My recent concrete job turned sticky in the humidity. Any advice?

Last week, I poured a small patio for a friend. The air was very humid, and the concrete didn't set up right. It stayed tacky for hours, making it hard to finish smoothly. I added a little water to help, but that just made the surface weak. Now I'm concerned it might crack or dust off later. What do you all do when the weather is like this? I've heard about using retarders, but I'm not sure.

4 comments

4 Comments

jademitchell3mo ago

That tacky concrete sounds awful. I painted my shed in high humidity once, and the paint never dried right. Had to scrape it all off and redo it.

king.val3mo ago

Read about this happening with concrete sealer too, @jademitchell. Some contractor forum said if you put it on when it's too damp, the moisture gets trapped underneath and it stays tacky for days. They said the only real fix is to strip it and wait for a solid stretch of dry weather before trying again.

the_drew3mo ago

Ugh, damp weather is the worst for concrete work. I had a similar thing happen last summer where the mix just wouldn't set up, and it was a total pain to finish. Maybe it's just me, but adding water mostly makes it worse, like you found out. Hope it doesn't crack on you later.

taraross2mo ago

Yeah, it's like the moisture just locks in and ruins everything. I've seen that tacky sealer thing happen, and stripping it is the worst job. You're basically starting over from scratch. Why do we even try to work in that kind of weather? It never turns out right. Just gotta wait for a dry spell, even if it messes up your whole schedule.