Broom Finish Concrete Care and Maintenance
You have new broom finished concrete, now what?
Broom finish concrete curing process takes time.
- Wet the concrete often to achieve maximum strength. Start watering the concrete the day after is was poured. You can continue wetting it daily for at least a month. It will continue to gain strength as long as you wet it.
- Concrete reaches 75% strength in about one week and 95% after one month. This does not need to be the end. If you keep it wet, it will continue to gain strength beyond normal strength. Especially in hot dry weather.
- For the first few weeks, tread lightly. The concrete is especially vulnerable to scratching in the first week.
- Do not use salt or deicer products on concrete. De-icing products rapidly melt ice and saturate the concrete with water. When the saturated water freezes again, it can cause permanent damage to concrete, such as spalling and other surface deterioration. Use sand instead.
- Clear away snow from concrete to avoid both ice-formation and moisture saturation when the ice melts.
- Do not park on new concrete if you have salt on your vehicle from the city streets.
- Concrete sealer is recommended to help prevent spalling.
- All concrete cracks. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to prevent shrink cracks. This is normal and most cracks will not get larger because of the rebar strength.
- Discolored concrete will turn white-grey over time. Uneven wetness can cause the surface of the concrete to cure with dark and light patches. Over time they will all blend to the same color.
- Remove spills from concrete as soon as possible using a concrete-safe cleaner. Spills can lead to difficult-to-remove stains, so we advise they be cleaned immediately.
Note: If you have new concrete installed on your property for less than one year, the application of ice melt can cause damage. The City recommends using sand to control ice on new concrete for the first year. Free sand and chips bins are placed around the City of Leduc for you.
