Talking to a guy at the hardware store made me switch my mix for cold weather pours

I was picking up some bags of Quikrete for a small patio job last Tuesday, and this older guy, maybe in his 60s, was doing the same. I mentioned I was worried about the overnight dip to 35 degrees. I always just used regular mix and threw in a bit more cement, thinking that was enough. He looked at me and said, 'Son, that extra cement is just making it set faster and crack. You need the right admixture to slow it down and protect it, not just more heat in the bag.' He showed me the calcium chloride accelerator he was buying and explained how it works differently. I grabbed a bottle instead of extra cement. Poured the next morning, and the finish was way smoother, no crazing. Has anyone else had a cold weather tip that seemed wrong but actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiesullivan9h ago

Wait, you were just adding straight cement to bagged mix? I thought everyone knew that was a bad move for cold weather. That older guy saved your patio, honestly. Makes me wonder how many other little rules of thumb are actually making things worse. What else have we all been doing wrong for years without realizing it?

kai8398h ago

That "rules of thumb" thing hits home, I once added sand to mortar mix and basically made weak glue.

oliviabutler3h ago

It's funny how we cling to those old shortcuts, like they're some kind of trade secret passed down. My uncle swore by adding dish soap to concrete for years to make it "creamy," and we all just nodded along until a whole walkway dusted itself to nothing. That hardware store wisdom is gold because it usually comes from fixing their own past mistakes.