Concrete chipped after install!?

Just had a new driveway and front porch poured. Saw cut lines are chipped and there’s random quarter sized chips throughout. I’ve attached pictures. This doesn’t seem normal, but I know nothing about concrete. The contractor said the chips won’t spread. He was here power washing this morning after removing the blankets and said some of the chips are from trying to power wash the berry stains from a tree in the front yard.

Should I be concerned about the overall strength of the concrete in the future? Or is this just cosmetic?

Thanks in advance

Attachments:

1. 

   CF22BC0D-DE51-46B4-8B0A-437CBA3C9551.jpeg
   

berry stains… that’s original

Nope I’d be pissed. Tell him it needs to be fixed. How do the berries get through the blankets ?

J L wrote:

Just had a new driveway and front porch poured. Saw cut lines are chipped and there’s random quarter sized chips throughout. I’ve attached pictures. This doesn’t seem normal, but I know nothing about concrete. The contractor said the chips won’t spread. He was here power washing this morning after removing the blankets and said some of the chips are from trying to power wash the berry stains from a tree in the front yard.

Should I be concerned about the overall strength of the concrete in the future? Or is this just cosmetic?

Thanks in advance

It is probably due to cold temperatures during curing. I wouldn’t say you should be worried about overall strength but you will see that spot everyday you walk out! I would say you’d have a tough time pinning this on the contractor to replace though.

That looks like spalling to me. That’s on an edge and probably still had some freezing even with the blankets. Those can be patched but get it sealed ASAP. Power washing green concrete seems like a stupid move to me but what do I know.

Yeah the temps have been fluctuating from 40’s to 50’s during the day and 20’s to 30’s at night. Wondering if that played a role..
As long as this doesn’t reveal issues with the overall integrity.

J L wrote:

As long as this doesn’t reveal issues with the overall integrity.

No, just cosmetic. HD and Lowes sells a concrete patch paste you can cover them up with.

Did it freeze and not cure correctly? I wouldn’t accept it.

Long term… you gotta get rid of the berry tree or this keeps happening…

big_g wrote:

Long term… you gotta get rid of the berry tree or this keeps happening…

This seems like berry bad advice

Your contractor is an idiot. You NEVER power wash concrete that hasn’t cured for a MINIMUM of 30 day from date of pour. Can be longer depending on conditions. What happens is the pressure degrades the surface/finish and it flakes off. Where is the missing piece? Contact the concrete company that supplied the mix. They have people that will come look at it and are usually very good at trouble shooting your problem. Tell them exactly what happened. The company that the mix came from can be your greatest ally when going after the contractor for replacement. Also DO NOT make final payment to the contractor until they warranty the concrete from future flaking. Make that warranty for a MINIMUM of 1 year. I’m willing to bet your going to see many more problems then just that spot. I’ve been working as a batchman in a concrete plant for many years. So I’ve seen A LOT of stupid thing done by people that call themselves a concrete contractor. Any fool can pour and screed concrete. Not all can make it look nice and have it last.

Just take look at this video. Looks like your concrete.

That looks like a power washout spot to me. He focused the wash wand on the berry spot for too long and cut through the green surface of the concrete. I’d rather have had the berry spots. The concrete may not have frozen but in cool overnight temps under blankets the surface was not set enough to resist the powerwash. I’d avoid road salts on that slab until next summer. I am in the old school group but late Dec. is not a good time to place ground slabs. Ground temps are near frozen, six inches of concrete doesn’t generate much heat when its curing. It’s not gaining any strength this week with the temps below freezing day and night. Put the blankets back on. I’d wait to pay in full if you can.

The post above me is right. Contact the Ready-Mix supplier.

How long does it take to cure in these temps?

I went through something similar when my shop was built. Poured the concrete floor and it got unexpectedly cold. Had a few spots like that

Advice ranged from don’t worry about it to tear it all out.

After a lot of anxiety I had the contractor patch the spots and got a slight price reduction and it’s held up OK. I won’t be having any concrete work done anywhere near winter going forward though.

iowa_josh wrote:

How long does it take to cure in these temps?

temps here in ohio haven’t been too bad. 40’s to 50’s during day and most nights staying above freezing.

I was told 2 weeks before driving on it.

lindyrig79 wrote:

I went through something similar when my shop was built. Poured the concrete floor and it got unexpectedly cold. Had a few spots like that

Advice ranged from don’t worry about it to tear it all out.

After a lot of anxiety I had the contractor patch the spots and got a slight price reduction and it’s held up OK. I won’t be having any concrete work done anywhere near winter going forward though.

Its been non stop anxiety. Ill work on getting it patched by them. Family did the job so thats where it gets tricky. And yes, ive learned my lesson the hard way lol. I got quite a price break anyways, as it was 17 yards of concrete for $8k

bassmaster wrote:

Your contractor is an idiot. You NEVER power wash concrete that hasn’t cured for a MINIMUM of 30 day from date of pour. Can be longer depending on conditions. What happens is the pressure degrades the surface/finish and it flakes off. Where is the missing piece? Contact the concrete company that supplied the mix. They have people that will come look at it and are usually very good at trouble shooting your problem. Tell them exactly what happened. The company that the mix came from can be your greatest ally when going after the contractor for replacement. Also DO NOT make final payment to the contractor until they warranty the concrete from future flaking. Make that warranty for a MINIMUM of 1 year. I’m willing to bet your going to see many more problems then just that spot. I’ve been working as a batchman in a concrete plant for many years. So I’ve seen A LOT of stupid thing done by people that call themselves a concrete contractor. Any fool can pour and screed concrete. Not all can make it look nice and have it last.

A 1 year warranty was included, I made sure of that. As far as the integrity of the concrete, with your experience, is there anything to worry about? With it obviously being cause by the power washer, does it show pre-mature signs of anything else? Temps have been fluctuating from 30’s-50’s and the blankets have been down for the first week.

Thanks for your detailed response.

I would make sure and at least get it patched, water in that pit then freezing and thawing may create a much bigger problem as the freezing cracks out more concrete.

I would get it patched ASAP, and with those temps you are just fine, from the photo that Cement is super green. I would give it a extra week to be safe.

J L wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bassmaster wrote:</div>
Your contractor is an idiot. You NEVER power wash concrete that hasn’t cured for a MINIMUM of 30 day from date of pour. Can be longer depending on conditions. What happens is the pressure degrades the surface/finish and it flakes off. Where is the missing piece? Contact the concrete company that supplied the mix. They have people that will come look at it and are usually very good at trouble shooting your problem. Tell them exactly what happened. The company that the mix came from can be your greatest ally when going after the contractor for replacement. Also DO NOT make final payment to the contractor until they warranty the concrete from future flaking. Make that warranty for a MINIMUM of 1 year. I’m willing to bet your going to see many more problems then just that spot. I’ve been working as a batchman in a concrete plant for many years. So I’ve seen A LOT of stupid thing done by people that call themselves a concrete contractor. Any fool can pour and screed concrete. Not all can make it look nice and have it last.

A 1 year warranty was included, I made sure of that. As far as the integrity of the concrete, with your experience, is there anything to worry about? With it obviously being cause by the power washer, does it show pre-mature signs of anything else? Temps have been fluctuating from 30’s-50’s and the blankets have been down for the first week.

Thanks for your detailed response.

For as green as your concrete is, it’s a very real possibility that the power washer forced water threw the surface of the concrete. Concrete is porous thus the reason for sealing it. What happens is water is forced into the surface and will flake off the surface due to moisture in the surface. The same as if you spray water on the surface when poured to get the cream to rise. Excessive water makes for weaker concrete. Concrete has small air bubbles in it. These air bubbles allow for expansion and contraction of the concrete with the changing temps. Water washes these minute bubbles out so the concrete has no room to move around. Good luck with how you handle this. As mentioned before contact the company the mix came from to get there support if you need to take legal action. Only time is going to tell if your going to have any issues. With any luck you will be fine but it can go the other way and that’s what you need to be prepared for. Concrete takes 28 days to cure. That’s how long the chemical reaction that takes place in it lasts. In the perfect world you would keep off it for that long, but after a week you NORMALLY can use it. Good Luck

J L wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bassmaster wrote:</div>
Your contractor is an idiot. You NEVER power wash concrete that hasn’t cured for a MINIMUM of 30 day from date of pour. Can be longer depending on conditions. What happens is the pressure degrades the surface/finish and it flakes off. Where is the missing piece? Contact the concrete company that supplied the mix. They have people that will come look at it and are usually very good at trouble shooting your problem. Tell them exactly what happened. The company that the mix came from can be your greatest ally when going after the contractor for replacement. Also DO NOT make final payment to the contractor until they warranty the concrete from future flaking. Make that warranty for a MINIMUM of 1 year. I’m willing to bet your going to see many more problems then just that spot. I’ve been working as a batchman in a concrete plant for many years. So I’ve seen A LOT of stupid thing done by people that call themselves a concrete contractor. Any fool can pour and screed concrete. Not all can make it look nice and have it last.

A 1 year warranty was included, I made sure of that. As far as the integrity of the concrete, with your experience, is there anything to worry about? With it obviously being cause by the power washer, does it show pre-mature signs of anything else? Temps have been fluctuating from 30’s-50’s and the blankets have been down for the first week.

Thanks for your detailed response.

Blankets were down for the first week before he power washed it? Or he removed the blankets the next day to cut control joints and power washed it then ? Clarify the timeline a little please.

Blankets were down for the first week before he power washed it? Or he removed the blankets the next day to cut control joints and power washed it then ? Clarify the timeline a little please.
[/quote]

—————–
concrete was poured Dec 23 (weds)
control joints and blankets down 1 day later (thurs)
blankets removed and power washed 6 days later (dec 30)

The concrete should NEVER have been power washed prior to 28 days. The blankets should have been put down as soon as the mix would hold up to the weight. Cutting the next day is usually ok. When you pour in cold temps you gamble that the mix wont freeze or get so cold that it interrupts the chemical reaction that takes place and weakens the final product. The length of time to leave blankets on is dependent on the low temps. Some cases a week if fine others two weeks isn’t long enough. Ive seen times when contractors have had to add heat to concrete blankets to keep it warm enough.