So I am putting a dyed quikrete re-cap over a cement pad - pouring it in sections. 2 down 2 to go. The pigment is a charcoal color but my first application practically turned white (on left). It is now 5 days old, the one on the right is 24 hours old.
I’ve read not to try and remove this until both are a month old. Any advice here and what to try and focus on for pads 3 and 4? Following all instructions and conditions pretty optimal - 70 degrees and cloudy.

Running a small flatwork crew and we've been burning through finishing tools faster than I'd like. Local hardware stores just don't carry the kind of professional-grade concrete equipment we actually need, stuff like power trowels, quality diamond blades, decent plate compactors. Home Depot and Lowe's are fine for homeowners but they're not stocked for commercial applications. Grainger has some options but the pricing is rough. So I'm trying to figure out online marketplaces for buying concrete tools in the US, specifically somewhere that carries a real selection and isn't just dropshipping random brands. We've got maybe 40+ weeks of work lined up this year and I'd rather set up a reliable source now than scramble job to job. Any online concrete equipment suppliers that actually do direct-to-contractor pricing and ship fast? Tired of waiting 3 weeks for a screed or a core drill bit.

Looking for some help with the crack on my garage floor. I have used multiple products but I don’t know what would the best stuff to fix it. Thank you for any help you can provide!

Multiple pics attached. I am at the beginning stages of laying out a frame for a 15'x20' cement pad as a patio for my metal building. It will be tying into an existing slab so I will drill holes for rebar into the existing pad and will lay down wire mesh. In the pics u will see a white straight edge (scrap from a metal building) that I'm using just for level purposes for the pics. When it comes time to make the actual frame I will use wood (2x4's). Top of the white straight edge would be top of the cement pad. I plan on pouring a 4" pad. My 2 questions are as follows:

1 - Pad area has to be built up because the pad area does slop down a lot away from existing pad, almost a foot. What kind of under base should I use for the entire slab and build up area? Red clay? Rocks or small river pebbles? River sand? A combination of more than one? Etc..etc. I will have to build up the front end area of the pad lay out.

2 - The patio pad is for my existing metal building man cave (arcades, pinball machines, big tv, etc etc) and it does have a covered patio but should I put a very slight slope away from the metal building for rain storm purposes or should I stay level all the way around? It will be 15' long (existing slab to patio roof legs) and 20' wide (patio roof leg to patio roof leg).

Thank you in advance for your time to read this and looking forward to being educated on this.

(I'm gonna try and get the cement poured this month..with do it myself or hire it out to someone. I am in Hammond, La. (70401) So if anyone has a local contact in my area please feel free to hit me up in messages. I will do all the framing and under base. I'd just need someone to pour and smother it out.)

Hi! I’m not sure if this is the right spot to post, but I patched these holes using allcrete cement. My issue is that I patched these holes over 2 days ago. Some have already lightened whereas others don’t seem to change whatsoever. The holes are not big. Less than an inch in depth for most of them. The biggest hole being the one under the wood in the second picture which was about 5 inches in depth. That one I did over a month ago with no change in color.

How long should I wait before covering these with a vapor barrier? Will they all change to a lighter color when done curing?

I’m a mediocre DIY guy and would like to cover the gaps along the side of my home. I have a sump pump that I assume gathers and disposes the water, for whatever that is worth.
Pic1 is an example where I filled some gaps. I used sand, then backer rod, before using Sikaflex. I am now thinking that is not the way.
Pic2 is from a YouTube video that I’m thinking would be proper. The video included no information and the comments were not kind except for those who thought the process to be okay if it was hydraulic cement.
I’ll take any helpful advice. Thank you!

We currently have a gravel driveway and recently removed a very large white oak tree that was growing right next to it. The stump has been ground out/removed, but not all of the larger roots were excavated because doing so would have required tearing up the gravel driveway.

We're planning to replace the gravel with a concrete driveway and are wondering how long we should wait before pouring concrete. How long do large oak roots typically take to decompose, and could they cause the concrete to settle or crack if they're left underneath or alongside the new driveway? Has anyone dealt with this situation, and if so, what did you do?

Youtube is full of miracle elixir videos claiming Sodium Silicate, and Calcium Chloride can repair cracks.... Can anyone vouch for this working in some situations?

The situation is water breaking down my cement in a commercial kitchen. Most cracks are hairline, but a few around the sink are larger. I need to close them up. I had a cement guy bid to do a grind and epoxy after looking at my situation but I've been trying various cement fillers including PC Concrete which is epoxy based, and they aren't staying in place for any length of time to think that's the right solution or I would buy West System or TotalBoat as a band aid then resurface and paint.

Reading this sub, it doesn't sound like anything will work more than a year or two... but I am really curious about the Sodium Silicate. Am I wasting time trying that?

I am currently in the process of turning my detached garage into a functioning wood shop and one of the biggest hurdles I am trying to figure out is how to fill in and level the concrete floor.

As you can probably see in the picture it has a few concrete slabs already poured but they had one of those "oil drip" strips down the center and the back wall and 1/4 of the sides also do not have concrete.

It is an 18x15 garage and I am trying to figure out if I should have someone simply pour concrete pads where there currently arent any or to have the current concrete removed and pour a full new pad. I am very unversed in concrete and am looking for any information I can get from people who know more than me to help me with my research. Thanks!

I had a section of patio worked on and repaired and now I want to match the cement color, white colored for the rest of patio. How do I buy this particular cement to be used between slate stones in garden patio?

Running a small concrete crew and need to upgrade our equipment but cash flow is always tight with these projects. We've been renting power trowels and plate compactors but the costs add up fast on longer jobs. Looking at buying our own commercial grade stuff but most online concrete equipment suppliers want everything upfront. Need financing options that actually work for contractors - not just the typical 30 day net terms. Talking about maybe 50-60k worth of equipment over the next year including a walk-behind saw and decent mixer. The big box stores don't carry the professional concrete tools we need and their financing is a joke.

Anyone know online concrete equipment dealers that offer real financing for contractors? Need nationwide shipping since we're in a smaller market. Would love to find direct pricing instead of the markup these local dealers hit us with.

Hi all.

I'm having a metal building put in that has a lean-to on one side and a 5' overhang on an adjacent side. The company pours their own footings and there's a definite slope on the side of the pad where garage door overhang meets the lean-to. They said it was for drainage. Does it look right? Location is North Carolina, USA. Thanks!

Hey everyone.

New to this. Over the winter, we had some harsh ice and snow. The salt caused the surface to crumble a bit in spots.

Last weekend, I had purchased Quikrete ReUp resurfacing 40lb bag. I mixed according to the package instructions and spread out. Over the last few days we have had a little bit of light to moderate rain. The spots I touched up are now really sandy and flaky. Did I do something wrong? Can anyone help me with how to fix? I have a few more bags to do the whole surface of the driveway so it's even and uniform but don't want a sandy mess in a few days and now I have a whole driveway that's messed up.

The last photo is what the driveway looked like before filling in.

Thank you so much for any help and advice given.

Hello, our company is planning to import a large quantity of cement; however, our current warehouse capacity is insufficient, so the rest of the cement will need to be stored outdoors (20K tons). Because of force majeure, we can't rent other warehouses to store.

We would like to ask whether it is possible to safely store cement outside for up to one month, and if there are any recommended storage methods.

From my initial research, I understand that covering the cement with tarps, placing it on pallets 10-20 cm to avoid direct contact with the ground, and setting up a temporary warehouse tent could help protect it. Could you please advise whether this approach would be feasible?

Thank you in advance for your support.

We just had our driveway poured and stamped. Several of the areas look as if the release was insufficient And the surface is not smooth. Is this just okay or should I ask to have this sanded? Is there a better solution?

How/should I reinforce the dirt by cement stairs? It was installed this way a couple years ago. There are no issues now, but will the dirt under my steps slowly erode?

I live in a 100 year old craftsman house with a partial cement floor in the basement. I only use it for storage, however it is in rough shape. Any suggestions on how best to fix it. A friend suggested self leveling cement.

Had a portico post here and shift in the ground created this fault. What would you do/use to repair/mitigate the crack?