Got schooled on a cold pour in Duluth last November

I was finishing a small driveway patch for a client up there, air temp around 35 degrees. My usual mix felt stiff but I figured I could work it fast. An older guy who lived next door, a retired union guy, came out with his coffee and just watched for a minute. He finally said, 'Kid, your cream is gonna set before you can dance on it.' He told me to grab a bag of calcium chloride accelerator from my truck and mix it in at a 2% rate by weight of the cement. I was skeptical but did it. The difference was night and day. It gave me the working time I needed to get a decent finish before the freeze grabbed it. Never would have tried that on a residential job before. What's your go-to move for cold weather pours besides the obvious covers?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_green855d ago

Honestly that seems like a bad idea... calcium chloride can mess with the finish long term and cause dusting. I'd just wait for a better day or use heated enclosures.

mila_mitchell5d ago

Worked fine for my deck last winter though!