Your concrete should be solid enough to walk on, without leaving footprints, after anything from 24 to 48 hours. By seven days, your concrete should be cured to at least 70 percent of its full strength.
Concrete doesn't reach its full strength until it's totally dry, too, so you need to continue to protect it during this time. While you won't notice the difference on the surface, if you rush the process, you could end up damaging the interior integrity of the concrete.
Freshly placed concrete should be protected from rain for at least 12 hours from its placement. After that, the rainfall rarely influences concrete properties.
Please keep vehicles, children, pets, and yourself off of your newly poured concrete for the next 24 hours. After 24 hours, you can walk on your newly poured concrete, but avoid dragging your feet, 'doing the twist', or allowing your pets to walk on it as their claws can scuff the concrete.
It is generally recommended that you wait at least a week before driving on the surface with a passenger vehicle. Even then, the slower curing areas, such as the edges, will not be as hard as they need to be.
Your concrete should be solid enough to walk on, without leaving footprints, after anything from 24 to 48 hours. By seven days, your concrete should be cured to at least 70 percent of its full strength.
ANSWER: Keeping concrete moist helps the curing process. Concrete hardens as a result of a chemical reaction, called hydration, between cement and water, not because it dries. The hardening, or curing, continues as long as moisture remains in the concrete.
Health effects
Hard concrete floors are about the worst possible surface to stand on for most or all of a work day. Two hours of standing on the job is not associated with problems, but a longer period is likely to have detrimental effects, according to a Swiss researcher.
Once the concrete has been finished (between 4-8 hours after pouring) and has set hard enough for walking on, the effects of rain should be minimal. The curing process is a chemical reaction, with ready mix concrete taking up to 28 days to fully cure.
As long as the concrete is given 4 to 8 hours after mixing and finishing to set up, rainwater won't affect it nearly as badly as it could. Some concrete mixes will actually benefit from rainwater on the surface because it's beneficial in aiding the hydration and curing process.
Concrete typically needs 24 to 48 hours to dry.
If the rain comes before the 24-hour mark, you may risk your concrete getting damaged. The time it takes to dry depends on the thickness and size of the concrete project you are attempting to take on.
Concrete is usually dry enough after 24 to 48 hours to walk on. For concrete to dry and reach its full strength, it typically takes about 28 days per inch of slab thickness. Once conditions are conducive for the concrete to cure at 85-90% relative humidity.
Many construction specialists recommend watering it down five to ten times per day, for the first week, starting 2-4 hours after it has been poured. The first two to four hours lets the concrete “finish”, which refers to the setting process.
Moist curing is a common method of concrete curing. It involves wetting the concrete slab often with water (5-7 times per day) for the first 7 days. This method ensures your concrete slab will be extremely strong and durable, because it allows the moisture to evaporate slowly, preventing cracks and shrinks.
If you drive, walk, or park on your new concrete any sooner than the recommended time, here's what may happen: It may crack. You may leave tire tracks or footprints in the concrete, which could also ruin your shoes. The joints may break.
Cover the concrete with a plastic sheet to trap moisture escaping from the concrete. This moisture helps the concrete to cure faster without drying out too quickly.
It generally takes about 24 to 48 for newly poured concrete to dry or harden enough to be able to walk on the surface.
You can slow your set time by adding retarders to the concrete. Retarders slow the set time to allow concrete to receive an appropriate amount of time to complete the chemical reaction and maintain a higher slump.
Effects of Standing
Prolonged standing is defined as over 8 hours of standing per day without a lot of movement and walking around. Jobs that require standing all day are commonly associated with lower back pain, issues with leg muscles and tendons, and chronic venous insufficiency.
These include shifting your weight from foot to foot, standing with one foot in front of the other instead of side by side, or placing one foot on a small stool while standing. Rubber mats can also help if you can install them. Proper fitting, supportive shoes and moisture-wicking socks are also extremely important.
Avoid overworking the concrete, especially with vibrating screeds, jitterbugs, or bullfloats. Overworking causes aggregate to settle and bleed water and excess fines to rise. Properly vibrate to release entrapped air.
Properly curing your concrete improves strength, durability, water tightness, and resistance for many years. The first 7 days after installation you should spray the slab with water 5-10 times per day, or as often as possible. Once the concrete is poured the curing process begins immediately.
To put it simply, the answer is yes. Warm temperatures cause cement to set faster, and the faster cement sets, the faster it begins to cure. At 80 degrees, concrete usually sets in about four hours.
Science tells us that anything dries faster in warmer, drier conditions, which is why sunnier days are prime time for concrete drying.