"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
t...

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Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message
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How critical is it that it not dry out? I wasn't paying attention, and
part of it got a bit dry for a few hours. I've kept it wet ever since.
The weather is cool, with occaisonal sprinkles, so it's not hard to keep
it wet. And when can I finally let it dry out?


Thousands of yard of concrete are poured every day and allowed to dry.
The few hours your dried will make little difference. The longer you can
keep it wet the better though, as it will cure stronger. A week would be
great, but a few days will be sufficient.

In my case, the cement company had electrical problems, so they could only
send one truck. My driveway is done, but the sidewalk in front of it
probably won't get poured for a few more weeks. This driveway will not see
vehicle traffic for a month, and it will rain on it most of that time.

I've seen a lot of concrete where the top has eroded over the years due to
rain. My old driveway was badly eroded, and there are sidewalks all over the
neighborhood that are in bad shape because the top has eroded. Is that
because the outer layer dried before it could setup hard, or is that just
what happens over time to concrete?

I guess what I'm really after is, what is the difference between a few days,
a week, and a few weeks? I'd love to see a hardness or strength versus time
kept wet curve.