DIYbanter - View Single Post - Concrete

SteveBell

wrote:

Well, don't have an edging tool and thought of making or buying one
but the concrete edging I'm duplicating here doesn't really have an
edge. The edge is basically sharp, or almost, so I'm not concerned
about it. I do have a trowel.

I bought only one extra bag, but it proved more than enough. I wound
up using a little over 1 1/2 bags. I mixed one, used it and then
mixed the other.

What I decided was that I'd dug down too far and I filled in a lot of
the trough with dirt. I think it was really too deep and a waste of
concrete.

I think it probably came out pretty OK, but won't know for sure until
it's cured, I guess. I don't know when to remove the forms. Should I
wait 5 days until the concrete's cured?

You can remove the forms after an hour or so. I watched a professional
crew do a driveway ramp last month at a Habitat for Humanity house, and
they took off the forms after 30 minutes.

I was disappointed in the Quikcrete. It seemed to me that there was
too large a proportion of rocks, not enough cement. It was a LOT of
work getting a smooth surface. Maybe I didn't put in enough water, but
instructions I read suggested that too much water is apt to produce
crumbly concrete, whereas too little will produce concrete that's hard
to work. Rather than risk the former, I went with being maybe bit
conservative in the amount of water.

Quikcrete is fast-setting, hence the name. You only have about 15
minutes to mix it, pour it, and work it, maybe a little longer if you
mix it wet. Sakcrete is the regular stuff, with the long open time.

I like the consistency to be about like peanut butter.

To cure, I think I'm supposed to keep it damp. How important is that?
It's supposed to rain here starting in a couple of days for maybe 1/2
a day.

Don't worry about it. It's already cured. You used Quikcrete, remember?
You can spray it lightly with the hose a couple of times per day if you
want, and you can put some old tote sacks over it to keep it moist
longer. The "keep it moist" recommendation is for big jobs, like a
slab, where you worry about cracks.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX