floor in Denver last month and the customer called me back a week later with dusting issues. Switched to a curing compound spray for the next job. Guy at the supply yard said I was 'living in the 90s' which fair enough. Saved me like 3 hours of labor too. Anyone else still doing the poly method or am I the only dinosaur?

2 comments

carr.lee•6d ago

PSA: Tried a cheap curing compound and ended up with spider cracks everywhere

I grabbed a no-name curing compound from the hardware store last week for a 50 foot driveway I was finishing. Saved maybe $30 over the stuff I normally get from the supplier. Big mistake. Two days later I start seeing these fine spider cracks running across the surface. My helper pointed them out and said the compound probably evaporated too quick or didn't bond right. I called a buddy who does flatwork full time and he said cheap compounds often lack the right sealers for our climate out here in Phoenix. Ended up having to grind down the top layer and reapply with a proper brand. Cost me an extra half day and materials I didn't budget for. Anyone else been burned by skimping on curing compounds?

2 comments

faith_king•12d ago

That spray-on release agent I swore was a gimmick actually saved me 4 hours on a driveway job in Phoenix last week

I finally tried the cheap stuff from Home Depot after fighting stuck forms for years, and now I'm kicking myself for not using it sooner. Has anyone else had a tool or product they ignored that ended up being a game changer?

2 comments

terryw67•13d ago

Why does nobody talk about hitting 50,000 square feet in a month?

I just crunched my numbers from last month and I put down 52,000 square feet of flatwork between three jobs. That's more than I've ever done solo in a single month and it nearly broke me. I was working 12 hour days, skipping lunch, and my knees are still screaming a week later. The last job was a warehouse slab outside Denver where the finisher walked off halfway through and I had to handle it alone. Has anyone else hit a personal record that made you wonder if it was even worth it?

2 comments

lucasschmidt•14d ago

Burned $150 on a quick-set mix that I should have just walked away from

Last month I had a small walkway job and thought I'd save time by using that rapid-set concrete from Home Depot. Mixed it up per the bag instructions, but it started setting up before I even got it placed right. Ended up having to chip out about 60 lbs of hardened garbage and redo the whole thing the next day with standard 3500 psi. Lost $150 on the material plus 3 extra hours of labor. Has anyone else had bad luck with those fast-setting mixes for finish work?

2 comments

faithcampbell•14d ago

Got told my broom finish was too rough on a job site last spring

I was working a driveway in Orlando and the homeowner said the texture felt like sandpaper on their dogs paws. That criticism stung at first but I switched from a push broom to a soft bristle brush for the final pass. Now I do a light drag with a mag float before brooming to get a smoother result. Has anyone else changed their finishing technique based on customer feedback?

2 comments

smith.anna•15d ago

Wet edge debate: do you fight it or roll with it?

Last summer in Phoenix I was finishing a 40-yard driveway and the sun was hitting it hard. I kept trying to keep a wet edge on the bull float but the concrete was setting faster than I could work. Halfway through I had to stop and let it firm up, then come back with a hand float to blend the cold joint. Some guys say you should never stop once you start, but I think you gotta read the concrete. What do you do when the sun is cooking your slab and you know you're about to lose that edge?

2 comments

taylor.hayden•16d ago

I finally had a pour day that went too smooth and it threw me off

Last Tuesday we had a small walkway job in a backyard near Lansing. Everything lined up perfect, trucks arrived on time, the weather held at 72 degrees. We finished floating and edging about 40 minutes early. I stood there waiting for something to crack or sink and nothing did. Has anyone else had a day go so right it made you paranoid?

2 comments

the_spencer•16d ago

Just found out a 4000psi mix only uses about 6 bags of cement per yard, not the 8 or 9 I'd been guessing for years

Ran across it in an old ACI manual a guy left on a jobsite in Phoenix and it made me wonder how many other numbers I've been pulling out of thin air on my bids.

2 comments

tylerj22•17d ago

I used to think wetting the forms was just old timer superstition

For my first 3 years pouring driveways in Austin, I never bothered spraying down my forms before a pour. I figured it was just some old habit that didn't matter. Then about a year ago I got a call from a homeowner saying the edge of their brand new walkway was cracking and flaking. Went back to look and sure enough, the dry wood had sucked all the moisture out of the edges before the concrete even set. Now I take 10 minutes to hose everything down before the truck shows up, even on small jobs. It's not a huge change but it saved me from having to explain why their edges look like crap. Has anyone else had a dry form ruin their finish?

2 comments

julia_anderson•18d ago

Old timer in Phoenix told me I was burning my cream too fast

Switched to a triple trowel technique after he showed me how much smoother a 20x20 slab came out, anyone else get handed advice by a random guy on site that completely changed their finish?

2 comments

adamthompson•18d ago

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

susan649•19d ago

Had to pick between a broom finish and a stamped patio last month

Customer wanted a backyard patio done cheap but kept asking about stamped patterns. I told her broom would hold up better in our freeze thaw cycles up here in Minnesota. She went with stamped anyway and three weeks later the sealer is already peeling in spots. Anyone had luck convincing people not to go for the fancy look on a budget?

3 comments

jamesf41•22d ago

Just realized I been wasting money on expensive release agents

I was doing a stamped patio last week in Phoenix and ran out of my usual brand. Used diesel fuel mixed with mineral oil as a cheap hack an old timer told me about and it worked great on the stamps. Anyone else tried using something weird as a release agent instead of the store bought stuff?

2 comments

terryw67•23d ago

Vent: lost a whole driveway pour last month because of bad prep

Up in Bangor, Maine back in early October, I had a crew of five ready to go on a 40-yard residential driveway. The homeowner had already cleared the area, or so I thought. Three hours in, we hit a soft spot where old tree roots had rotted out the subgrade underneath the gravel. Had to tear out a 12-foot section and redo it two days later. Has anyone else dealt with hidden soft spots that didn't show up until the mud was down?

2 comments

val_williams•24d ago

Didn't know concrete has an expiration date until last week

I was on a job in Phoenix last Wednesday, mixing up some sacks from my truck bed. Grabbed a bag that felt kinda heavy and clumpy. Checked the date on it - was from 2019. Looked it up on my phone right there. Turns out cement actually goes bad after about 3 months if it's not stored dry. I had 8 bags that were all rock solid. Had to chunk them all in the dumpster. Cost me about $60 in wasted material. I knew concrete sets quick, but I never thought about the dry mix going bad. Anyone else ever get burned by old bags from the hardware store?

3 comments

rubysingh•24d ago

Concrete set up in 20 minutes flat thanks to a surprise rainstorm

I was finishing a porch slab in Boise last Friday when the sky opened up and dumped on us before I could get the tarp on. Spent the next hour scrambling to cut control joints through concrete that was already harder than a rock (which is not fun with a standard jointer, let me tell you). Has anyone else had to deal with a sudden weather change mid-pour or am I the only unlucky one?

3 comments

clairen85•1mo ago

Ditch the bull floats for a magnesium on big warehouse floors

I spent 3 years doing warehouse slabs the old way, bull floating everything flat and then chasing it with a fresno. Foreman said that's how it's done. Last month on a 50,000 sq ft job in Dallas, my bull float handle broke halfway through the pour. Grabbed a magnesium hand float just to finish the day, and man, that changed my approach. The magnesium takes off that thin film way faster and leaves a denser surface with less scraping. I was getting a flatter floor with fewer passes, and the joints looked cleaner too. Now I only use the bull float for the first rough pass if the mix is stiff, then straight to magnesium. Has anyone else tried skipping the bull float on large pours, or am I missing something?

3 comments

casey_wood2•1mo ago

Old foreman swore by burlap for curing slabs

I called him crazy when he told me to wet burlap and plastic instead of using a spray-on cure at a job in Tulsa last July. That slab came out with almost no cracks and the other three where I used spray all had hairline issues by week two. Anyone else see a big difference with wet curing over the chemical stuff?

3 comments

vera514•1mo ago

Saved a driveway pour in Phoenix with a wet burlap trick

I was finishing a 30-foot driveway in 103 degree heat last week and the surface started crusting over before I could even get the broom finish done. The sun was just baking it from the south side and I could see the color going off. I ran and grabbed some wet burlap I had in my truck (leftover from a different job) and draped it over the hot edge while I worked the rest. It slowed the drying just enough that I could match the texture across the whole slab. The homeowner came out and said it looked better than the sample patch I did. Has anyone else used burlap to fight heat like that?

3 comments

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

Old timer at the jobsite shared a trick for wet concrete edges

I was finishing a driveway in Phoenix last summer, struggling with the edges slumping on a 105 degree day. A guy who'd been pouring since the 70s walked over and told me to wet the forms down with ice water before pouring. Has anyone else tried this method for keeping edges crisp in the heat?

3 comments

martinez.kim•1mo ago

Saw a crew at a Home Depot parking lot that made me rethink my mix

I was grabbing supplies for a driveway job last Thursday and watched these guys pour a small pad with a 6 bag mix and no plasticizer. They worked it for 20 minutes straight and it came out glassy smooth with zero cracking. Always thought I needed extra water for workability but that convinced me to cut back and rely on finishing time instead. Anyone else had good results with a stiffer mix?

3 comments

michael_coleman10•1mo ago

TIL I poured 47 yards of concrete in a single day last summer and my back still hasn't forgiven me

We had a big driveway job in Clayton and the pump truck just kept coming, so I figured out that using a vibrating screed with a slight crown cut the finishing time by almost 30%, but has anyone else had that weird tendonitis flare up in their wrist from holding the trowel machine too long?

3 comments