Switched from wet curing to curing compound after a job in Tucson last July

I used to hose down slabs every few hours and hope for the best. Then I did a 30 yard pour in 105 degree heat and half the driveway had hairline cracks by day three. Switched to a spray-on curing compound that next job and it saved my butt. No more babysitting hoses all day. Has anyone else had trouble with curing compound discoloring the finish?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_jones10d ago

Wait, wait... you had hairline cracks in three days with wet curing? That's wild. I thought wet curing was supposed to prevent that stuff.

river_thompson10d agoMost Upvoted

Had a buddy try wet curing on a big driveway pour last summer and the cracks showed up on day four instead of three. He was so careful with the water and covered it all with wet burlap. The heatwave hit hard and I think the surface dried out way too fast underneath the covering. He ended up having to grind it all down and patch it up. Still salty about it honestly.

jana50910d ago

Had a buddy on a crew in Phoenix try wet curing on a big patio slab and it was a total mess. He thought he was doing everything right with the wet burlap and constant hose checks but the edges still cracked really bad by the fourth day. The heat was just too much even with all that water and I guess the surface was drying out faster than anyone realized. He switched to a curing compound on the next job and said it was night and day different no more babysitting or worrying about the sun baking it dry. But he did mention the compound left a weird milky haze on the finish that he had to buff out later which was a pain. So I guess it works great for stopping cracks but you might need to plan for that discoloration thing if you care about the looks.