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Unpopular take: skip the wet cure for flatwork in hot weather

Everyone says keep it wet for 7 days when it's 95 degrees out. I tried letting a 40-yard slab dry out naturally last summer in Phoenix and it didn't crack once. Just used a good evaporation retarder and tarped it after 4 hours. Has anyone else ditching the constant soaking and had it work out?
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3 Comments
lunag30
lunag301mo ago
35 yards in Tucson last year did the same thing, glad it worked for you too.
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price.gavin
Man that's a bold move in Phoenix heat but honestly you can get away with it if you time the pour right and use a good retarder. I've done similar here in Vegas on smaller pours, maybe 10-15 yards, and as long as the tarps go on before the surface crusts over you're golden. The trick is keeping that evaporative retarder heavy on the edges and joints where the wind hits hardest.
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lee_reed
lee_reed1mo ago
Yeah exactly, wind hits the edges first every time, gotta soak those joints heavy.
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