November/December 2009 Vol. 9 No. 7

Rocking Out: Using Surface Retarders On Vertical Concrete

by Chris Mayo

It wasn't all that many years ago that the popular method for retarding the surface setting of concrete to achieve an exposed aggregate finish was to spray a sugar-water mixture on the newly poured surface.

Sugar? Yes, and here's why: Sugar molecules attach to hydrating cement and inhibit the chemical reactions involved in the stiffening of a concrete mix. Then the paste can be removed and the aggregate underneath...

Click here to read the complete story >

Vol. 9, No. 7
Nov/Dec 2009