Dry Pour Concrete Pad (With Steel Mesh Reinforcement)

Today we're trying our own version of the dry pour concrete method! Let's see if this holds up in the northern climate! Watch the entire series 👉🏼 / playlist list=PL34cQkzKfXWZjAohJEWQ4WD6LUXxH904u
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[@hanslain9729]

I have even more faith in this channel's content with them showing their challenges. Much appreciated the honesty

[@ernestorodriguez791]

Love the transparency! Instills more trust in this channel when you are not afraid to show your mistakes as well as your success'. Keep up the good work! You are really helping inexperienced guys like myself a ton with all of your videos. 👍🏾 (ps. I'm the thumbs up guy)

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I appreciate that!

[@harpintn]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Thank you for trying that method. I had a few doubts about the dry pour thing actually working, you confirmed those doubts for me.

[@mhughes1160]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY dry pour ? Because is it really that difficult to mix it up in the wheelbarrow ? LoL 😂

[@CritterCraftNZ]

I am a carpenter/contractor, not a concrete contractor. I have used dry pour for the ground-pad for exterior steps and short slopping paths. From Aotearoa/New Zealand... temperate, maritime climate. My penny's worth is: 1. good strong boxing as per Cajun Country Living. 2. Saturate the ground, please. To ensure bottom up curing to be at the same rate as top down. 4. optional... but I prefer to do this, dry pour and level the first 1/3 and leave it covered with an old tarp or sacking for a few days to cure. 5. Always add reinforcing. Rebar is not necessary, but thick square welded fencing is a good enough cheaper option, I have used old clothes dryer racks for my own home pads. Keep reinforcing at least 2inches/50mm short of the outside edges. You can drive heavy nails into first layer leaving them proud. 6. Add the remainder dry pour after soaking the now cured first 1/3. Screed to raise the dust, edge float. Screed to lift the dust BUT avoid a smooth finish with a paint roller. You will get a fragile surface, hence dusty slab. 7. Mist x2 with 1 hour between, cover with an old tarp or sacking between. Once dry, sweep surface with a fine floor brush across the direction of traffic to produce an exposed aggregate, grip final surface. 8. Shower x4 with 1 hour between for the likes of size of path above. Cover with an old tarp or sacking between showers. Cheers Phil.

[@drewkaree]

Great to hear your method and tips. #4 - letting it cure for a few days - do you mean that you misted this third, or that you just added a third of a layer, and then let it sit, dry, for a few days while covered? This step is very unclear to me. #6 - I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this tip, as phrased. Is this multiple items, as listed? The ending - does that mean you don't recommend one of the items? Please clarify this step. #7 - Once dry - when? After misting the second time? In between? I like your idea of a floor brush, as it seems like it would give better traction than the paint roller finish, so this is of great interest to me, and I'd bet, to others. Definitely like the idea of covering between mistings, to retain moisture, and it's nice to hear more input from those who've done this, rather than theory from naysayers who can't wrap their head around why "that's the way it's always been done" isn't sufficient for others.

[@katiedotson704]

I am not any sort of building guru, but every dry pour video I've watched advised covering the area with a tarp or plastic to prevent the water from evaporating instead of soaking into the concrete where it's needed. Presoaking the ground prior to pouring the concrete was dependent on the condition of the soil. If the soil has a high moisture content, then presoaking would not be necessary. Please feel free to correct any misconceptions I may have.

[@terryhelliker118]

I live in Quebec and did a dry pour last year following exactly what Cajun Country Living did and it worked. I also put in the mesh like you did and it worked great. You didn’t soak it enough. This method truly works but you need to soak it. Also not sure you used the right bags. I will be doing more in my yard this summer for sure.

[@prepperboy4938]

Same, I'm in OH and we built a small pad outside our garage. Solid and looks the same a year later. This method is perfect for foot traffic and light applications around the home/farm.

[@philippegl24]

Im from Québec too, what ciment you use? Im doing onenthis summer

[@trxtech3010]

I would never do a "dry Pour" it's just not worth it.

[@therustycook]

I was wondering if they had soaked it enough. I have a feeling it needs to get soaked more than the amount of water listed on the bag because there will be a lot of evaporation.

[@jakefriesenjake]

It'll get soaked sooner or later during the rain. Try to stay of of it as long as possible. Also, use the mix where there is no heavy gravel in the bag. The top layer should be sand and cement only so the gravel doesn't get in the way during the screeding process. It makes it look better too. It's the same strength as regular, but costs double the price. Use the gravel mix as the bulk, cause its cheaper ​@@therustycook

[@albertmitchell2728]

Jeff with the dry pour you didn't put enough water. Depending on the thickness you mist spray 3x then shower 4x or so then you could've edged it with a concrete edger. After that week it would've been solid. I did my garage apron dry pour.

[@mplscarsales6652]

Please make a video of diy

[@headybrew]

Why would you want to go to all that trouble and an hours long multi-step process when you could just mix it with the water once to begin with and then go home for the rest of the day?

[@jakefriesenjake]

​@@headybrewit was a test

[@jakefriesenjake]

I'm just about to do a tapered slab going into my garage. The huge slab that's there has sunken 2". I'm going to dry pour a "ramp". My Camaro is low to the ground and hate the 2x4s I have layed down 🤣🤣

[@ShadowzGSD]

Seen this done so many times now, always seems to be more effort than just mixing it with water in a wheelbarrow and doing it properly to start with. that way you just put it down and done, no tarting around watering every hour and wasting 10x the amount of water that you really need.

[@feelingtardy]

that's how i feel about it, too. just mix it in a wheelbarrow with a shovel and do it according to the directions. however, he did say he was testing it out, so fair play

[@Confoil]

I'm not very familiar with this method but based on what I have seen in this video as well and a few others I agree with your assessment. It seems like someone tried to come up with a lazy way to do something and ended up creating a method that takes hours to complete and doesn't have a very high success rate. What exactly is the point of that method anyway?

[@tom0428]

It's only good for them lazy DIYER, the amount of silica dust you gonna breath in for one little step is like working a year in construction. Only da owner not gonna get yell at seating down, watch TV, drinking beer, and go water it on commercial break...lol

[@BattlestarCanada]

Yep, he also didn't pull the wire up, so it's almost useless.

[@thesquirrel6141]

I've seen a similar approach that makes far more sense for small pads. You pour the bags in like they did, except you spray each bag. No mixing, just a misting until it's evenly moist / slightly wet. You add more water with each bag, so that by the time you get to the top of the pad, it's very wet concrete. Finish the top as you'd normally do. Mist for a silky smooth top if you'd like, or brush the top. Dealer's choice. Either way, the water has been seeping down through the layers the entire time you've been working. There are no dry patches. Let it cure the normal amount of time.

[@MicahMcLellan]

That definitely needed a lot more water. Cajun says to mist once an hour (2x) and then shower spray once per hour per inch used (so in your case, 2 mists and 4 showers = 6 times over 6 hours). Don't follow the bag water mixture. Cheers!

[@californiadreamlocks7441]

I think so too, especially when it's hot and sun shines directly on the piece.

[@deronthomas7904]

Not only he didn't use enough water. He also forgot to soak the ground.

[@MicahMcLellan]

solid point@@deronthomas7904. I did the same here in MN - soaked the ground (it was SUPER dry) before the pour.

[@goodrabbi7176]

Or just don’t use this objectively flawed and worthless method. Dry pouring concrete is probably the dumbest, logic devoid construction trend I have ever seen. Sooo the aggregate is just supposed to magically distribute itself through the mix? The voids in the dry mix around the aggregate are going to mystically osmos themselves closed? Please let this harmful, negligent trend stop here with this video. Anyone that has EVER mixed concrete, even for a DIY project, knows there is no comparison to doing it correctly. Even loosely mixed concrete is more reliable that this nonsense.

[@terencemerritt]

Are they experts or guessers?

[@adventurefuel5172]

Great video! Too many people only put up their success and make everything look easy. This is a great way to to teach the complexity of dyi construction. Thanks!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad it was helpful!

[@terrenceoliver641]

Love that you're throwing your son in the mix of your videos, love to see Father and son kind of videos just recently became a father so I'm excited to be showing him what I learn from you and stud pack that I watch

[@saddestchord7622]

I thought it was funny when he was talking about it being warm in the day but getting cold at night, then the guy comes out wearing a hoodie with shorts on.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Ottawa Canada has very wild weather swings. Cheers!

[@marriedGary]

Yes this is clearly Canadian outfit. Pretty normal for us.

[@user-lp1ws5uh6h]

My dad was a bricklayer, I've made mortar and concrete since I could pick up a shovel, I don't understand where this drypour trend came from, not only does it not work in our climate, but honestly it seems like more work! All that dust blowing around, having to come back for what seems like hours to water it again and again, it's not that hard to dump it in a wheelbarrow, add your water, mix it and pour real concrete, cover it and call it a day. Still, great video Jeff, keep em' coming!

[@robs1852]

I was about to say the same thing. Been mixing concrete since a kid with my dad. This just doesn't seem right. Seems to be the same if not more work. I mean you still have to lift the bags and dump them, but then spend the whole time in a dust cloud trying to level off powder

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

When I've see dry pour done, they're soaking that stuff numerous times with the hose. I don't think it's about getting it wet to the instructions on the bag, but to make sure water soaks through it all. I don't know a lot about concrete, but I know that once it's in place, more water is better.

[@Plexus37]

Yes agreed. You lose so much water off the top through run off and evaporation that if you only use the bag amount you will be well short.

[@user-vb8jc1fq2i]

I did a double take when u said $35 dollars a bag for 6000 psi. Just poured a walkway today. It was $3.21 for a 50 lb bag of 6000 psi. Prices better here in Texas I guess.

[@Badenhawk]

I know very little about concrete, but dry pour seems like those people you dump the hot chocolate packet into tge cup first and then add water. It just doesnt quite mix uniformly, and you still have dry pockets of chocolate in the bottom.

[@michaelgonzalez8863]

I have dry poured 5 different slabs over the yrs . largest 8’x8’ and oldest 6 yrs ago for my grilling area and they all have been fine .

[@rakashaagain]

Are you in a 4 season climate?

[@scottspeig]

Are they protected at the edges? And

[@bilipino76]

I recommend wetting the ground a little before adding the powder and rounding the edges before making the imprint.

[@garretts91]

I had a fence installed recently. I left my hose out but I was pretty sure they never used it.. A day before they put up fabric I went out to check the posts. I could pull most of them right out of the footings. I asked the installer if they mixed the concrete and set the posts. He said they dry poured the posts and poured a small amount of water in then relied on groundwater. . I showed him all the loose posts. His guys came back, dug them all up and poured mixed concrete in each post. They are now rock solid. I'm convinced, dry pouring is crap.

[@thesquirrel6141]

I've pulled posts that had been in the ground for months and found powder, trapped in between layers of cured concrete.

[@garretts91]

@@thesquirrel6141 I don't doubt it for a second! Pouring mixed concrete is the only foolproof way as far as I'm concerned.

[@scottbitz5222]

Everything I've seen with dry pour posts is soak the hole, put your post, fill hole with water, swirl the post, add more water if needed, and plumb the post. Basically, it sounds like your guy skipped steps 1, 3, and 4 with definitely NOT coming close to the amount of water his mix needed.

[@tomacton529]

I dry poured a 23x8x 2” thick patio, took about 75 bags of concrete with metal mesh since I’m in a freeze zone. I followed that Cajun couple’s direction and It came out great. 72 hours after letting it set, I hammer drilled in 3/8 tap cons to set 6x6 metal post and the concrete was solid all the way through. Very happy with the patio and like the fact I could do it alone and not have to mix 75 bags of concrete and have to try to finish it all by myself. Doing the dry pour I was able to work at my own pace. I will use this method for other projects. If you would have done it properly this video would have not had its failure.

[@Irh681]

Hi Jeff, Thank you for your content! I absolutely love your work. My family and I worked on 2 separate pads using the dry pour method. We did a 10x30 (split into 10x10 sections) and an 8x10. Both times the pads came out great. Just like everyone has commented, after misting we watered to saturate the pads hourly for approx 10 to 12 hrs. The pads are being used under sheds so they’re not super structural however they’ve worked out perfectly for this purpose and we’ve had them up for 1 1/2 yrs now. We followed the Cajun country videos to the letter. I hope you try this method again.

[@terryhelliker118]

Exactly!

[@question_it_701]

Dry pour are inferior. Watch the test just done on Komar Project channel.

[@ParkerSayler]

@@question_it_701 I watched his videos as well. There are two key problems with both of these videos. 1st, on the Komar Project channels test. He did his dry pour and misted twice one day and then covered it until the next day. This caused the surface to cure longer before coming back to "shower" the pad for that deep soaking it needed. This caused less water to soak deep down into the pad. You have to give it the deep soaking at hour 3 (After the 1 and 2 hour mistings), not 12 hours later. 2nd he didn't give the dry pour enough cure time vs the wet pour that has harsher chemicals to accelerate cure time. Because of his "misting technique" his surface was trash and is why it broke apart. This channel was at least honest and told us what they did wrong. Not enough water. The instructions are for a wet, mixed solution, not a dry pour. Dry pours require tremendously more water for complete saturation and soaking.

[@question_it_701]

@@ParkerSayler dry pour isn't a thing. You can make it better doing things to it that make it closer to the normal method, which makes it better. But a guy might as well do it the right way vs the shortcut. If dry was better, the folks that actually do 99% of the work, would do it that way. They don't.

[@peteharmony6024]

I knew 2 or 3 pails of water wouldn't be sufficient. I'd have been way more shocked if it had worked out.

[@drewkaree]

Agreed. Pressing it with the thumb after the first misting was also a surprise for me - why START with trying to damage the product? Reminds me of all the infomercials, where they do the most convoluted thing imaginable, and then say "don't you hate when this happens?" 😄

[@sixxx1]

Exactly not to mention he put at least 12 sacks of concrete

[@nedmorris9794]

It works but same deal happened to me. People are going too light on first mist. Needs to be a bit heavier at first. I did 3 slabs. 2 worked great. Last one I obsessed about prettiness too much and under misted it. The super thin crust separated as yours did. IMO people need that first mist moderately heavier… Don’t give up :)

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Good to know!

[@drewkaree]

Acknowledging Cajun Country Living's videos hints at being aware that someone has developed a process for this method. Why, then, was their process mainly ignored? The watering method CCL has laid out, over multiple videos, seems to be dismissed, and instead, "the bag" is looked to for guidance as to the amount of water to use. Even with wet pour, the edges of a slab are going to be crumbly and prone to breakage without an edge trowel. CCL shows an edge trowel being used, THEN going over the slab with the roller - another point that was missed (or ignored), but then the method was blamed for the results. The amount of water and how it was applied wasn't close to what CCL recommended. Supposedly, it was due to not having a hose in the first place, so now that you have an issue and you've said you're going to try to save it by hosing it down more, it begs the question(s) of why didn't you use a hose in the first place, or WHERE is this new hose coming from, and why you didn't implement it in the way laid out by CCL? To blame this on anything other than failing to follow ONE set of instructions is disingenuous. CCL's "climate" is essentially what you were working under, so follow their guidance, given that they've done this in the conditions you were working in. As for "four season concrete", there's other videos out there of people showing exactly how this works IN SNOW, with successs, using CCL's method, so you didn't need to reinvent the wheel to try the Home RenoVision dry pour method. Why look to the bag for help and direction when using it contrary to the manufacturer's intended methods? Why ignore the direction and tips of those who have had success using it contrary to the manufacturer's intended methods?

[@terencemerritt]

Aren’t they experts of the dry pour?

[@shonashook2497]

​@terencemerritt They don't claim to be experts, but their results have proven to be very successful on every dry pour they've demonstrated.

[@shonashook2497]

@drewkaree Kudos to you! Your very valid points are spot on!

[@terencemerritt]

@@shonashook2497 autocorrect. Aren’t. I love their channel and watch every episode!!!! Sorry for the misunderstanding. Jim and Lydia are awesome. Indy poured both my patio slabs after watching them!

[@chesterlapicto8063]

That small of a project, 1. Wet the area. 2. Pour the dry cement in the middle creating a mound. 3. Create a crater and pour water. 4. Mix with garden hoe and spread. 5. Repeat step 2 to 4 until filled. 6. Finish it like a wet pour. You DON’T have to stay the whole day watering (dry pour), DON’T need to use a wheelbarrow to mix the cement and dump (wet pour). It insures the cement got enough water and has the wet pour finished look. Probably done a lot quicker.

[@MillCityJam]

I really think you should try again. Here's my dry pour experience - 1. Watched the Cajun Country Livin vids; 2. Prepped and compacted the area; 3. Made a 2ft x 6ft form w/ 2x4s; 4. Filled the form half way w/ dry concrete and then added wire panel; 5. Filled the form to the top more concrete and began to screed. 6. Rolled the top (paint roller) and used a quarter round edging tool to finish the all edges; 7. Mist the concrete thoroughly and wait an hour. 8. Repeated step 7 four times; 9. Hosed down the area thoroughly and waited 12 hours. 10. Repeated step 9 two more times. 11. Waited 2 more days and pulled the forms. We had some very minor flaking at the edges. We did this last June (2023) in North San Diego area - no issues.

[@diytwoincollege7079]

I dry poured a base for my shed 8x 10. Started with about 2” of compacted rock. Put the mesh in the middle of the thickness and used extra cement in the top inch to make it look nice. It’s been 2 years and no problem.

[@question_it_701]

Dry pour are inferior. Watch the test just done on Komar Project channel.

[@waleedacca]

Come on Jeff! I am a beginner and I can tell concrete was not showered enough. But yes, thanks for the video, it is an eye opener for diyers

[@epilogue77]

Concrete is sensitive to the water - cement ratio. To really dial it in you would measure the moisture of the powder and aggregate, and factor in the humidity of the day. Likely this method they lose too much water to evaporation, and they form a concrete membrane with the misting on a hot day and waiting too long to pour water for the base in. Dry pour probably could work but you would need to factor in the sun, day temp, and humidity to get the correct water adjustment.

[@scottbitz5222]

You do have to factor those things with a wet pour as well because if the sun is beating on the pad, the exothermic reaction of cement will evaporate the top layer of water right off and you get that flaking which is why when they're pouring roads/pads/etc in hot, dry weather, they soak the surface and the cover it in a tarp and wet the tarp (sometimes constantly). This ensure the surface stays cool and moist and makes it so the top doesn't harden too soon and lets the water evaporate more evenly giving a stronger cement. Also, cement will keep absorbing water until it's all done and then will let it pass through with enough hydrostatic pressure, but will also continue to harden for the rest of its life by absorbing CO2 into its structure and reinforcing itself constantly.

[@J-P.B1992]

Thanks for shedding light on this dry pour method for all KZbin to see. I am a civil engineer and I work with concrete regularly. I was very suspicious that the concrete would set properly although it's all over the place on KZbin. It's like making cake, we don't pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and hope for the best right? It's unfortunate for the pad but you tried it so we don't have to. Thanks, great and honest content.

[@InitialDIYmods]

I'm also a civil engineer and this trend has bothered me so much. If he flooded it with water, it would be stronger, but still never made it to the 3.5 ksi that the concrete was rated for. Maybe 2.5-3 ksi max. I'm sure none of the larger aggregate would be bonded with the cement either. It can work in certain circumstances, but it is absolutely not an equivalent result.

[@kanaka250]

a civil engineer comparing cake to concrete. LOL I believe you.. How did concrete taste after you mix it. lol

[@lizhuber9198]

Knowing what doesn’t work is valuable information too! Thanks Jeff. 😂

[@user-vr2tx4tt6b]

Respect for posting the video, most wouldn't. Did it finally set up properly?

[@bradjorban]

Jeff, I appreciate your showing your failures along with your successes. For what it is worth, I can't help but feel that if you had had free access to a hose/sprayer, then you likely would have used more water for the whole project, and everything would have been alright. Keep evolving, brother!

[@VoulkHusky]

as soon you started rolling over that pad at 8:55 I started thinking, bob ross would be proud of that happy little slab

[@daveisnothere]

I've watched 2 videos by concrete contractors and both of them had the same issue this 'pour' had, then condemned the method instead of realizing they didnt water it enough. One of them tested a cube of cement that was pretty big and just looking at it when he broke it open it was obviously not given enough water. I have plans to do quite a few dry pour slabs around my property and since I live in a hot desert I'll be doing it in stages. Soak the ground before I put the first layer of cement in, soak the first layer and then add the reinforcement, add another layer of cement then soak it, then add the top layer, finish it off then mist twice then soak it as well.

[@scottspeig]

What is it about the dry pour that you find better than the wet pour? I can guarantee the wet pour is substantially better. Scientifically, the aggregate isn't mixed in properly in a dry pour, so it will give poor strength compared to a wet pour.

[@PRC533]

If you truly want concrete to have the best chance of lasting in arctic or wintery conditions, you need to insulate the bottom as well. laying even 1/2" of rigid foam insulation underneath the pad will help prevent the moisture from wicking into the concrete (where it will freeze and expand) and it will provide an additional separation between the ground and slab. We had a relatively large concrete patio poured about 6 years ago, which has since been through numerous earthquakes (including a a 7.1) and all those winters. It was done properly with a good base of compacted D1, insulation and rebar. There has been zero cracking or movement in that time.

[@1963RonTKiser]

Just a suggestion. After the misting coats with your temperatures, should had covered it with plastic to keep the moisture in when it gets that hot outside. That hot, have to keep spraying or all the water evaporates out of the concrete.

[@steve_main]

This silly dry pour craze is just that, a craze. look how long it took you to do this. and then Wondering if it's done or not done or did it get enough water .. just wet mix it domp in and be 100% done in 30 min. Like I'm glad Jeff did this to show how stupid this even is!!

[@junirissancho8834]

Nice learning curb for me. Perhaps you may want to water the first half of the pour immediately after placing the steel mesh. Allow sufficient water to harden the first half and immediately pour the remaining concrete. And water.

[@coburn_karma]

Still a good learning video. I accidentally left a bag of quick dry concrete outside and it happened to rain overnight, which turned the bag into a solid hunk of concrete.

[@mikesmith-bt6um]

I always love watching your videos and I always learn. I'm probably late in figuring this out but I finally know the best part... you sound just like Bob Ross! I'm very relaxed watching your videos

[@MicahMcLellan]

I've been super excited to see you try the dry pour method! I made a long sidewalk here in Minnesota last year and it's holding up great!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

That is awesome!

[@big7deal6s5]

I've done this with a 20 x 10ft slab and an 8x8 ft slab. I also used the same roller as a finish for the top. The rolling paint finish won't last over time. It actually creates a dusty mess as more traffic goes over the slab. The strength of the slab will be more than enough if you do it right. This is a great DIY alternative to hiring an expensive contractor to pour concrete. I don't recommend using the roller over the top unless there will be very minimal foot traffic. I also agree with some of the other comments, you need to use a shower setting on a hose. You barely used any water. You rushed through this entire project and removed the framing way too fast. It's like you were trying to fail.

[@carolinaogren6660]

He didn't have access to a hose as I recall otherwise I'm sure he would have. Thanks for the rest of the advice though! ;)

[@tristanmartinez2667]

You obviously didn’t watch to the end of the video where the slab is falling apart 😂

[@big7deal6s5]

​@@tristanmartinez2667Nah I saw it. He rushed through this. Didn't use enough water and removed the backing way too soon. Wouldn't be surprised if he tried to fail on purpose because this isn't a "conventional" way of laying concrete.

[@drewkaree]

Having done this, did you do the roller finish over both? Would you just leave the screeded finish as the traction finish? What about trying a troweled finish (although that seems like it'd create a super slick finish, like polished concrete) Last question, would you try a broomed finish for traction Since the concrete has hardened, I wonder if you could take a polisher to your slab, with a rough starting grit, to remove the crusty top and lessen or stop the dusting (spalling)? It sounds like for your use, it might not be worth the effort, and just let it naturally dust off until it reaches the point of the underlying solidified concrete

[@big7deal6s5]

@drewkaree Yes, I used the roller finish over both. I would have used the screeded finish as the traction finish in hindsight.

[@dcloser9779]

You need to cover it from sun in order not have crusty top and dry equity from inside out

[@clintlickner]

I had a similar result with my dry pour pad; felt like a couple air bubbles just under the surface. It was pretty sunny that day. And the wind picked up. I waited the hour between mistings and I think that was my problem. If I try a dry pour again I'll prolly mist every 30 (maybe even 15) minutes for the 1st 2 hours, then follow the shower schedule. Then just for overkill, shower 2-3 times a day for a week or 2 for more of a wet cure.

[@californiadreamlocks7441]

"Cajun country livin' has a video about this, it might help... Love your videos, very helpful

[@chuckmaryv4081]

I love the last statement on the video-“I won’t be doing that again” 😂

[@puritan7473]

That made me laugh!

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

I've seen this result a number of times, and I wonder if the goal should be a "Set and forget" sort of slab - lay it out and come back in a few months. The moisture doesn't permeate fast enough to treat it like normal concrete on normal timelines, and when you spray it you create such a gradient that it quickly debonds. People talk about 'the longer it takes to set up the better', I guess because fractional moisture can slowly equilibriate from one side to the other without necessarily curing things unevenly. On KZbin, We've watched dry pour natural-weathered embankments set up using bagged concrete (slit the bag after finishing and leave it), we've watched concrete put into little baggies as brick-sized pavers, and we've watched concrete that gets accidentally spilled turn into boulders. It might be that thicker is better and there are advantages for those slabs vs a deep pour, it might be that we just don't get a comparable surface finish period but there are other worthwhile aspects, or it might be that this works better in hot/humid areas than in Canada - I don't think conclusions have been drawn. Concrete pavers produced industrially are set up dry using a hydraulic press into a form, before going into an autoclave to cure. Given how highly optimized concrete mixes are, and how temperature dependent, we're also probably not using the ideal blend.

[@e.collins2768]

Ive never actually tried a dry pour, but i knew as soon as you said it's only been a week it wasn't gonna be ready. It takes longer than that for just one bag to harden up in the back of your truck

[@joewenzel5142]

Should have saturated the bottom half of the sidewalk and then add more of the dry mix on top of it along with the wire mesh and your pattern; and then do everything you did and it probably would have been solid all the way through. The water never really got thoroughly below that initial crust you made.

[@MicahMcLellan]

Great catch. When the Cajun folks did it the ground had already been saturated and that gave water the opportunity to rise up from the bottom. When I poured my sidewalk I made sure the ground was saturated because the weather was so dry...

[@MartyMasterjohn]

Agreed! Saturating the ground before you begin and then at the rebar level will provide the much needed moisture to give you a proper cure. Also covering with plastic to retain the moisture would help.

[@MicahMcLellan]

I did plastic covering on my second sidewalk pour (after all of the necessary mists/sprays) for 3-4 days and I thought that really helped with the curing process as well!@@MartyMasterjohn

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Not a bad idea

[@idropbars]

Not enough water. Love your videos! (I've only done one dry pour. 10ft by 16ft by 4in and that was 8 months ago with no problems so far. I misted it the first day numerous times then I gave it good soaks numerous times for about a week.)

[@question_it_701]

Dry pour are inferior. Watch the test just done on Komar Project channel.

[@idropbars]

Not arguing that properly mixed concrete isn't stronger. I've worked with regular concrete and tried out dry pour after doing my own research and I can easily conclude that there wasn't enough water used.@@question_it_701

[@user-xg6dh8pd9c]

You should make a few small pads with different techniques and see how they compare to each other, it would be cool to see how they look 1, 2, 3yrs down the road after a few freeze thaw cycles. You could do one that's a normal mix, one without wire mesh, one that you keep wet for a week so that the concrete can fully hydrate and develop most of it's strength.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cool idea!

[@briankowald6465]

Even doing the paint roller! Yeah, hose that thing down.I think it would eventually harden, just like a bag of mix that is stored too long.

[@RoquetSynce]

Love that this channel is Canadian. Living in Vancouver we gotta do things that takes actual seasons into consideration. Really easy to understand videos too. Thank you! Is there a reason you went with the dry pour method over a wet pour for this project? I watched another video that compared the two methods and they're conclusion was that the dry method makes the cement a different colour and not nearly as durable (ie chipping edges as you found at the end of this video).

[@juzoli]

Seems to be a hot dry weather there, right under the sun, which is challenging even for regular concrete. The results might be very different with rain before (so there is water under the slab), and after.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Great point!

[@dbrgr68]

LOve your videos. Thank you. Would you treat insulating a townhouse basement the same as a regular homes basement when finishing it? Im about an hour north of Toronto. Cheers

[@agr18181]

With this method you need way more water than usual, because most of it is evaporating and going down to the soil.

[@MicahMcLellan]

💯 right! Lots more evaporation happening with this method

[@richbauer2]

This is what I was thinking. It needs more water.

[@weekendwarrior3420]

Why would it be less evaporating and going into the soil if it was premixed with water? Your saying water goes through the powder right into the soil and not wetting the powder?

[@txmade4371]

@@weekendwarrior3420Just people that like to whine.

[@weekendwarrior3420]

Whining is OK if it at least makes any sense 🙂.@@txmade4371

[@maurice3935]

The water use in concrete is not about drying but curing. A chemical reaction have to happen between the cement powder and the water. This takes time, 28 days is the standard time lapse for testing, but it continues to harden after. So dont expect the concrete to cure over two hours. You did everything right exept for: add some water to help compact without dust. In a dry environment, keep under a plastic for a month or more ensuring to keep moisture under the plastic so moisture will eventually get to the cement. This will give you the most solid concrete, since you will have add the minimal water. No warranty about freeze thaw cycles, since there is no easy way to entrap air to prevent scalling while freezing/thawing. If the cement content is high enough, the water addition minimal and the compaction good, it may well resist freeze/thaw cycles because of higher strength and lower porosity. But good luck on that one. For regions in the south, I would not hesitate.

[@martinlebreton6391]

I dont get it, Never really done concrete slabs before so enlighten me... Whats wrong with adding water to your premix before pouring it. That seems like a lot of dust, just as messy I think. I dunno

[@strangerland9791]

Mixing 30+ bags consistently aren't that easy unless you rent a mixer or have a mixer and most likely will need more than 1 person. Dry pour can probably done by 1 person since each step is rather a mini steps requiring far less strength at one time and also direction for "soaking" uniformly is relatively easy. In this case, he used FAR FAR too little amount of water IMHO. He should have soaked the ground first, put down the bags, mist 2x, and should have SOAKED the patio 4x (1x per inch of thickness) every hour as per the "instruction" out there.

[@martinkeatings7126]

Dunno if you did it, but typically with this sort of project I tend to cover the slab in plastic so moisture doesn't evapourate.

[@kleco1000]

I did a 9 ft x 42in slab for my garbage cans last year in chicago area Half fill I mist it and add more cement and mist the top layer. Held up thru heatvof summer and a bad frozen winter.

[@paulshamblin6260]

Gonna dry pour my porch. About 32x6ft. Bought chicken wire and expansion joint. It it holds up at my house, its good. Ill probably park datsuns and lawnmowers on it 😆😆

[@viscious82]

Thanks for the honest video on this method of concrete work. It really doesn't make any sense that it would work. It's like baking a cake with unmixed ingredients.

[@gregsouls2666]

Don't breathe in the dust, you may not notice the impact all at once, but you'll notice the damage eventually.

[@MrPrecision86]

Too good to be true. I have a slab i got to pour this summer and wanted to try doing it dry. Guess ill continue to manually mix. Thanks for trying this out and making the mistake so we don't have too. Do you have any tips for mixing concrete? I just use a wheel barrel and a shovel. Really big pours ill rent a mixer

[@subbab4]

Don't mix it with a shovel. Till it with a hoe. Far easier.

[@zamis21]

Question..we um capped the air pipe for my bedroom drain and now my toilet wont flush. Do i need to reopen that and put a rain cap on it? LOve your videos!

[@zamis21]

Did not work.

[@minuteman2006]

Sunny and tshirt and shorts weather in your video. It's in the mid teens at my house. I'm jealous!

[@djspock5150]

I too have had success in doing this up to 3.5", way more water application up front a few mists every hour or so, then a few showers on hose sprayer every few hours or so. I have done pours both ways they are both cumbersome lol

[@question_it_701]

Dry pour are inferior. Watch the test just done on Komar Project channel.

[@esd9058]

I did a driveway extenstion with a combination of concrete papers bottom, concrete mix bags above and mortar mix all high strength doing the dry pour method with a custom stamping but let it cure for over a month at a time in segments and it worked out 98% good as a 4" - 4.5" slab and stained black.Just wanted to not have to use a mixer and wet prior to having it down. Not 100% perfect. I wanted a slightly aged look next to the original 40 year old concrete driveway next to it.

[@firecloud77]

What are concrete papers? Edit: Oh, pavers.

[@1djbecker]

@@firecloud77 Until your comment I thought that he was talking about the bags the concrete came in, perhaps used as an isolation or moisture retention layer.

[@firecloud77]

@@1djbecker Good point. I guess we won't know until he responds.

[@goodrabbi7176]

@@1djbeckerso did I !!!

[@markanderson8677]

Thanks for sharing the occassional fail, that's how we all learn. 10/10

[@garethwatson7999]

Oh my lord, I’ve seen beaches with more integrity than that pad.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Good lord, I wish my sod had come up that easy from just lifting the edge.

[@RicardoHernandez-zr1pw]

This property might have new landscaping. My house had sod added right after construction. That’s probably why it’s easy to remove.

[@mikelkeith2115]

Jeff you should let it setup, then put your paver patterns in, maybe use a mortar topping, if you want a smoother look. Seal it with epoxy clear, or paint, I did my driveway with paver look, here in Ohio 3 years ago, it still looks great.

[@FreeAmerican-mm2my]

We Southerners take you comments about cold to heart. Several years ago we had snow. (Less than an inch), We shut everything down. It melted the nest day,

[@gordonturner3554]

I was an officer in the RCAF. retired. I always was of the opinion and I was proven correct that if there is a difficult job to do get the laziest people to do it. They will ALWAYS have a non labour way to do things, regardless of what was a proven way.

[@tbird2692]

I think you should try the dry pour again. Use more water next time and I think you will have the outcome you were hoping. Cheers love the videos!

[@emartinez6584]

will try this next to backdoor , Great job , but I will cover with plastic between sprays , so water has time to soak in .

[@Cheers_Warren]

I just did a 16'x11' dry pour in pa. I watched p!enty of videos first and followerd Cajun country watering instruction carefully . 3" thick over a 4" x 3/4"stone bed. First time in one go for my new shed. I radised the edges too. You did not. I have covered mine,with a tarp to cure and keep sun off. (As all concerts should be cured). Surface is solid and for the most part with a coup!e if minor issues already patched. I dry poured 3 tons of concrete in 6 hours ,biggest issue was at 65 yrs old I could not lift the 80lb bags. My shed floor will lasts for the,rest of my life, never rot like wood or have,critter living under it . I will also,have a shed I can ,drive mower straight into without going up a ramp. I don't think you tried hard enough to do a good job. I'll post pics sometime. Cheers warren

[@Cheers_Warren]

oh., about $400 of quality (80 bags) quickcrete and I used a,wire mesh.

[@jandmath]

People doesn't seem to understand what is going on when concrete is hardening. There is a chemical reaction going on, creating a lot of heat, causingconstant consumption and evaporating of the water. This reaction might not be fully done for weeks. So you should keep on watering the slab. The water ratio on the bag is the amount of water to get the right 'slump' only.

[@albertm8576]

Jeff I think it’s a water issue. The other you tube videos I’ve seen poured 2” slabs. Yours was 4”. Just my two cents but I think it was not enough water. I will be trying it myself 🤞

[@courtneylafuente613]

I love the welp, I won't be doing that again 🤣 A for effort guys, can't say you didn't try.........I came here to see if this pretty much exactly can be done.....I'm still going to try it 🤣

[@lanpc]

I’ve watched Cajun, the majority of their slabs were only 2”, not 3 1/2”, and that’s why you didn’t get good water penetration. If you’re going to do a 3 1/2’ slab, it’s best to wet pour.

[@ML-ks2lj]

I usually add water to the substrate before i do these dry pours. The best results are actually mixing concrete though it only takes a few minutes in anwheel barrow i csn have 6 bags of cincrete mixed in 3 sessions in about 10 minutes

[@deathwheel27]

Hello, what is the best way/concrete patch to fill in "V'd out" cracks in a Wisconsin driveway? Any info will be greatly appreciated. I used patch i bought from menards and it failed. Someone suggested Ardex??

[@robertdaoust5691]

There's a reason people don't do dry pours.....it will be interesting to see what the slab looks like next spring.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

looking forward to checking it out for sure. Cheers!

[@gsxrsquid]

when you screed it, the fines come to the top. That is why you had the crust that comes apart. No aggregate for strength. You can get the same effect if you overwork wet concrete or if the mix is too wet. The heavy aggregate will sink and the lighter cement slurry comes to the surface.

[@andreww7857]

Did I see that you didn’t go over the top edges with an edging tool? I think Ive seen most dry pours edge the slab so they don’t chip like yours. I also wish you’d use th method that others have. It seemed like you made up your own. Don’t get me wrong, I love your content

[@OneWildTurkey]

It always looks like the dry pour process is more work than just mixing it normally. Also, doesn't the process of concreting need a chemical process to happen equally throughout the whole project, at the same time?

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

Matt needs to intern with me at the cemetery sometime. I'll teach him how to cut sod. And use a proper shovel. Giving him that little thing to do it? That's just mean.

[@The_R_Vid]

I'd love to see the details of adding the trim around the entry door. It wasn't there in the last one, and now POOF! there it is.

[@thesquirrel6141]

I've dry poured for fence posts before. Months later, I've removed the posts and found powder in the middle of the blocks, despite having a very wet summer. Even when dry pouring works, it usually doesn't work well. A concrete company rep explained why its a bad idea. In theory, you can pour dry and be ok, but you need to have the concrete uniformly wet, at the correct percentage. You need to be able to guestimate exactly how wet/dry the middle of the slab is and how much of the water is being absorbed, rather than evaporating and running off the ends. It's far easier to either wet as you pour the bags, or just mix it in a barrow. Either way, it's faster than the dry pour and far easier than cleaning up a failed pour.

[@Andy-jl2rm]

How many bags did you use?

[@ladypants2972]

I couldnt believe you weren't wearing masks/eye protection when pouring the dry concrete! The dust was up in your face...inhaling that stuff is dangerous!!

[@jaswats9645]

It is if you do it everyday. Prob not a huge deal once.

[@brianownsvzw]

He’s great but he never wears ppe.

[@ammaryousif8209]

Hi, do you build sheds in Michigan state?

[@adamburnette]

I've never done it but most say you need to water it every 30 minutes for 6-8 hours.

[@GenerousFarmer]

I'm no expert but I would think it was due to that first misting had something to do with it seemed like top layer got much harder. Perhaps more misting in beginning stages?

[@user-ll1pe5wb7d]

Hello. Do you write a scope of work for your projects? Some people asked me to have one and I usually worked without it, everything in my mind. Don't even know how to make one

[@lyoubomiratanassov7357]

The amount of water that is prescribed on the bag is if you mix completely and pour wet, and it's good to put the exact amount in that first step, or you will lose some strength. After the concrete starts to harden, which is roughly in a couple of hours, any more water your pour will actually make it stronger by providing moisture for curing, and any extra water will just get washed away (of course you have to be careful to not damage the surface, while watering ) In contrast, in dry pour concrete does not get wet evenly, and also a lot of water is getting lost due to evaporation or being washed before it even touches dry mix, so you should probably water even more liberally and even more times than prescribed by Cajun Country Living, which was a couple of waterings per inch of thickness If remember correctly, but more than that will only help, and less as you already know may hurt. Also as a side note, I don't personally think rolling the surface of a dry pour makes much sense. If you really want to get nice, high quality surface you need a wet pour and you have to polish it and you can even add some sealer. For a dry pour just make sure it is well compacted, level it up and water, and it's probably better to stick to thinner slabs.

[@petevonschondorf4609]

Evaporation and wood moisture absorption?

[@holymolypolybear]

Could you please do heavy duty dry concrete pour too? For the parking lot drive way. Such as parking pick up truck

[@question_it_701]

Dry pour are inferior. Watch the test just done on Komar Project channel.

[@ihsaa44]

You have to put much more water. The bag’s instructions are to mix not for dry pour. If I have to do this method (which probably I don’t) I will saturate the bed before placing any dry concrete, then I will place 1” dry concrete layer and again spray water over that layer, another dry concrete layer, reinforcement and water spray. I will do till the last top layer where I will clean it and make any pattern before mist (not spray at this layer). Excessively poured water shouldn’t hurt this method because you are not mixing water which can create air bubbles and separates aggregate while mixing.

[@stanleykeith6969]

That cement will fail that you put down as loose out of the bag ! It's always best to mix your cement with water and mix it well.

[@tengdayz2]

We all now likely realize that only paste-like concrete gets strong. Nothing wrong with learning experiences other than the prolonged eating of the carrot at the end of the stick, which actually makes it taste better.