Old foreman taught me a trick for keeping edges clean on a hot day

I was pouring a 30 foot driveway in Phoenix last July and the sun was cooking everything. The edges kept crumbling on me no matter how fast I worked. This old foreman walked over, pulled out a spray bottle full of water, and said "mist the forms before you pour, not after." I tried it on the next section and the edge came out razor sharp. Has anyone else used water misting on forms in super dry weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

leebrown5d ago

Hold up, 112 degrees in Tucson? That's insane (and I thought Phoenix was bad). I'd be sweating through my boots before the truck even showed up, let alone trying to finish concrete. Props to you for making it work though, the colored concrete tip with the misting is a game changer I hadn't considered.

perez.cole5d ago

I did this exact thing on a job in Tucson last August when it was 112 degrees. We were having the same crumbling issue on a 40 foot patio and I was ready to mix another batch. I actually keep a cheap spray bottle in my truck now just for this. It works way better than wetting the forms after because the water soaks in before the concrete hits it. Have you tried it with colored concrete too? I found it helps the color stay even on the edges.