Pro Tip

Laying Concrete in a Time Crunch

Successfully laying concrete quickly and efficiently is an important skill for professional contractors. Whether it’s a high-traffic area and you need to minimize any inconvenience to your client, or you’re just aiming to increase your team’s efficiency and maximize your time, Sakrete offers specialty concrete mixes and accelerants to deliver excellent results while helping you complete the job more efficiently.

Use a Rapid-Setting Mix

Sakrete’s Fast Setting Concrete Mix will be your best start for a job where concrete needs to set quickly and potentially be used in the same day. This mix is a pre-blended fast setting mixture of special cementitious materials, sand and coarse aggregate. It is a versatile product in that it can be used for several applications, including driveways, slabs, patios, walkways, curbs, stairs, ramps and fence posts.

Features include:

• High strength 4,000 psi
• Full depth applications 2″ or greater
• Ideal for structural applications requiring a small volume of concrete
• Rapid setting in approximately 30 minutes, resulting in same-day use

Consider an Accelerator

Accelerators such as Sakrete’s Cement Mix Accelerator are options to speed up the set time of certain products. The Cement Mix Accelerator is also helpful for cold weather applications. However, it is important to note that it is never recommended to pour concrete if you anticipate temperatures lower than 40°F over the following three days.

Cement Mix Accelerator features include:

• Accelerates set time of portland-based products
• Provides faster set time
• Does not impact portland cement-based products’ performance
• Can be mixed with concrete mixes, mortar mixes and sand mixes

Set Accelerator features include:

• Speed the set time of concrete and mortar
• Ideal for cold weather applications
• Contains calcium chloride
• Use with mixing water

Questions? Consult our technical team to identify the best products for your job. Or if you’re ready to get started, visit our Concrete Calculator to start planning. You can also watch one of our simple how-to videos that will show you the step-by-step process for your project, such as Installing a Concrete Slab.