Shoutout to the guy who told me to wet cure my slab for 7 full days

Had a walkway pour back in April here in Phoenix. Temp hit 92 that afternoon and I figured I knew better than to listen to some old timer. Did my standard 3 day mist and cover. Fast forward 2 months and there's hairline cracks all over the place. Client called me out on it and I had to eat the cost of a tear out and repour. Second time around I soaked it and kept it covered for a whole week straight. No cracks yet, it's been 4 months. Anyone else ever learn this lesson the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.laura1mo ago

Wait a second. That old timer told you 7 full days and you were pouring Phoenix concrete in April? Man, that's wild. I'd be sweating just thinking about it. But honestly I get it, I did the exact same thing on a driveway in Mesa about three years ago. Thought 3 days of misting would be enough, ended up with a map of cracks that looked like a dry riverbed. Had to rip the whole thing out and redo it, cost me a fortune and a half of my sanity. Hearing you say you did 7 days and it's holding up after 4 months, that's almost too good to be true for a Phoenix summer. But I believe it, concrete's picky like that.

miles_sanchez1mo ago

Same thing happened with a patio I did in Tucson, thought I could cut corners on a hot day. Wet curing for a full week made all the difference, no cracks after two summers now. Wish somebody had told me earlier.