The blister is caused by air trying to escape when water soaking in pushes the air out, but the top crust layer is not yet strong enough to resist a bubble breaking up thru it.
The key step is to get your forms level and slope right. That takes time but so important. My daughter and I (no experience with concrete) made a 5x5 slab that turned out great. Good thing is that it eliminates the heavy mixing and using bags of rock underlay. Now I’m working on the paver walkway that is turning out to be a challenge leveling but at least it want be a muddy mess when it rains. Your walk turned out great and I love the dry pour. A couple of strong nephews will have to help unload bags and I’ll take it from there for the next concrete slab.
That's a brilliant leveling device!. I would fasten the cord to the top of your 2x4s to avoid the cord fom tangling and getting in your way. Great video!
Thank you so much for making this. Very nicely done. Can you please explain to me why your aren't putting any breaks in the walk? It looks unusual to have one long continuous slab/walk. Are the breaks not necessary for a dry pour?
@@HankBaugh Can the breaks be scored on while its dry, so that by the time you mist then water, it'll already have the score lines done? Have you tried that?
They could be, but ideally the cuts should be 25% the way through the walk. So on this 4" thick walk, 1" deep saw cuts. Jointer tools usually do not that go that deep.
Only of they are large rocks that will heave up into the slab when the ground freezes. Small rocks.. say baseball size and under should not be a problem. IMO.
Hi, I watched your other vid where you made mistakes with this process (including not using quikrete), but this project turned out a beauty! That palm sander contraption as a screeding tool, wow really smart idea! I've watched a bunch of these dry pour vids, with the Cajun couple being the inspiration for all the rest of the videos being watched lol! I'm thinking to use this method for a shed slab.
I'll be watching you for tips, I'm sure you'll make more vids on this too. You're a rock star with this dry pour stuff, I watched some of your other vids after this one. I was thinking on this, do you think it's a good idea to presoak the area with water before pouring out the concrete in the forms? Not sloppy wet, just damp. And also, after pouring the bag out, mixing it a little by hand or with a hoe, to ensure the aggregate and cement are evenly distributed? The second part is because of a youtube guy I watched, who was totally against dry pours. One of his points was that the aggregate would settle in the bag, but I don't know do you think yes or no?
@pondacres on this walk, the dirt was wet because it had rained the night before. This made it messy, and some of the bags got wet on the bottom side and fell apart when I was opening them. For these reasons, I do not recommend pre-wetting the ground. The concrete will absorb moisture from the ground as well as from the humidity from the air. I do recommend continuing to water for a couple of days, especially if there is no rain. I see no need to mix or water as you go. The aggregate has always been evenly distributed in the bags I have used. Thank you for watching my videos. I hope you are enjoying them. Hank
Thanks Hank, good info! I don't know jack, but that's what youtube/internet is for lol, for real I learned a lot of stuff from channels like yours. Keep on rockin!
Was thinking of mixing color with my initial misting water, the type designed for wet concrete that can be had a big box store? What do you think after all your experience with dry pour?
The blister is more of a sign of air pocket, right? So it's just the one area that didn't get vibrated enough to fill the pocket. Easy fill with a pint of patch. Another success by Hank.
The blisters are a mystery. Sometimes I get one, other times I don't. I had a theory that the top crust was set up too much, and too thin. (Thin and brittle) That did not seem to pan out as on another pour I did the second misting sooner and still got a small blister. I like @Doozler theory in comments below, but have to prove it out. The conflict is, you can't make the initial misting layer thicker, or you risk washing away your top powder. Next time I will probably take it easy the second and third misting to get a thicker crust.
According to my 1st test results here ua-cam.com/video/UiundCjcgYA/v-deo.html No. But I learned some important things and am running new tests ua-cam.com/users/shortsZkAfue87dBc?feature=shared If this comes out like I think it will, the answer would be yes. Results for 2nd test are being delayed due to the lab being backed up.
@@HankBaugh I tried to lift 80 lb bags into a cement mixer & couldn’t do it. So I did 2 bags at a time in a wheelbarrow until I had about 30 bags done.
What a great idea with the palm sander!
It really is a life saver. Makes the job easy.
How did you attach the sander to the 2x4 to stay in place?
3" Deck screws
Cool using the sander for vibration.
I like the sander idea. Will pin the cord to the end of the boards to keep it outta the way. Thanks for the advice.
Nice improvement. There is ALWAYS a better way.☺️
The blister is caused by air trying to escape when water soaking in pushes the air out, but the top crust layer is not yet strong enough to resist a bubble breaking up thru it.
The key step is to get your forms level and slope right. That takes time but so important. My daughter and I (no experience with concrete) made a 5x5 slab that turned out great. Good thing is that it eliminates the heavy mixing and using bags of rock underlay. Now I’m working on the paver walkway that is turning out to be a challenge leveling but at least it want be a muddy mess when it rains. Your walk turned out great and I love the dry pour. A couple of strong nephews will have to help unload bags and I’ll take it from there for the next concrete slab.
Overall, it looks pretty good! 👍👍👍
Thanks for a great DYI concrete video! For the cuts, what tool and blade do you use for those?
Looks really good
Thank you
I’d call that another success ! Looks great, Hank !
Excellent job
Thank you very much! If you have not subscribed, I would love to have you on the roster.
Best voice over yet.
Thanks!
Great video, sir!
Thank you.. Tell you friends!
Nice!
That's a brilliant leveling device!. I would fasten the cord to the top of your 2x4s to avoid the cord fom tangling and getting in your way. Great video!
Yes the cord was in the was a few times. Maybe I will make that improvement before the next one.
Thank you so much for making this. Very nicely done. Can you please explain to me why your aren't putting any breaks in the walk? It looks unusual to have one long continuous slab/walk. Are the breaks not necessary for a dry pour?
The breaks are needed. My intention was to go back and saw cut the breaks. I have not done that yet🤫
So far so good. Over 18 months.
Thanks! @@HankBaugh
@@HankBaugh Can the breaks be scored on while its dry, so that by the time you mist then water, it'll already have the score lines done? Have you tried that?
They could be, but ideally the cuts should be 25% the way through the walk. So on this 4" thick walk, 1" deep saw cuts. Jointer tools usually do not that go that deep.
Outstanding
Is there a need to level the ground before adding the concrete mix?
Not really. Whatever level / Slope the top of the forms are is what you will get. I would not spend a lot of time with leveling the ground.
Okay thanks. I live in the desert and the ground has a lot of rocks. Do you recommend trying to remove the rocks prior to adding the quickcrete ?
Only of they are large rocks that will heave up into the slab when the ground freezes. Small rocks.. say baseball size and under should not be a problem. IMO.
Again you did an amazing job. I love it!
Hi, I watched your other vid where you made mistakes with this process (including not using quikrete), but this project turned out a beauty! That palm sander contraption as a screeding tool, wow really smart idea! I've watched a bunch of these dry pour vids, with the Cajun couple being the inspiration for all the rest of the videos being watched lol! I'm thinking to use this method for a shed slab.
It has been a learning curve for sure. Thanks for sticking with me!
I'll be watching you for tips, I'm sure you'll make more vids on this too. You're a rock star with this dry pour stuff, I watched some of your other vids after this one. I was thinking on this, do you think it's a good idea to presoak the area with water before pouring out the concrete in the forms? Not sloppy wet, just damp. And also, after pouring the bag out, mixing it a little by hand or with a hoe, to ensure the aggregate and cement are evenly distributed? The second part is because of a youtube guy I watched, who was totally against dry pours. One of his points was that the aggregate would settle in the bag, but I don't know do you think yes or no?
@pondacres on this walk, the dirt was wet because it had rained the night before. This made it messy, and some of the bags got wet on the bottom side and fell apart when I was opening them. For these reasons, I do not recommend pre-wetting the ground. The concrete will absorb moisture from the ground as well as from the humidity from the air.
I do recommend continuing to water for a couple of days, especially if there is no rain.
I see no need to mix or water as you go. The aggregate has always been evenly distributed in the bags I have used.
Thank you for watching my videos. I hope you are enjoying them.
Hank
Thanks Hank, good info! I don't know jack, but that's what youtube/internet is for lol, for real I learned a lot of stuff from channels like yours. Keep on rockin!
Was thinking of mixing color with my initial misting water, the type designed for wet concrete that can be had a big box store? What do you think after all your experience with dry pour?
I would love to see how that turns out. I would try a small sample pour before doing anything important.
The blister is more of a sign of air pocket, right? So it's just the one area that didn't get vibrated enough to fill the pocket. Easy fill with a pint of patch. Another success by Hank.
The blisters are a mystery. Sometimes I get one, other times I don't. I had a theory that the top crust was set up too much, and too thin. (Thin and brittle) That did not seem to pan out as on another pour I did the second misting sooner and still got a small blister.
I like @Doozler theory in comments below, but have to prove it out. The conflict is, you can't make the initial misting layer thicker, or you risk washing away your top powder.
Next time I will probably take it easy the second and third misting to get a thicker crust.
Does anyone know if this works for a colder climate? Toronto, Canada.
As long as Temps are above freezing the concrete should set up the same.
If I were to use the 5000 psi stuff w rebar - would that support vehicles in your opinion?
According to my 1st test results here ua-cam.com/video/UiundCjcgYA/v-deo.html
No. But I learned some important things and am running new tests ua-cam.com/users/shortsZkAfue87dBc?feature=shared
If this comes out like I think it will, the answer would be yes.
Results for 2nd test are being delayed due to the lab being backed up.
@@HankBaugh how did you do the dry pour test piece? Fill with dry, 2 mists then??? Then submerge? TIA for info!
How many bags did you use ?
39
Why didn't you put break seams before? Is that not a good idea?
It would be. I thought I would saw cut them later.
where is your respirator (lot of dust in the air)
Wear a mask so you could keep doing all these great videos.
Great video! But yeah, google “concrete dust lungs”… it’s not pretty!
No expansion joint where the walk meets the previous slab? You look like you're down south from the soil, so maybe not needed. You'd need it here.
Sometimes the sand used in the bag mixes are sourced from different locations. Hence the difference in color.
about how long after you've watered, can you take the forms off, and when would you put the 6-8ft cuts to prevent breakage?
I wait 2 days before removing forms. At least 30 days before making cuts.
So I take it the slab is 3.5” ?
That is right.
I’ve seen some wet the ground before the bags of concrete, to help absorb from the bottom, as well.
I want to do this but I see so many videos showing how crumbly a dry pour is.
Technique is critical. You might do a few practice squares.
The 80 lb bag is a challenge. I’ll be looking to buy 60 lb bags and dump them from suv trunk to job location.
They are heavy. I had the whole skid loaded by fork truck the backed the truck up to the point of use.
@@HankBaugh I tried to lift 80 lb bags into a cement mixer & couldn’t do it. So I did 2 bags at a time in a wheelbarrow until I had about 30 bags done.
Would have place the materials directly on the brick. Brick is a great foundation material.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cost you $600. What would it cost to use a concretor
I had one estimate of $3,000, but the guy never showed up to do the job. That is why I had to do it myself.
Please wear a mask. Your lungs will appreciate you.