Blew a 40-yard driveway pour last August in Phoenix - learned my lesson about timing

I was finishing a residential driveway in Phoenix back in August. Thought I had plenty of time before the sun got bad. Started pouring at 8am but by 10am the mix was setting up way faster than I expected. Had to rush the broom finish and ended up with a rough texture and some discoloration patches. Customer wasn't thrilled and I had to knock $300 off the final bill. I've started doing early morning pours only before 6am when it's over 100 degrees now. Anyone else switch up their schedule after messing up a hot-weather pour?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_evan8d ago

You mentioned the rough texture and discoloration - were you using a retarder in the mix, or just relying on the early start time to beat the heat?

the_cora8d agoMost Upvoted

Figure it's overthinking it a bit honestly... unless you're pouring in 90 degree weather the early start does the job fine. Retarders can mess with your cure time and end up causing more issues than they solve if you don't nail the dosage. Seen plenty of guys blame the mix when it's really just bad timing on their end. Texture complaints usually come down to finishing technique anyway not chemical additives.