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KRed75 t1_j6khee7 wrote

Reply to comment by syco54645 in Can this concrete be salvaged? by md9918

Plasticizer in concrete is like magic as the video shows. By the downvotes I've been getting, It's clear that there's a huge misconception that concrete should have so much water that it's liquid to do its job properly which is completely false. The more water, the weaker concrete becomes. It's harder to work when there's not a lot of water though which is why one should use plasticizer instead of adding more water.

Powder plasticizer is best because it has a much longer shelf life. liquid plasticizer has a very short shelf life. If one buys it from a big box store, one should check the expiration date because it won't work if it's much older than that expiration date. The liquid plasticizer at most big box stores is long ago expired.

I used to own a construction business and to keep cost down, I bought a concrete business and a drywall business. Actually made more money off those doing jobs for other companies than I did building houses but I'm an expert in everything concrete. Most companies would water down their mix and add too much aggregate and sand to save money. That's wrong and that's fraud. We did it correctly and would use plasticizer if doing jobs that required nice finish work such as counter tops or concrete walls that were to be the visible finished product. Lots of vibration is needed as well to eliminate voids.

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