That week when the heat index hit 106 and we still poured a driveway

We were finishing a 60-yard driveway in Phoenix last July and the concrete was setting up faster than we could work it. The customer kept bringing out ice water, but the real lifesaver was the wet burlap we kept throwing over the slab to buy us an extra 10 minutes. Anyone else have to fight the sun on a big pour like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley21d ago

Hey hold on, I gotta push back on this a little. I've done plenty of pours in similar heat and honestly that wet burlap trick is just asking for trouble with moisture blisters and uneven curing. You're basically trapping steam under there which can create weak spots. My crew did a 45-yard pour last August in similar temps and we just worked smaller sections, kept the mix a bit stiffer with less water, and finished it in the shade of a big tarp frame we set up beforehand. Took longer but the slab came out perfect with zero cracks. The customer was happier we took our time too rather than rushing and having to cut out and repour a bad section a week later.

the_william18d ago

Yeah but @hannaht29's right about airflow... tarps can cook the concrete too.

hannaht2921d ago

Wait, wouldn't a tarp trap even more heat and moisture than burlap though? I've seen tarps create a greenhouse effect that screws up the cure just as bad if you don't have perfect airflow underneath.