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| Photo by Flickr Member: "Micky" |
For decorative concrete work, cold weather presents special challenges.
Talk about extremes. Minnesota's record low in January and February is minus 60 degrees F, while in July, temperatures can climb to a searing 105. Many areas of the United States and Canada experience similar temperature fluctuations.
by Susan Brimo-Cox
and in Canada are proving time and time again that decorative concrete can weather these extremes very nicely. But, just as contractors in southern climes know the tricks of concreting in hot weather, contractors in the north need to understand the special challenges of cold weather concreting.
"Cold weather concreting is a well-choreographed event requiring warm water, heated substrate, admixtures, adjusted cold weather mix design, heated materials and even the use of heating blankets," observes Sean Fallon, admixture product manager for the Euclid Chemical Co.
Ambient temperature is an important factor. Brad Berg, vice president of Architectural Enhancements in Montgomery, Minn., says his rule of thumb is a minimum of 40 degrees for overlays. For concrete pours, the temperature can be pushed a little bit lower.
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