Powder vs liquid hardener, an old timer made me question my setup

Had a job last Tuesday in Reno, parking garage slab, and this guy who's been finishing since the 70s watched me mix my liquid hardener and just shook his head. He said powder gives you more control on hot days because you can gauge the bleed by hand before you dust it, and honestly I never thought about it that way. I've used liquid for 6 years because it's faster, but his point about being locked into the mix once it's down stuck with me. Any of you switch back to powder for certain pours or is liquid the standard now?

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xenarobinson24d ago

Stick with the powder if you're pouring in heat. I ran liquid for years and got burned on a couple of slabs when the sun came out and the bleed showed up faster than I planned. You can't take it back once it's down, and that old guy knows what he's talking about. Powder takes a little longer but you can read the surface before you commit. It's saved me more than once on warm weather pours.