James "Cubby" Culbertson wrote:
"James "Cubby" Culbertson" wrote in message
. ..

Hiya folks,
I poured a 1 CY foundation for an outdoor fireplace yesterday afternoon.
Temps here are ranging from highs in the 50's to lows in the mid 20's.
After pouring, I covered it up in plastic and put around 6-8" of straw
over the top of it. This morning, the concrete is visibly wet with a bit
of standing water on it in places. I've always poured in the summer and
have seen the stuff cure pretty quickly. I suspect this is normal for
these temps but was looking for any expert opinions on this. I was
planning to start putting my CMU etc... down probably next week but at
this rate, I'm not sure I'll be able to. How long should I leave the
plastic/straw in place before working on it? Thanks much for any inputs.
Cheers,
cc




Thanks folks. Sounds like it's more of a waiting game at this point. I
suppose that will ensure I get the strongest concrete I can anyway.
Cheers,
cc



If you want strong concrete, keep the plastic on
to retain moisture and keep the straw on to retain
heat and avoid freezing. How long? however much
you want, but most of the strength develops in a
few days. anything amount of time is better than
pulling forms off and letting it dry out the day
after you poor it like they do around here for
foundations.