Cement setting times in current weather

Chris Green · 2021-03-20T18:59:22+00:00

I've searched on the internet but I'm having trouble finding 'realworld' practical cement setting times. It's fairly easy to find howlong it will be workable and thus when you have to finish a mix.However finding when it will be acceptably hard and strong is moredifficult.So, at present, with outside temperatures in the 5 to 10 degreesCelsius sort of range (hereabouts anyway) how long should I beexpecting my cement to take before being reasonably hard? I know it'supwards of a month before it has reached most of its final strengthbut I want to know when I can put weight on slabs supported byconcrete and when pointing will be strong enough to walk around on.Two to three days seems a reasonable guess but is that for warmer times?

Mar 20, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 22 Replies

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Roger Hayter 5 years ago

No harm results from leaving it longer. If the concrete was too wet drying the surface wouldn't help anyway. And if the concrete is properly constituted then the longer you leave it the less likely removal will damage the surface.

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alan_m 5 years ago

Isn't that the problem - determining when its strong enough not to fall off? Leaving a quarter bucket of left over 4:1 mix in a pile recently in the cold probably suggests a MINIMUM of 48 hours and more like twice that before I would be confident enough to start banging around it to get shuttering off.

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R D S 5 years ago

Well, because i'm highly impatient and somewhat reckless I took it off yesterday afternoon and it was OK, it had been in place just under 24 hrs.

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