Am I the only one who plans entire days around concrete drying times?

I swear, half my job as a fence erector is just waiting for stuff to set. Take this one install from a few months back, a straight run of wooden panels for a nice family. We got the posts in the ground quick, mixed the concrete, and poured it all by noon. Then came the long, boring wait. You can't move on to the rails or anything until those posts are solid. I ended up eating lunch, cleaning the truck, and even fixing a loose tool handle to kill time. The client kept popping out asking if it was done yet, which just made it worse. It's a good reminder that this trade needs as much patience as it does skill. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let things take as long as they need.

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.daniel2mo ago

Read somewhere that adding too much water to the mix can double the drying time, which just sounds like a nightmare for scheduling. Makes those waiting periods even more brutal.

paige_wells441mo ago

Honestly, the worst part is when you get that one customer who thinks concrete dries like in a cartoon. They see the top is gray and figure you're good to go. Try explaining that no, your whole fence isn't going to fall over because we waited an extra hour. My schedule is just a list of things I can't do yet because something is still wet.

uma_nelson852mo ago

Wait, it can actually double the time? @dixon.daniel that's a scary thought. No wonder some jobs feel like they take forever.