Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - problem with my concrete surface?

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brianc777
06-01-08, 09:55 AM
I had a new driveway poured about a month ago. I've noticed that when the concrete gets wet, the surface startes to look strange. Its difficult to describe, but it gets dark patches. In some places the dark parts run across the surface and almost look like dark veins running through it. Other place are just solid dark spots. Some parts of the surface don't have this issue, the color is uniform whether wet or dry. There are no cracks, so maybe I'm being paranoid about nothing.

Does anyone have any kind of feedback for me?

Thanks for your time.


Concretemasonry
06-01-08, 11:12 AM
Was it covered with poly after it was poured?

Tscarborough
06-01-08, 11:31 AM
Did they cover it with plastic after pouring?


brianc777
06-01-08, 07:47 PM
They sprayed it with a liquid curing compound. Is that what you mean? They did not cover it with plastic though, they only used the spray.

Thanks for responding so quickly!

Pecos
06-03-08, 11:30 AM
A couple of causes I can think of:

1) the ground underneath the concrete was wet when it was poured. This could easily happen if it rained just prior to the pour or if the contractor wet down the base prior to pouring. This is very common and acceptable. The dark spots would be where the moisture (probably small puddles) was present.

2) the cure and seal compound was not sprayed on evenly, and is thicker in some spots than in others. The dark spots would be where it is thicker and working better. Its purpose is to hold in the moisture for a better cure.

In either case, there is probably nothing whatsoever wrong with the concrete. Especially since there are no cracks, etc.

Pecos