A Step Ahead From Traditional Curing, Curing Compound

Spreading Curing Compound

Curing, in construction it means a layer of anything which can maintain the surface temperature an protect in at least for few time period from the adverse effects of atmosphere like sunlight, dust heat, moisture, humility etc it is so because on fresh concrete what requires is the inside moisture and to maintain it curing is required. Just because natural resources are not easily available and now they are hard to access mostly preferred process for curing is through chemicals. As compared to water which can't be movable from place to place nee labors and so many extra efforts plus if you are onto water curing it is necessary to keep on doing the same for about a month to get exact results which is next to impossible for big projects. On other side the most preferable option has so many benefits which make it better from the tradition water curing like it can be remote to various laces according to need, time limit for drying up completely will be around two or three days which is far less to traditional one, easy to apply and available easily from all these benefits it has a extra ordinary feature and that is curing compounds are eco friendly they do not cause any kind of side effects to atmosphere.
  
The necessity of curing is because if the surfaces does not cure properly an lost their inside moisture than it becomes bit difficult for the concrete layer to survive as it leads to cracks and loose its strength permanently it effects the durability of place.

The role of curing includes forming a thin layer on the surfaces of concrete so it can be stay away from direct sunlight and other impurities which can cause moisture loss next is curing help the concrete layer to maintain its moisture inside by locking it through the above layer of curing compound. It is important to apply the chemical as properly as you can and it is better if the application repeat twice just to ensure that no space is left if any place left uncovered it will become the reason of crack age and from that small crack it will damage a huge area of concrete so it better to ensure that all parts are cover well with the chemical coating also it should be taken in mind that after curing do not leave the place for use as the chemical needs at least two to three hours to wet completely and the place will be open to use only after three days from the day of application applied. One thing which should always be taken in mind while using curing chemicals that it takes at least 6 months to remove that layer from surface before that you can't apply any kind of pain or you can't allow tiling on that surfaces this is the reason it is not recommended for small construction these chemicals are preferred only for projects such as dam, bridges, roads etc.

While as some extents it is necessary to apply chemicals in construction it is highly suggested to gain complete knowledge of it before use. It is very important to use safety tools like gloves and other covering to make sure that chemical stay away from the reach from the body of labor. Always prefer to use spaying machine while applying chemicals on surfaces which helps to spread evenly and properly all around the places and give perfect results. Curing compound is very easy to use and give good results as compared to other techniques of curing.  

Role of Curing in Construction

Curing of Concrete

We all are very much familiar with the word curing as it comes in our day to day routine. It may be related to building, lighting or to any other stuff. Here we are talking about curing of concrete. We all are very well known that concrete act as a key material in almost all types of building and various construction processes. What makes essential to cure concrete is if it does not cured in initial stage it dries up quickly and loose all the inside moisture due to which the structure strength and life will decrease and the surface will lead towards cracking and damaging.

Or in other words it is a process which is adopted widely for hardening the surfaces of concrete under hard conditions such as humidity & the temperature which is favorable to proper and cumulative settings of cement. Curing affects in a huge way on the concrete from both inside as well as from its outside surface. As it helps it to harden in a better way it also increases the durability, volume stability, strength, wear resistance, freezing, water-tightness and thawing.

No matter how perfectly you mix, placed or finished concrete without perfect curing all the efforts are useless.Now when we are clear with the concept why curing is necessary it is essential to be aware of various cuing techniques and which one is best among them.

When we are talking about building construction we all know that after making slabs and floors people use to pour water and fill that place with it just to maintain the outside temperature cool and to look moisture of concrete inside it but this technique require more time, more labor, more expense and lots of attention plus the technique is not environment friendly because it results wasting natural resource for unwanted and unnecessary reasons.

Moving towards another option for curing which sounds more reasonable, eco friendly and requires almost no attention and you don’t have to keep us the record of how many days left till you can use the surface.

That technique is called 'Curing Compound'.  There are so many varieties available in market such as oil based, PVA based, rubber based, resin based, wax based curing compound. All of them are colored which fades by time only the wax based curing compound is white in color.

It can be easily sprayed on any surface especially on cement roads, concrete pillars with the help of spraying pump it is necessary to spray this wax based white colored liquid just after it dries a bit. The wax based film breaks by passing time when the surface gets in touch with sunlight continuously.

This application saves your time and money both its better to upgrade your construction process with new chemicals which makes you work more easily as compared with your experience with old techniques. Adopt the usage of curing compound and contribute in saving natural recourses, time and money. About wax based curing compound uses, advantages, properties etc. 

Why Curing is Necessary?

(Curing of Concrete) Image Source : Flickr

Curing helps to keep the moisture of concrete inside it which plays a vital role in gaining strength of fresh layer and prevent it from forming cracks.

Ways of curing:

There are commonly two major ways to cure concrete.

1. Traditional curing
2. Chemical curing

Traditional curing: This technique is decades older or we can say from when the cement come in use from that time this traditional curing is use to cure the fresh surface of concrete. We are familiar with the term traditional curing by the name of water curing; it is very common way to cure concrete of cement fresh layer.

Chemical curing: This technique introduced in very recent time and becomes important due to the high-tech requirements of construction. Chemical curing means  a chemical which is well-known as curing compound is spray on the fresh layer of cement or concrete after 2 hours to cure the surface from high temperature, wind, humid and dust materials so that the moist of concrete stay inside and gain the desired strength.
  
Why it becomes important to use chemical curing instead of traditional curing?

Well as the world is moving ahead by every passing year so as the construction industry. And as we are gaining so much comfort equipment from our high-tech societies there are few thing which are reducing rapidly and we can't use them the way we are using it in earlier time. The major ones are natural resources, due to global warming and some other atmospheric issues we can’t use plenty and plenty of water just for curing. Water is a natural resource and we can’t waste it just by putting gallons of water for curing our fresh layered concrete surfaces. By taking this situation in mind scientists make curing compound which did the same job as water did for curing and it doesn’t waste any natural resource neither it affects the atmospheric layer at all. And it just form a fine white layer on the surface which prevent the concrete from heat and other damages which caused by atmosphere.

How to use curing compound

Image Source : Flickr

Using curing compound doesn't need that you have an expert of using it, all you need is to have a bit and exact knowledge of how to use these chemicals to gain desired results.

Take curing compound; don't dilute it with water or any other liquid. Once the concrete layer settles down, normally it takes about 3-4 hours (Time will vary according to atmospheric conditions). It is very important that the surface of concrete is not dry it should damp. Because due to dry surfaces it prevent to form correct film and leads to absorption of curing compound, which requires more and more curing compound to form a enough layer on surface and it causes difficulty in removal also. When you are sure that the surface is in its best condition to apply curing on it, spray curing compound on the surface with the help of spray nozzle. Make sure that the nozzle is away from the concrete surface about 450mm and the pressure of pump should keep up in a frequent way so that it results a fine and even spay over the surface. Repeat the spraying process twice so that no place can leave dry. When curing application is applied on surface there is no further need of any application of material needed.  

It is compulsory, not to disturb the surface until it gain a sufficient amount of strength.

Take care of applied film and don’t open the surface for walking before the chemical dries completely. 

Areas of Application

You can use this chemical on any surface like plaster/concrete where curing is required.

• Decks of bridges
• Dams and canals
• Towers
• Walls and rams
• Highways
• Industrial and hospitals floor
• Runways
• RCC sections

How much time curing takes to remove completely?

If you are planned to place another layer or want to apply tile or stone on the concrete surface where you applied chemical for curing then it is very important to remove each part of chemical before lying of further layer on that surface.

This is because curing compound is just like a thin-film which lied just above the surface of concrete layer and due to this reason it is able to lock the moisture of concrete inside the layer, but this is the adverse part as well because it causes no connection between concrete surface and the material which supposed to applied on the layer and due to which the tile stone or paint can't hold the surface which results either they cannot find any grip and unable to apply or it they find a bit grip after sometime they will lose it the leave the surface.

So remove the curing layer before applying anything on surface. Avoid usage of acid for removing the film instead of it prefers the use of detergent for removing process. Once the film removes completely now the surface is ready for your further use you can either apply paint on it or fix stones or anything else. But make sure that the thin-film removes completely there is a very simple step for checking the status of surface that either it is free from curing chemical or not just pour a little amount of water on the surface if water absorbs then there is no chemical present on surface but if water remains on surface then you have to clean the surface again.       

Features and benefits of using curing compounds

• If curing compound applied as per direction it forms a thin layer which keeps the moisture inside concrete.
• It reduces the temperature of surface and protects it from sunlight and dust.
• Reduces possibility cracking which normally caused due to moisture loss.
• It is a non flammable and non toxic chemical
• It doesn’t cause any harm to atmosphere. Rapid film formation

Conclusion

This chemical is beneficial and easy to use and as per today's requirement of construction and nature it is the best option for curing.

Concrete Curing Compound and Membrane are Helpful in Curing of Concrete

Curing of concrete with the help of plastic sheets or membrane has become efficient and practical way to cure concrete in modern manufacturing and construction industries. Sometimes, people do not remain available with water for curing of concrete or perform the process by following an incorrect process. Incorrect process will result in alteration of finished surface of the concrete product. Moreover, many experts have said that addition of water to concrete surface, which remained unfinished in its setting procedures, can create adverse affects on hydration process by altering different properties of concrete. Therefore, professionals should cover the concrete by using suitable type of plastic material or a Concrete Curing Compound capable of sealing off small pores and retard evaporation of water from surface of concrete.

Common Forms of Membranes to Cure Concrete
Now, let us look over some common types of membranes capable of curing concrete.

Plastic Sheeting
Curing of concrete by the application of plastic sheeting involves covering of different exposed concrete areas in no time without causing any type of damage to concrete finish. However, whenever you use plastic sheeting above different plat surfaces, like for instance slabs and pavements, you should make sure of extending the same beyond slab edges by minimum 2 times of the entire thickness of slab.

Membranes

Some curing compounds are type of chemical products sprayed directly over the surface of concrete and allow its dryness to form impermeable Concrete Curing Membrane. These membranes can easily retard loss of moisture contents from surface of concrete. 

Reasons for Curing of Concrete

Curing concrete has become essential for construction process because of the fact that it allows constant and transitional evaporation of water from entire mixture of concrete. Now, many people ask one common question related to the time, after which concrete proceeds for its curing process. For this, experts related to construction sector have said that concrete curing process depends completely on different environmental conditions, where concrete remained placed, which include placement of concrete directly above the ground, in between different forms, submerged inside the water, directly above the ground and many more. Best practice in this case is the curing of concrete by using concrete curing chemical, which will allow hardening of concrete. Lastly, you should never allow concrete to become dry at any situation and at the same time should maintain curing condition during the starting 24 hours or until the passing of complete setting time of cement.

Concrete Curing Compound Helps in Sealing of Water from Concrete Slabs

Curing compounds are special types of compounds applied to new concrete for sealing the presence of water into it. Application of Curing Compound helps in setting of suitable concrete in relatively less time. Most of the experts related to construction industry prefer to keep concrete slabs in wet condition by traditional sources, including plastic film, burlap and wet straw and many more. Despite, the application of traditional sources help in curing of wet concrete, but such sources never allow using of concrete slabs for a particular period. Here comes the role of different types of curing compounds.

Features of Water-based White Colored Curing Compounds

In the recent few years, water-based white colored curing compounds have witnessed high demand in between different types of manufacturing and construction industries. Concrete Curing Compound of this category is wax-based dispersion available with suitable white pigments or colors. When the professionals apply concrete curing compounds belonging to these categories in proper way, compounds will form membranes of premium-grades, which can optimize retention of water. Furthermore, white pigment of the compound helps in reflecting UV rays of sun and in turn in keeping the surface of concrete in cool condition. In other words, white pigment of the compound plays vital role in prevention of heat formation at excessive amount. Water-based white colored curing compounds incorporate drying time of about two hours, based on different conditions of jobsite. The conditions will include wind, temperature and many more. In addition, the compound is capable to restrict traffic for minimum four hours.

Steps Involved in Application of Water-based White Colored Curing Compounds

Now, let us look over different steps needed for application of this Curing Compound for concrete slab designs. 

Preparatory Steps or Preparation

Professionals involved in manufacturing and construction jobs should make sure of following suitable preparatory steps before proceeding for exact application of compounds. This means, construction personnel should keep application equipment in clean condition and free from all types of materials used in the past.

Re-dispersion Process

Once you complete with the preparatory step, you have to move forward for re-dispersion of all types of separation and settlings present in the container via agitation in gentle way.

Application of Compound

Lastly, you have to spray the compound over an event coat by the help of power sprayer or hand once the water surface disappears from the surface of concrete. Hence, by the application of curing compound in exact way, construction professionals can expect to have strong and dry concrete slab to be used for accomplishment of construction projects.

Overview of Effective Curing Compound Used in Curing of Concrete

Curing of concrete refers to the chemical process, ensuring the cement hydration in the newly placed concrete. Concrete curing process is one of the essential parts of chemical reaction taking place between water and Portland cement for hydration of the product and creation of gel, which people can easily lay down in various types of water-filled spaces. This process mostly involves imposing control in the loss of moisture and temperature affecting the entire process of hydration.

Curing of Concrete via Curing of Membrane Process

Now, let us have a look over curing the concrete via membrane curing process. Membrane curing process is one of the efficient and practical ways of curing concrete in modern construction industry. In this condition, concrete should essentially remain covered with the membrane. In other words, this type of curing process needs either plastic sheet or effective curing compound for sealing off pores and retarding the process of water-evaporation from the concrete.

Plastic Sheeting Process

If you are looking for curing of the concrete by using plastic sheets, you should need suitable coverings for every exposable concrete area as soon as possible. However, at the same time, you should have to take care that the sheet covering should never cause any damage to the concrete finish. Whenever you use plastic sheets above different flat surfaces, such as slabs and pavements, you should make sure about the extent of sheet beyond the slab edges.      

Application of Curing Compounds

If you are not able to cure concrete via plastic sheets, you can apply some of the effective curing compounds for accomplishment of the process. Curing compound refers to a special type of chemical product mostly sprayed directly above the surface of concrete. In this way, application of chemical compounds may dry the membrane, so that it becomes impermeable in retarding the moisture losses from concrete.

Why Concrete Curing is Essential
The process of concrete curing is essential for ensuring its quality. In fact, the process has strong influence on different properties of concrete. These may include strength, durability, tightness of water, volume, resistance, thawing resistance and freezing.

Best Time for Concrete Curing Process

Most of the experts related to the chemicals construction industry choose to cure the concrete by the application of concrete curing compound just after the beginning of chemical reaction for hardening of concrete. These experts have further recommended that people should never allow fast drying of the concrete in any situation.