From start to finish, concrete goes through a lot before it’s ready to take weight. Some steps might be pretty self-explanatory, like mixing or pouring. But when your local concrete company says that they’re currently “curing” your concrete, you might find yourself a little perplexed.
Rest assured, though, that curing is a perfectly normal part of the concrete creation process. It starts out with a green hue to it and then transforms to white.
Learn more about this integral part of concrete craftsmanship from Creative Concrete below.
CURING CONCRETE: THE BASICS
In very simple terms, to cure concrete means to provide the right conditions and ingredients for the structure to harden and become suitable for its intended purpose.
Those ingredients include:
● Time
● Temperature
● Humidity
On a more specific level, during the curing process, the cement, sand, and the water in the concrete bond and harden. If the curing process is compromised, your structure will lose its durability and longevity, so it’s important that you leave it alone until it’s finished hardening.
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DRYING
Though the word “drying” is often used to refer to the curing process, it’s not the same at all!
While curing deals broadly with time, temperature, and moisture, drying is a process which fine-tunes a concrete’s water content and comes after the curing process is complete.
WHAT TO DO WHILE CONCRETE IS CURING
All concrete projects are different, and your concrete contractor will give you specifics for wait times and the like. But the golden rule is this: Stay off of it!
After a couple days, generally it’s safe to walk on without risking any long-term damage, but until then, let it cure – in peace.
CONTACT CREATIVE CONCRETE FOR BEAUTIFUL CONCRETE PATIOS AND MORE
Deep knowledge of this trade aids us in providing the utmost customer satisfaction that our clients deserve. Give our New Brighton office a call today at 612-414-7932.
