Watched a slab cure completely different after I switched from wet burlap to curing compound

Did a 4000 sq ft warehouse floor in Denver last spring, used wet burlap on half and a spray-on compound on the other half just to test, and after 28 days the compound side was way harder and had almost no surface dust. Anyone else notice a big difference between curing methods on big pours?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.cole23d ago

Stick with the compound on big pours like that. Wet burlap dries out too fast on the edges and you end up with a weak cure.

charles_coleman23d ago

Whoa hold on, I gotta push back a little on that. I’ve been doing big pours for years and wet burlap has saved me more times than the compound stuff. The trick is you gotta mist the edges every hour or so if you’re in a dry climate, not just lay it down and walk away. I’ve seen compound get too thick on big spreads and cause tiny cracks from shrinkage that you don’t notice until it’s too late. Plus burlap breathes way better for deep slabs, helps the whole thing cure even rather than just the surface.

calebw5023d ago

30 years doing this and wet burlap failed me every time in Arizona heat, @charles_coleman.