Shoutout to the old timer who set me straight on curing blankets

I was talking to this retired finisher at the supply yard last week, we were both waiting on a load. He saw me grab those cheap woven blankets and just shook his head. Told me I was basically wasting my money if the blankets weren't wet down proper before laying them on fresh slab. Said he'd seen guys ruin 50 yard pours because the blanket pulled moisture out instead of trapping it in. I always thought any blanket was better than nothing but he showed me his trick of soaking them in a trash barrel overnight and wringing them out just a bit before use. Tried it on a 30x40 garage floor I did yesterday and the surface stayed damp way longer than my usual setup. You guys use the barrel soak method or just hose the blankets down on the slab?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinperez1mo ago

Hose them down on the slab. Soaking blankets overnight sounds like overkill for a garage floor. Unless you're pouring some thin overlay or something real critical, the concrete is gonna cure fine either way. Guys get superstitious about this stuff like it's rocket science instead of just mud.

the_simon1mo ago

Wet blankets and I have a lot in common... both need time to soak before we're useful.