Spent 3 hours fixing a slab I poured last week because I skipped the control joints

Poured a 12x20 patio last Thursday in Phoenix and thought I'd save time by skipping the control joints since the mix had fiber in it. Woke up Saturday to a hairline crack running right through the middle of it, looks terrible. How do you guys deal with the extra time for jointing when the customer is pushing you to finish faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_miles1mo ago

Phoenix heat is brutal for concrete work, man. I did a walkway last July and the mix was stiff within 20 minutes, I barely got it leveled before it started setting up. I actually forgot to put in control joints on a smaller pad once and tried to cut them in with a grinder the next day, ended up with a jagged mess that looked worse than the crack. These days I just tell customers bluntly that skipping joints means theyll be looking at a cracked slab in a week, and if they still push me I walk away from the job.

brian_jackson1mo ago

Wait, you used an angle grinder on cured concrete to cut joints? That's insane man. Those diamond blades kick up a dust cloud that'll coat your whole neighborhood in silica and you still end up with chipped edges that look like a beaver chewed through it. I've seen guys try that with a cutoff saw and water hose and it still comes out looking rough. You're brave for even attempting it.