Tried pouring wet concrete on a hot windy day. Big mistake.

Last August in Phoenix I thought I could beat the heat. Started a slab at 10am. Wind picked up and dried the surface in minutes. Got crusty before I could finish the finish. Had to grind it down and re-pour 300 bucks worth of mix. Lesson learned. Check weather AND wind next time. Anyone else get burned by weather timing?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.riley15d ago

I switched to a 6am start on my last Phoenix pour and added a wind break with some cheap plastic sheeting on stakes. Kept the surface damp with a fine mist spray between passes too. That crust issue stopped completely and the slab came out smooth. What time of day do you usually start your pours?

angelamurphy15d ago

Man I was totally skeptical about the 6am start thing at first. I used to just roll in around 8 or 9 and hope for the best, but after fighting crust issues on three straight slabs here in Tucson I tried your method last week. Getting out there before the sun really heats up the ground made a huge difference - I also added that plastic wind break you mentioned and kept a spray bottle going between passes, and the finish came out way smoother than anything I've done in months. Definitely changed my mind about early starts.

miaprice15d ago

Oh man, same here! I was totally that person rolling up at 8:30 thinking I was fine, but Tucson heat just laughs at that plan. I tried @angelamurphy's 6am tip on a driveway slab last week and it was night and day difference - no crust forming while I was working, and the finish actually looked professional for once. The spray bottle trick between passes is clutch too, I kept mine filled with ice water and it helped slow down the set time.