Cold and snowy conditions may wreak havoc on your commute but did you know it can also affect the drying time of your concrete? If your concrete floors still have high moisture content, you may need to acclimate your project with dry heat.
You may think that because your concrete is six months old, that it “has to be dry.” We’ve heard this over and over again. While time is an important factor in drying concrete, it will still only dry at a minimum of 51 degrees.
For example, if a concrete slab is drying at under 50 degrees, it’s drying slower. Therefore, one month of drying may be equivalent to two weeks of drying at a higher temperature. That’s right – concrete floors can dry up to 50 percent slower when they’re cold!
Concrete is complicated with many factors affecting its hardness, density, appearance, porosity, and drying time. The common denominators affecting drying time are:
- air movement
- temperature
- surface porosity
Keeping the environment at a temperature that optimizes drying time is something that you can fully control.
Keep those heaters burning in order to ensure a faster drying time for your concrete slabs and keep your project on track.