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CuringMethods
EssentialforGoodConcrete
Curingistheprocessoroperationwhichcontrolsthelossofmoisturefromconcreteafterithasbeenplacedinposition,orinthemanufactureofconcreteproducts,
therebyprovidingtimeforthehydrationofthecementtooccur.Sincethehydrationofcementdoestaketime,days,andevenweeks,ratherthanhours,curingmustbe
undertakenforsomespecifiedperiodoftimeiftheconcreteistoachieveitspotentialstrengthanddurability.Curingmayalsoencompassthecontroloftemperature
sincethisaffectstherateatwhichcementhydrates.
Thisperiodwilldependonthepropertiesrequiredoftheconcrete,thepurposeforwhichitistobeused,andtheambientconditions,thatisthetemperatureandrelative
humidityofthesurroundingatmosphere.
Sincecuringisdesignedprimarilytokeeptheconcretemoistbypreventingthelossofmoisturefromtheconcreteduringtheperiodinwhichitisgainingstrength,itmay
bedoneintwoways:
Bypreventinganexcessivelossofmoisturefromtheconcreteforsomeperiodoftime,e.g.byleavingformworkinplace,coveringtheconcretewithan
impermeablemembraneaftertheformworkhasbeenremoved,orbyacombinationofsuchmethodsor
Bycontinuouslywettingthesurfacetherebypreventingthelossofmoisturefromit.Pondingorsprayingthesurfacewithwateraremethodstypicallyemployedto
thisend.

Methods
Therearethreebasicwaysofcuringconcrete.
1. Thefirstinvolveskeepingthesurfaceoftheconcretemoistbytheuseponding,spraying/sprinkling,dampsandordamphessian.
2. Thesecondpreventsthelossofmoisturefromtheconcretebycoveringitwithpolythenesheetingorleavingtheformworkinplace.
3. Thethirdinvolvestheuseofsprayorrollerappliedcuringcompounds.

WaterCuring
Watercuring,ifproperlycarriedout,canbethemostefficientandthemostappropriateforsometypesofwork,e.g.floors,andincludeponding,sprinkling,andwet
coverings.
Ponding
Onflatsurfacessuchaspavements,footpaths,andfloors,concretecanbecuredbyponding.Earthorsanddykesaroundthe
perimeteroftheconcretesurfaceretainapondofwaterwithintheenclosedarea.Anefficientmethodforpreventinglossof
moisturefromtheconcrete,pondingisalsoeffectiveformaintainingauniformtemperaturehowever,themethodisoften
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impracticalexceptforsmalljobs.

Pondingtheconcretesurface

Sprinkling
Continuoussprinklingwithwaterisalsoanexcellentmethodofcuring.Ifsprinklingisdoneatintervals,caremustbetaketo
preventtheconcretefromdryingbetweenapplicationsofwater.Afinesprayofwaterappliedcontinuouslythroughasystemof
nozzlesprovidesaconstantsupplyofmoisture.Thispreventsthepossibilityofcrazingorcrackingcausedbyalternatecycles
ofwettinganddrying.Adisadvantageofsprinklingmaybeitscost.Themethodrequiresanadequatesupplyofwaterand
carefulsupervision.

Sprinklingtheconcretesurface

WetCoverings
Wetcoveringssuchashessianorothermoistureretainingfabricsareextensivelyusedforcuring.Suchcoveringsshouldbe
placedassoonastheconcretehashardenedsufficientlytopreventsurfacedamage.Careshouldbetakentocovertheentire
surface,includingtheedgesofslabssuchaspavementsandfootpaths.Thecoveringsshouldbekeptcontinuouslymoistso
thatafilmofwaterremainsontheconcretesurfacethroughoutthecuringperiod.

Hessianrequiresfrequentwetting

SheetCuring
Sheetcuringmethodsmaynotbesoefficientbutareusuallysatisfactoryforallexceptveryspecialwork,andtheyhavethebigpluspointthattheycanbecarriedout
moreeasilyonbothhorizontalandverticalsurfaces.

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PolytheneSheet
Asimple,yeteffective,wayofkeepingmoistureintheconcreteistocoveritwith125micron(500gauge)polythenesheeting.
Polythenesheetisamaterialthatiseasytohandleandstore,andafterwardsitcanbereusedforsomanyotherpurposeson
siteincluding,orcourse,curingotherconcreteatalaterdate.Sheetingshouldnotbeusedoverpigmentedorpatternstamped
concreteasitcancausediscolorationofthesurface.

Arollof125micronpolythene,4mwidex25m
long

UsingPolythene
Thepolytheneshouldbeplacedinpositionassoonaspossibleonverticalsurfaceswithinhalfanhouroftheremovalofthe
formworkonslabsassoonastheconcreteishardenoughtopreventsurfacedamageormarking.Waituntilthewatersheen
hasevaporated,butnotsolongthattheconcretestartstodryout.Whenthesurfaceoftheslabhasaspecialfinishsuchasa
texturethepolytheneshouldbespreadoverlightframesabovetheconcrete.Withsuchfinishesthereisnoneedtowaitfor
anybleedwatertoevaporatebeforeyoupositionthepolythenethecuringcanstartimmediatelytheslabisfinished.

Polythenesheetislapped,tapedandtied
aroundbeamsandcolumns

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Itisimportantthattheexposededgesandcornersofthesheetshouldbewellfixeddown.Otherwisewindanddraughtsget
underneathandcreateawindtunneleffectthatwoulddrythesurfaceoftheconcrete.Formworkgivessomeprotection,buttops
ofwallsandcolumnsstillneedtobecured.Goodfixingalso,ofcourse,stopsthepolythenesheetfromblowingabout.Ifyou
havetousemorethanonesheet,overlapthembyatleast300mm,andtapethejoins.Usetapesorstringfortyingaround
beamsandcolumns.Ifthereisnochanceoffrost,andtheconcreteishardenough,itwillassistthecuringifyousprayon
waterbeforeplacingthepolythene.

Protectthefinishofatexturedslabbyraisingthe
polytheneonaframe

FormworkProtection
Whileitisinposition,formworkprotectsconcreteagainstlossofmoisture,andthusallowscuringtoproceed.Itisonlyafterit
hasbeenstruckthatfurthercuringofcolumns,wallsandbeams,forinstancemaybenecessary.
Concretethatisinanexposedpositionmustbethoroughlycuredevenafterprolongedprotectionbytheformwork.Butinamild,
protectedenvironment,andprovidedthattheformworkhasbeeninpositionforatleastfourdays,theremightbenoneedfor
furthercuringevenindryweather.Howeveryoushouldcheckthispointwiththeengineerorclerkofworks.
Iftheformworkisstruckinlessthanfourdays,andthesurfacesaredesignedtobeauniformcolourasinthecaseofarowof
columns,oracontinuouswallthoroughanduniformcuringisessential.

Formworkgivessomeprotection,buttopsof
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wallsandcolumnsstillneedtobecured

Evenwheretheformworkisleftinplace,exposedtopsurfacesmustbecuredinthenormalway.Thetopofawall,forexample,willbeexposedtomoresevereweather
conditionsthantheface.Thetopwillprovemoredurableifitissprayedwithahighgradecuringcompound.
Wheresteelreinforcementprojectsfromthetopofawallorcolumnthroughahorizontalconstructionjointthetopsurfaceoftheconcreteshouldbecoveredwith
polythenesheetpressedintoplaceovertheendsofthebars.Thepolytheneshouldbewelltapedtothetopoftheformwork.
Whenconcretewillreceiveafinalapplieddecorativetreatment,suchasrendering,plasterorpaint,inconditionsofmildexposure(insideabuilding,forinstance)further
curingmaynotbenecessary,nomatterhowearlytheformworkisstruck,butthisissomethingyoushouldcheckfirst.

MembraneCuring
Membrancecuringmethodsarelikewise,notasefficientassheetcuringmethods,buthavetheadvantageovertheprevioustwomethodsinthattheydonotneedany
furthersupervisiononceapplied.

SprayonCompounds
Curingcompoundsaresprayedonthesurfacehandheldgardensprayissuitableformostjobsandcanbeusedonboth
verticalandhorizontalsurfaces.Itisessentialalwaystochoosethecorrecttypeofcompound.Mostly,thecompoundsconsist
ofaresininasolventthatevaporatesafterithasbeenapplied,leavingbehindathin,continuousfilmormembranethatsealsin
mostofwindandsunafteraboutforweeks.
Mostofthecompoundscomeintwogrades,astandardgradehavingacuringefficiencyof75%,andasupergradewith90%
efficiency.Bothareusuallyavailablewitheitherawhiteoraluminisedpigment,orwithafugitivedye.Thewhiteoraluminised
pigmentedcompoundsareforexternalpavedareasbecausetheyreflecthesun'srays,thuskeepingtheconcretecooler.
Thosewithadyeallowyoutocheckataglancethatauniform,alloverlayerhasbeenapplied.Theydyethenquickly
disappearswithoutcausingstains,provideditisnotappliedtoadrysurface.

Pavedareasarecuredwithasupergradewhite,
orluminised,sprayonpigment

Asupergradecompoundwithwhiteoraluminisedpigmentitadvisedforexternalpaving,butalower,nonpigmentedgradeis
satisfactoryforstructuralconcrete.Intropicalclimates,thehigherefficiencygradeshouldbeusedineverycase.
Surfacesthatwillbeexposedtobrightdaylightshouldnotbetreatedwithacuringcompoundiftheyaretoreceiveany
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additionalmaterialthatrequiresapositivebond.Thisincludesscreeds,rendering,painttypefinishesorafurtherlayerof
concrete.
Arangeofcompoundsthat,itisclaimed,canbeusedinthesesituations,hasrecentlybeendeveloped.However,these
compoundsarenotofhigheststandardsofworkmanship,soatthisstagecautionintheiruseisadvised.
Curingcompoundsaregenerallynontoxicbutapprovalshouldbeobtainedbeforeusingthemonstructuresthatwillbeholding
drinkingwater.

Fugitivedyeshowswhethertheapplicationhas
beenthorough

WhentoSpray
Thecompoundsshouldneverbeappliedtodrysurfacessincethesewillabsorbthecompound,andstainingordiscolorationmayresult.Ifthesurfaceisdry,thatisa
signthatthecuringhasbeenlefttoolate.
Onverticalsurfaces,applythecompoundstandardorhighgradealmostimmediatelyaftertheformworkhasbeenstuck.Ifthesurfacehasdriedout,wetitdownwith
cleanwaterthenspraywhileitisstillmoist.
Onslabs,applythecompoundassoonaspossibleafteranybleedwaterhasevaporated,andcertainlynolaterthanhalfanhourafterthesheencausedbythewater
hasgone.Curingcompoundsdonotworkifsprayedontopofwater.
Indampconditionsthewatermaytakeafewhourstodisappear,butmuchlessonadryday.

UsingtheCompounds
Therearevariouspointstowatchwhenyouareapplyingacuringcompound.Beforeyoustart,makesurethatyouhave
enoughstockinforthejobinhandyouwillneedaboutalitreforeach4ofsurfaceareaandsufficientcleaningsolvent,
too.
Alwayswearprotectivegoggles,glovesandmask.Youshouldavoidgettingthecompoundonyourskin,inyoureyesorin
yourmouth,foritmightcauseharm.Makesureyoureadandunderstandthemanufacturer'shealthandsafetynotessothat
youwillknowwhattodoifanythinggoeswrong.Stirthecompoundbeforeuse,especiallyifitisapigmentedone,sincethe
pigmentstendtosettleatthebottomofthedrum.
Fillthesprayreservoirwiththecompound,thenyoucanstartwork.Youshouldholdthesprayabout300to500mmfrom
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thesurface,preferablyevencloserwhenthereisawind

Equipmentforapplyingasprayoncompound

Inwindyconditions,therollerapplicationillustratedtotherightisthepreferredoption.Itisvitalthatyoucoverallthe
concrete,andwithauniformlayer.Thisisbestensuredbyfirstmovingthenozzlebackandforthtoapplyhalfthequantity
required,thenapplyingtheremainderbymovingthenozzleatrightanglestotheinitialstrokes.

Cleanouttheequipmentwithsolventafteryouhave
finishedandwheneveryoubreakoffsprayingfor
morethan,sayhalfanhourpayingparticular
attentiontothenozzleandhose

Cleanouttheequipmentwithsolventafteryouhavefinishedandwheneveryoubreakoffsprayingformorethan,sayhalf
anhourpayingparticularattentiontothenozzleandhose.

Holdthesprayclosetothesurfaceandworkintwo
directions

ExposedConcrete
Allconcretethatwillbepermanentlyexposedtotheweatherneedstobecuredwithextracare,andforatleastsevendays.Thisisparticularlyimportantforvisual
concrete,includingwhiteandcolouredconcrete,plusspecialarchitecturalfinishescreatedbyabrasiveblastingortooling.
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Whenusingwaterspraytechniquesonspecialfinishesitisveryimportanttoavoidwaterstreaking.Thisisbestachievedbyusingafinefoggingmistspraywiththe
concreteenclosedinatentlikestructure.Thisismoreappropriateforspecialprecastconcretepanels.
Wetcuredconcretewillbemoreimpermeableandbetterabletowithstandfreezingandthawing,wettinganddrying.Itwillalsohaveabetterlongtermappearance,since
dirtwillnotcollectsoeasily.
Polythenesheetingcanbeused,butasprayoncuringcompoundisusuallymoreconvenient,althoughitsusemaybesubjecttoapprovalinthecaseofspecialvisual
requirementsforcolouranduniformity.

ColourUniformity
Thecolourofconcretecanvaryaccordingtohowlongtheformworkisleftispositionafterplacing,andwhetherthedayonwhichitisstruckisdryorwet.
Whereuniformityofcolourisimportant,forexamplewithasstruck,fairfacedandtexturedsurfaces,youshouldeitherleavetheformworkinpositionforfourdays,or,
whereitisstruckinlessthanthattime,coverorwraptheconcreteinpolythenesheetingforatleastanotherthreedays.Curingcompoundsmightdiscolourtheconcrete,
evenifonlytemporality,andmightleavesomeunevenstaining.

WhiteandColouredConcrete
Thepolythenesheetingmethodofcuringwhiteorcolouredconcreteneedstobeusedwithcaresincedirectsurfacecontactatanearlystagecanleadtodiscoloration.
Polythenehastheadvantagethat,ifleftinplace,itwillprotecttheconcretefromdirtcausedbyactivitiesonthesite.Removingstainsanddirtatalaterstageisboth
timeconsumingandexpensive.Youcoulduseacuringcompoundbutonlyifyouaresurefromsitetrialsthatitwillnotcausestainingoftheconcrete.

RustStaining
Theactionofrainonreinforcementleftprojectingfromthetopsofwallsandcolumnsforexample,forcontinuitywithconcrete
thatwillbeplacedlateroncancreaterust.Thiswillformstainsasitiswasheddownthefaceoftheconcrete.Youcanprevent
theseruststainsbyapplyinganeatcementgroutwash,ortapingplasticsheaths,totheexposedreinforcement.

Cementgroutorplasticsheathspreventrust
stains

PavingandFloorSlabs
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Itisessentialformosthorizontalsurfacestobewellcured,especiallyiftheywillhavetostanduptofootorvehiculartraffic.
Alwaysstartthecuringsoonafterthewatersheenhasdisappeared.However,ifyouareusingpolythenesheeting,allowtheconcretetostiffenslightlyfirst,sothatthe
surfacewillnotbemarkedordamagedasthesheetisplacedontopofit.
Majorconcreteroadsareusuallycuredbyamembranesprayedfromamachinethatispartofthepavingtrain.Theyarenotconsideredinthisarticle.

MinorRoads,PathsandDrives
Acuringmembrane,appliedbyahandoperatedgardentypespray,ismostconvenientforsmallpavedareasbuiltbysemimanualmethodsofconstruction.

Alwaysuseawhitepigmentedoraluminisedsupergradeofcompound,ifavailable,becausethiswillreflectthesunsrays.You
mustalsotakecaretoensurethataneven,uniformcoatofthemembraneisapplied,particularcarebeingneededinwindy
weather,whenthestreamofcompoundcouldeasilybeblownoffcourse
Iftheroadisfairlywide,youwillnotbeabletoreachfarenoughtospraythemiddle.Youwillthereforeneedtoworkfroma
movablewalkwaythatspanstheroad.Astoutplankwellsupportedatbothendswillbesufficient.
However,youmightfinditmoreconvenienttousepolythenesheeting,andthisisjustasgood.Keepthesheetinplaceforat
leastsevendays,andmakesureitiswellfixedattheedges,wherethereisatendencyfortheconcretetodryoutmore
quickly.
Asdiscussedbefore,whencolouredsurfacinghasbeenused,aspecialspraycuringcompoundshouldbeusedratherthan
polythene.
Inordertocovertheentiresurfaceyoumight
needamoveablewalkway

ConcreteBaseSlabs
Itisbesttochoosepolythenesheetforcuringaslabthatislatertoreceiveascreedofcementsand,oragranolithicorothertopping.Donotuseacuringcompound,for
thismightaffectthebond.
Covertheconcreteassoonasanywatersheenhasevaporated,andthesurfaceisstiffenoughnottobedamagedormarkedbythepolythene.

DirectFinishesandToppings
Specialattentiontocuringisessentialforpowerfloatedandgranolithicfinishes,whichhavetobesohardwearing.Immediatelyafterthefinaltrowelling,thesurface
shouldbefirmenoughtobecoveredwithpolythenesheetingorsimilar,ortreatedwithacuringcompound.Polytheneshouldbekeptinplaceforatleastsevendays.
Somelossofmoisturemayoccurattheedgesandjointsofthesheets,anditwillthenbenecessarytoturnthembackandspraythesurfacewithwatereveryotherday.
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CementSandScreeds
Curingcompoundsarenotrecommendedforcementsandscreeds.Thescreedshouldbekeptcontinuouslydampforsevendays,preferablybybeingcoveredwith
polythene.

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