Interesting Reading

The concrete industry is facing an unprecedented challenge, and it's time we talked about the elephant in the room: Type IL cement and its impact on finishing operations. While the cement industry quietly transitions to this "environmentally friendly" alternative, contractors across the nation are grappling with a material that's fundamentally different from what they've used for decades.

After 30+ years in concrete finishing, I'm witnessing unprecedented surface issues across our industry. The root cause? A perfect storm of changes that nobody's talking about.

Again I read a series of studies that concentrate ONLY on concrete compressive value limited to the 28 day strength. Interestingly, there are discrepancies that are noted but not investigated, even as the discrepancies threaten to undo the data that was apparently the original objective.

Let me tell you something that keeps me up at night: we're completely dropping the ball on concrete curing. It's not just a small oversight - it's a massive failure that's costing us millions in repairs and replacements. And the worst part? Almost nobody's talking about it.

For several decades, like many others, I was taught and led to believe that all flooring and coating failures were caused by moisture migration from the underside of concrete.

For decades, the concrete industry has been chasing a mirage. We've poured billions into developing fancy new coatings, sealants, and curing compounds, all promising to be the solution to concrete's perennial problems: cracking, spalling, and degradation. But in our pursuit of the latest quick fix, we've forgotten a fundamental truth about concrete. The real enemy isn't the elements – it's ourselves. And the solution lies not in some expensive add-on but in understanding and addressing the inherent flaws at the very heart of concrete itself.

In the pursuit of ever-stronger concrete, the industry has embraced mixes with high compressive strengths and safety factors. While these metrics may seem desirable, they actually promote detrimental practices that compromise concrete's durability, sustainability, and workability. It's time to reassess our priorities and get back to basics.