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Unpopular opinion: people are using too much water in their concrete mix
Ngl, I see it all the time on small residential jobs around St. Louis. Guys add water at the truck chute to make it easier to work, but it kills the strength and causes cracking later. I did a patio last month where the homeowner watched me reject the first load because it was already soupy. We waited for a dry batch, finished it tight, and it came out smooth with no cracks after 3 weeks of cure. Has anyone else dealt with pushback from customers or crews about keeping the mix stiff?
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dixon.amy3mo ago
People treat concrete like cake batter, like more water makes it better. Same attitude I see with people who overwater their lawns because they think green means healthy, not realizing they're drowning the roots. Stiff mix takes more work but it's the difference between something that lasts and something that needs replaced in two years.
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joseph_coleman3mo ago
The lawn thing is kinda funny actually. My neighbor waters his grass every single day no matter what, and his yard looks like a swamp half the time. Meanwhile I barely touch mine and it still turns green after a good rain. But back to concrete I had a guy call me crazy once because I told him to add less water to his mix for a shed foundation. He wanted it runny so he could pour it and spread it fast without leveling. I told him man good luck with that because three months later he messaged me saying the whole slab had spider cracks everywhere and he had to rip it out. Some people just want the easy way out and dont care about the long term. Its frustrating because a little extra elbow grease upfront saves you a ton of headaches later.
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taraw163mo ago
Watch for the aggregate bleeding up when it's too wet, that messes with the surface density way more than people realize.
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