How do i keep portland cement from cracking while it is drying?
Question:When i make a wall or fill joints, sometimes the cement cracks while it is drying. I know that the cement shrinks while curing, but how do i keep it from cracking while it dries?
Answers:
keep it as wet as possible,by placing wet cloth on it or water on it, you want it , to dry as slow as it can. this is bad in hot weather. I too deal with this.
The cement cracking you are describing is probably coming from it setting too quickly. You can think of the idea with the analogy of stretching an object. If I take my time, I can stretch an object without breaking it to achieve the desired length. On the other hand if I suddenly pulled that object to get the same length I would tear it. Concrete must be well hydrated to set, and it must have sufficient time to cure! If after mixing the cement, you lay it on a hot, dry object you are taking the water out of the mix, causing it to lose hydrating ability and time to cure! Wet the surface on which you want to place the concrete or cement, then lay burlap or some type of covering to slow the process down. Wet the burlap, but do not spray the cement directly!
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