I was on a job last week over in Denver, doing a big warehouse floor. The foreman was yellin at one of the guys about saw cutting control joints. He said if you gotta do crack inductions you already messed up the subgrade or the mix. Never thought of it that way. I always figured joints are just part of the deal. But he had a point. We spent a lot of time fixing a section that got all spiderwebby. Made me wonder if we should be spending more time on base prep instead. Has anyone else had a crew that relies too much on saw cuts to fix bad work?
The old apron settled and cracked within a year, so I tore it out last spring and put in a 6-bag mix with fiber mesh instead of that cheap 4-bag stuff. My neighbor actually stopped to ask who did the work, first time anyone's complimented concrete around here. Anyone else spend way too long on a single slab before it finally looked right?
Poured a big driveway in Phoenix last week. Temps hit 95 and the truck was late. The cold joint showed up right in the middle and now the homeowner is pissed. Anyone have a trick for blending fresh pours on hot days?
Passed by that big warehouse slab we poured off Route 9 back in '08. Funny how the control joints still look good but the warehouse got repurposed into a brewery. Saw some spalling near the dock where they must've dropped something heavy. You ever go back to an old job and notice stuff you wish you'd done different?
I was hanging around waiting for my truck to get an oil change and saw their crew pouring a slab for the new service bay. They skipped the control joints and within 4 hours a hairline crack ran right through the middle of the fresh pour. Has anyone else had a customer refuse to pay for joints and then blame you when the concrete does what concrete does?
I was on a big pour last Thursday near Austin and saw three finishers kneeling directly on fresh concrete in 95 degree sun. By the time they stood up their jeans were stuck to their legs and they had red marks that looked like burns. Why would you not just wear knee pads or at least put down a scrap of plywood under you? I keep a set of gel pads in my truck for this exact reason because a bad knee burn can put you out for a week. Has anyone else dealt with concrete burns that crept up on you because you were too focused on the finish?
I was working a big slab pour in Atlanta last August, this guy named Walt who had to be 65 watched me hose down the concrete. He told me to use wet burlap and keep it on for 7 days instead of just spraying it. Said the water evaporates too fast in the heat and you get surface cracks. I did it his way on that job and had zero cracking. Any of you guys use burlap for longer cures or is it just an old school thing?
Was screeding a 40 yard driveway last winter and had 3 panels surface scale right in front of me, realized I'd been running my mixer too dry for like 5 years. Any other guys here just dump the air entrainer in without checking slump first?
Used to think any old release agent would do the job, but a massive blowout on a patio taught me otherwise. Anybody else learn the hard way that bargain powder ruins your color consistency?
Honestly, I've been fighting edge curling on my residential driveways for years. Last month on a job in Fresno, I tried wetting the subgrade an hour before the pour instead of just right before. It gave me way more working time and the edges stayed flat. Has anyone else tried this or got a better method for dry climates?
It was a Tuesday in April on a driveway job in Austin. Everything just lined up - the temp was 72, humidity was low, and the mix came in at exactly 5 inches of slump. We got the whole 30-yard slab placed, bull floated, and broom finished before lunch with zero cracking or chipping. Has anyone else had one of those days where you feel like you couldn't mess it up if you tried?
Back in July, this old timer on a parking lot pour in Phoenix showed me his trick. He said soak the burlap, lay it down, then cover with plastic sheeting. I always just sprayed water and let it dry out too fast. Have you guys ever had a slab crack from bad curing?
Always thought power trowels were for lazy finishers but my back gave out after 3 hours on a 400 square foot slab in Phoenix last month so I gave in. Used a 36 inch trowel for the first time and got a butter-smooth finish in half the time, anyone else make the switch and actually like it?
Overheard him bragging about how he adds extra water to make it easier to work with, and it hit me why three of our slabs had that ugly scaling last summer. Anybody else have to deal with a guy who thinks he knows better than the bag?
I saw a guy last week using a 6-inch thin pan on a 6-yard slab and it curled up like a potato chip after three passes. If you are spending more than 20 bucks on a float pan, make sure it is at least 3/16 thick or you are just fighting the tool instead of the concrete. Has anyone else noticed this cheap pan trend ruining finishes?
I was out in Omaha helping a buddy with a driveway pour and this old timer shows up with burlap sacks and a garden hose. He said to keep the burlap wet and cover the slab for a full 7 days straight, no exceptions. I always just used curing compound spray before, but the color on this slab came out way more even and no surface cracks at all. Has anyone else tried wet burlap instead of the spray-on stuff?
Old timer named Dave with 30 years in the game said I had to keep that garage floor wet for a full two weeks. I thought he was being extra, figured 5 days of misting would do the job since temps were mild. Came back a month later and there's a web of tiny hairline cracks across the whole 20x20 slab. Did I screw myself by cutting the cure short, or is this just bad mix from the plant? Anyone else try a quick cure and regret it?
The surface kept tearing no matter what I did, so I slowed way down and kept the float wetter than I thought I needed to. Has anyone else had better luck with a resin float over magnesium on hot days?
I used to finish everything with a wooden float. That was 10 years ago. Thought it gave me better control. Then I tried a magnesium float on a 40 yard driveway job in Phoenix last summer. The cream came up way faster. Less troweling time. But I still feel like the wood gives a tighter finish on vertical work. What do you guys use for flatwork vs. walls?
Back when I was pouring a patio for a house in Boise, a guy who'd been finishing for 30 years told me vapor barriers were a waste on small residential jobs. Said the ground there is dry enough, just pour right on the compacted base. I was green and figured he knew better than the spec sheet. Three months later the homeowner called me complaining about moisture spots and a musty smell in their basement next to the slab. Pulled up a corner and the ground underneath was damp, no barrier at all. Cost me $400 to rip it out and redo with proper 6 mil plastic underneath. Who else has been burned by taking advice from someone who swore it was fine?
I did a 30x20 pad in Austin last month and let it dry out too fast, got hairline cracks everywhere. Next pour I kept it damp for 5 days straight with a soaker hose and the finish came out way smoother, anyone else swear by wet curing for flatwork?
I was walking in the LoDo area last week and saw a city crew's repair job on a cracked slab. The patch was this perfect oval shape, and the broom finish they tried to match went in a totally different direction than the original. It ended up looking like a big, confused eye staring up from the pavement. Has anyone else run into a public works fix that just made you laugh?
Now I always wet the broom first and pull it once, no back and forth. Anyone else get a piece of feedback that totally changed a basic technique?
He said to use a lighter touch and keep the float moving in a steady, long arc, which cut my surface pinholes by at least half on the last garage slab we poured.