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I used a garden sprayer to mist a slab in Phoenix heat and it backfired

We were finishing a driveway in Phoenix last Tuesday, and the forecast said 108 degrees. I thought I'd be clever and brought a clean garden sprayer to mist the surface, hoping to slow the set. Instead, the water beaded up on the cream and created a weird, pitted texture as we troweled. The foreman said the mix was already too hot and the mist just sat on top. Has anyone else had a curing method go wrong in extreme heat?
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3 Comments
grant_gibson
Honestly that sounds like a minor cosmetic issue more than a real problem. A few pits on the surface won't make the slab fail. Concrete sets crazy fast in that heat anyway, so any troweling was probably a long shot. The foreman was right about the water just sitting on top. Next time maybe just start way earlier in the morning.
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hugo645
hugo6451mo ago
Yikes, @grant_gibson, that water basically flash-steamed.
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grant748
grant7481mo ago
That flash steam Hugo645 mentioned can actually cause surface scaling later on, not just a cosmetic issue. It weakens the top layer when it freezes.
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