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My lead finisher in Dayton said never to bull float a slab when the wind picks up over 15 mph, and I ignored him once
I was pouring a 24 by 30 patio slab out near Huber Heights back in June, and the wind was coming across the field steady. My lead guy Ray, who has been finishing for 31 years, looked at the flags and said if that wind gets over 15 we are done floating, just wait it out. I figured he was being slow about it and kept running the bull float anyway because the mud was setting faster than I liked. Within 20 minutes the surface started skinning over on the wind side while the middle was still wet, and by the time I got the trowel on it I had a crusty edge and a soft center. We ended up with a hairline crack running the full length of the slab that showed up about 3 weeks later, and the homeowner noticed it before I did. Ray never said I told you so, he just handed me a spray bottle and said next time watch the flags, not the clock. Now I keep a cheap little wind gauge in the truck, and I check it before every pour. Anybody here got a wind speed cutoff they swear by, or do you just eyeball it?
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the_hayden27d ago
Learned the hard way that wind cuts your finish time way faster than you plan.
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