Debate: Wet cure vs. seal and forget for driveways

I had a debate with a guy in Denver last week who swears by soaking burlap for 7 days straight, says it prevents all surface cracking. But my crew in Phoenix just sprays on a curing compound and walks away - no issues in 3 years. Which method holds up better in your experience - long wet cure or just sealing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel_walker4d ago

... wait, 7 days straight of soaking burlap? That's insane to me. I mean, I get that Denver's dry and all, but I've seen guys do a 3 or 4 day wet cure with hoses and blankets and still get micro-cracking in the shade lines. A whole week of babysitting a slab sounds like a nightmare, especially if you're working with a crew that's gotta keep the water running nonstop. I'd take the curing compound any day, even if you gotta reapply it after a couple years.

miles724d ago

Overthinking it a bit maybe? Concrete cracks. That's what it does. Seen plenty of jobs with a quick spray-on cure that looked fine years later. Micro-cracking in the shade lines isn't gonna make the slab fail.