concrete driveway

so, I had my driveway installed over the last 3 days. 27 yards total. My question, should I keep it wet for a few days to help it cure? I have read pro's and con's to doing that.

Do it. I've never heard anything bad about it, and all concrete roads and bridges I have seen poured in warm climates have had water sprayed on them for days.



TJR

I've always done it when it was very hot/warm outside only(85-90+degrees). Put a sprinkler(or two) in the middle and let it run during the day, off at night. The Portugese are the big masons around here and they do it. They must know something! Bob

I've always heard that it helps the concrete cure.





http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070515072754AAbvnxS



http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Concrete



http://books.google.com/books?id=LCEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=should+you+spray+water+on+new+concrete+to+help+it+cure&source=bl&ots=sLqb863ih3&sig=VLmIOJYpSio6_WDY9eTBZelXKuA&hl=en&ei=C-0iTp_JFara0QG8qvTEBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=should%20you%20spray%20water%20on%20new%20concrete%20to%20help%20it%20cure&f=false



'07 ST

it MUST be kept moist for the portland in the concrete to cure... lack of moisture will yeild a weak and chalky surface... a light mist is all you need. any heavier and you wash the cement way from the aggregate... 3 days is all you need... concrete gains 3/4's of its final strength in 7 days, so avoid parking on it for at least that long... HTH

Just a couple interesting facts,concrete takes 100 yrs to compleatly cure,

Hoover dam (worlds largest pour at the time) is still putting off heat from the curing process.

Useless interesting facts.

Been a mason for years. Just keep it damp. Depending on your finish and PSF (pounds per squafe foot) i.e. 2500 lb, 3000. will also determine your cure time to drive on. We just tell all our customers wait at least a week. Standard around here (Northwest) is 2500 lb for a driveway.

FYI. we just poured 135 yard slab for a hangar, finishers weren't even done before the first pour was being sawcut. Hard finish, water on it (puddled) immediately.

Bill is correct in saying concrete continues to cure for 100 years...at least!

Concrete fascinates me for some reason,is truley a science of sorts.

Read the book Hoover,lots of great info about concrete,the forms they used etc (nobody ever got buried in the dam)

Friend is in the buis,amazing that alot of pours are made today with no steel using carbon fibers in the mix. I love concrete

Bill, thats how the martians did it. Carbon fiber, lighter than steel...:bwahaha:

Good call Eddie,was wondering when someone would realize that

The basic idea is that keeping it wet slows the curing somewhat and the concrete is stronger as a result.

Contractors here must apply curing compound, place burlap on the surface and keep wet with soaker hoses or mist sprayers for 7 days.......



Now, On my driveway, once hard enough for water to hit it and not mar the surface i used a lawn sprinkler to keep it wet for 3 days or so..... No cracks or spaling...



Bit of advice..... DO NOT EVER USE calcium to melt snow or ice !!!!! Potassium ONLY !!! IF you cant get that, you can use plain PLAIN rock salt.... AND not a lot and don't clump it and don't let it stand on the concrete.... you will damage it....



Todd Z