Concrete sidewalk

[bbcamp]

I poured a concrete sidewalk this weekend. Mixed 78 bags of Quikrete in a 2-bag mixer (no, not all at once, Kelly). Floated it, cut control joints, rounded the edges, the whole nine yards (no, not really, about 1 3/4 yards, Jim).

Read up on curing the stuff. Because of the heat, I set up a sprinkler hose and let the water trickle out for 3 days. Waited for the concrete to set up enough that I couldn't make a mark in the surface.

My problem: the concrete foamed a little the first few hours, then it left a whiteish haze (for lack of a better term) that stuck in the control joints and where the hose was touching the surface. Will this go away? I'm going to acid stain this slab in a couple of months, and I wonder how this haze will affect the staining process. Any ideas?


Bob

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[kemguru]

Yup

Laitance

Usually caused by too much water. No big deal at all. Before staining, scrub with water and a deck brush (a little TSP might help ya) or lightly pressure wash.

[cx]

Que Hombre! :eek:


What Tim said. :)










'Cept I ain't sure about the spelling. :confused:

[flatfloor]

Si! See I can spell in Spanish. ;)

[John Bridge]

Way to go, Bob. A hands-on guy. :D

I'm proud of you for damp curing the concrete. Most people around my neck of the woods don't know how to do that. :)

[John Bridge]

Flatfloor, you're Spanish is excellent. Know any more words?

(and don't say "si.") :D

[flatfloor]

Jes :D

[davem]

ff :D

[jjwq8]

Damp curing concrete easiest achieved with hessian over the surface. You might try polythene sheet but in hot conditions (here) damp cure turns to gentle steam cure and differentials are a baar.

A trick for making the concrete/mortar easier to utilize is a cup of washing up liquid in the mix. Cheaper than plasticizer and eco friendly if you use the right brand. Sux when it rains though. Effloresces like crazy until the surfactants work themselves out.

Finally, problems with leaking joints in waste pipes. If you cannot get a plumber in time to save you from grief, a box or two of soap powder washed into the system from the roof vent, followed by a small bucket of very cold water. Trust me it works. Have witnessed numerous systems pass a pressure test courtesy of Daz. :eek:

[bbcamp]

Thanks, guys! That's kinda what I thought ( :rolleyes: ;) ). I'll wash it after I strip the forms this weekend.


You guys ever use any of these?
http://www.hawkeyedraintile.com/065.gif

I've installed one for a couple of my gutter downspouts. This sidewalk would have trapped the rainwater against my house. Using this prevented me from having to dig a 135 foot trench across my drainfield and buried power lines to route the water to the street (no storm sewers in my neighborhood). Works as advertised!


Bob

[davem]

My boss has those Bob. He likes them, but has nailed a couple with the lawn mower. I guess his mower sucks 'em up and shears 'em off. :)

[bbcamp]

Your boss cuts his grass too short! :D

[cx]

In situations like that, I use 4 or 6 inch PVC pipe and the green-colored PVC grilles you can find at Homer's. They're cheap and plenty tough. The flat ones for the outlet end to keep the critters out and the kinda cone-shaped ones for the inlet to keep debris out while allowing for some build-up of same. Don't glue'em and you can just pop'em off for cleaning if necessary. I can send you some if Homer ain't got'em at your place. :)



Only flat ones for Dave's boss. :D

[John Bridge]

Bob,

That thing doesn't look like it would admit enough water in a downpour, even after you chop the top off with the lawn mower. :) Seems to me most of your water is going to run off on top of the ground, and then whats left will go down the drain. I'm In Houston, remember. Maybe y'all don't really get rain storms over there. ;)

[bbcamp]

Well, we probably don't get the rain ya'll get in Houston. We've had several heavy thunderstorms since I installed it, and it lives up to my expectations. It does dump the water on the surface, so you have to put them where that's OK. It keeps the Bermuda grass from growing into the drain!


I found the grille type covers at HD. I have a couple of the 9" square ones underneath the down spouts to act as leaf strainers. The angle of the douwnspout sweeps the leaves off the strainer, and the water passes through into a basin, which then drains to the emitter. The last 10 feet of drain piping is a leach field, so any water that can't get out soaks into the ground.