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Got tired of cold joints on big pours and tried something different
I mean, we all know that feeling when you're racing the clock on a big slab and the next truck is late. Had a 40 yard pour for a warehouse floor in Tacoma last summer, and the second load got stuck in traffic for almost an hour. Instead of just letting the edge set up, we sprayed a super fine mist of water over the finished area and kept a plastic sheet ready. When the new truck finally arrived, we pulled the sheet, hit the cold joint with a light brush of pure cement slurry, and placed right against it. The bond was way better than any of the bonding agents we've used, and it cost basically nothing. Has anyone else tried a slurry trick like that on a delayed pour?
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drewr151mo ago
Man, that's way smarter than what I did on my last late-pour panic. I once tried to just hose down the cold joint, and it looked like I was making a concrete soup. The finish was so bad, the foreman asked if I was trying to put a river through the middle of the garage floor. Your slurry idea sounds like it actually works! Gotta remember that trick.
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alicecraig1mo ago
Hosing a cold joint is a classic rookie move. It just washes out the paste and leaves a weak, sandy line. A thin cement slurry bonds way better. You brush it on right before the new pour hits. Makes the joint almost disappear if you time it right. Your foreman would probably buy you a coffee instead of giving you grief.
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