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

2 Comments

taylorellis15d ago

You mention "reading the concrete" and I respect that, but I think the real trick is reading the weather before you even pour. If I know the sun is going to be cooking that slab, I'll adjust my mix or time the pour so I'm not fighting a losing battle with the wet edge. Stopping and coming back with a hand float might work in a pinch, but it usually leaves a visible line or a softer spot that can cause problems down the road. I'd rather slow down, use a misting spray to keep that edge alive, and push through without stopping. Once you break that continuous pour, you're basically creating two separate slabs that might not cure together the same way.

alicehernandez15d ago

Ask @taylorellis straight up - have you ever had a misting spray fail on you when the wind kicks up and dries the surface even faster? I tried that once in Arizona and the mist just evaporated before it hit the slab, leaving me worse off than before. Sometimes stopping and blending the cold joint is the only real option when Mother Nature decides to fight back hard.