Starting on the first day after your concrete has been installed please try to lightly spray the surface of it with water two to five times a day. Please do this for at least 3 to 7 days during the hottest months of the year. You may notice some small black-colored bleeding marks on the surface of the concrete. Do not be alarmed these are only temporary  and they will disappear  in time. If watering is not possible we strongly recommend that a curing compound be applied to the surface of the new concrete.

When our forms are removed you should back-fill along the edge of all the concrete immediately (except around the garage floor) this will prevent any water from seeping under any of the concrete which could cause the sand base to wash out and create a moisture build up. This would create frost and freezing problems in the winter months.

You may NEVER use Salt, Fertilizer or Chemical Deicing agents to remove snow or ice from your concrete. All of these substances contain certain Ingredients that can destroy the surface of your new concrete. Bearing this in mind, please try not to park a car on the new concrete during the first winter it is in service.  Accumulated commercial road salts and deicers will fall from the bottom of your car and could possibly cause severe damage to the surface of the new concrete. Please try to park in the garage or on the street. 

Try to keep any new concrete surfaces thoroughly cleaned during winter months when water from melted snow can saturate the surface and impair proper curing. This is especially important for concrete  poured after October 15 because late fall concrete will not be aged sufficiently enough to resist surface saturation and excess snow accumulation.

Application of a quality sealant is recommended on all new concrete surfaces.... Especially before the first winter. You should allow at least 28 days for the surface to cure before applying any sealer.

***Please be aware that some sealants may cause the surface of concrete to become slippery and Richey Construction cannot be held responsible for any accidents or injuries due to slippery conditions.

*** Richey Construction Concrete will not be responsible for concrete SHIFTING, RAISING, SETTLING, CRACKING, PITTING  or  SCALING due to failure to comply with the above guidelines or as the result of weather conditions beyond our control.

Winter Care For your NEW Concrete

- Under usual conditions, deicers that contain sodium chloride (common salt) or calcium chloride may be used after the first winter. Even so, caution is needed. It is important that a surface sealer be applied after finishing. Check with your ready made concrete supplier or contractor for sealers.

- Avoid using deicers for the first year. The use of deicers is one of the most damaging things to new concrete. Concrete takes a while to reach its maximum strength. While some deicers , such as salt, do not chemically react with the concrete, they DO increase the number of freeze-thaw cycles the concrete must go through. This has the potential of damaging the concrete before it reaches it maximum strength.

- NEVER use deicers with Ammonium Nitrate or ammonium sulfate. These products are often packaged as deicers, but the will RAPIDLY desinigrate the concrete Common garden fertilizers containing these 2 chemicals, or urea, may cause desinigrating as well. Plain sand is the only safe material to use to make the concrete skid-resistant.

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