5 days drying time
Allow the concrete slab to harden for 2 days. Then grind the slab smooth, removing the concrete skin which “opens” the concrete and allows the slab to dry faster.
Once the grinding is finished, construction work can continue. As the slab is smooth from the grinding, no self-levelling compound is required. However, it must be watered and covered with plastic to avoid shrinkage cracks.
Option
Allow the concrete slab to harden while watering it under plastic for 7 days. Then grinding can commence and no more watering is required.
Advantages
Significantly shorter construction time
Lower costs
Less edge work
Fewer risks
Environmentally-friendly construction process
The importance of a good casting
The smoothness of the concrete slab from the casting and the size of the grinding machine determine how fast the concrete slab can be finished.
Example – grinding with an HTC 950 RX
Class A cast concrete is +/- 3 mm on a 2 m straight-edge board = around 40m² an hour.
Class B cast concrete is +/- 5 mm on a 2 m straight-edge board = around 20m² an hour.