I finally stopped troweling too early on a garage floor in Phoenix

Heard a guy at the supply house say he waits until the sun moves past the slab completely before finishing, and it clicked for me. I used to rush into it and ended up with birdbaths every time. Anybody else have a trick for timing the final pass in dry heat?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_patel8411d ago

Man I felt that one. I'm in Tucson and had the same problem for years, birdbaths all over my own driveway before I finally wised up. Now I watch the shadow line like a hawk and don't even mix my batch until the whole slab is in the shade. Also started spraying the forms and subgrade with water right before pouring, keeps the edges from setting up faster than the middle.

fiona_reed11d ago

Yeah that wetting the forms and subgrade trick is a lifesaver, especially when the sun's beating down on the edges. I still mess up and forget sometimes, then kick myself watching the cure go all uneven. Solid advice for sure.