That wet stamp job on maple street went sideways fast

Last week I took on a small stamped patio in Maple Street, about 400 square feet. The concrete was mixed a touch wet from the plant, and I figured I could handle it. By the time we got the stamping done, the sun came out and the surface started to crust over before we could get the sealer down. I had three guys on it, but the edges were already setting and we couldn't wash out the release agent right. Ended up with a patchy, hazy finish that the homeowner noticed right away. He asked why it looked like a 5 year old did it, and I had no good answer. My supplier says the truck was loaded at 6.5 slump instead of the usual 5, but I should have caught it on site. Has anyone else had a wet load ruin a stamp job, and do you have a go-to for fixing the haze without grinding everything?

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val2231mo ago

yeah that haze is the worst, i had a similar deal on a driveway a couple summers back, load came in hot and wet and we fought it all day. what finally saved me was hitting it with a light acid wash, like a 10 percent muriatic mix, but only after it cured a full week. i scrubbed it in with a stiff broom and rinsed it hard, then sealed it again and it came out decent, not perfect but way better than the mess we were looking at. next time though i'm checking slump with a cone before they even back up to the chute, cause that ten minutes of fussing is nothing compared to three days of fixing.