Old Foreman said wet cure for 7 days minimum, I tried 5 and paid for it

My foreman on a big parking lot job swore by keeping burlap wet for a full week, but I figured 5 days was enough since we were in Portland and the weather was mild. Came back on day 8 and there was a 20 foot section of dusting near the expansion joints where the surface just crumbled under a broom. Anyone else cut a cure short and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellys7821d agoTop Commenter

Did that dusted section need to get saw cut out and repoured, or were you able to save it with some kind of hardener or overlay?

clairen8521d agoMost Upvoted

Nah, hardener is usually a bandaid at best. That dusting means the surface is compromised all the way down. Overlay can work if you prep it right but it's risky long term. Saw cut and repour is the only real fix if you want it to last more than a year or two.

jamie77021d ago

Hardener's got its place for sure. Done it plenty of times on small patches that held up fine for years if the base was still solid underneath. You just gotta knock off all loose material first and hit it with a good bonding agent before you put anything down.