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Rant: I used to fight with my trowel for hours on hot pours until a guy in Phoenix showed me his spray bottle trick last summer.
Honestly, I'd mist the surface with a fine spray of water from a $5 bottle before my final pass, which gave me way more working time and a smoother finish, so has anyone else got a simple hack for fighting the sun?
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beth_butler7522d agoMost Upvoted
That PVC shade setup is one of those things that looks janky but works like a charm. I've seen guys in Vegas with basically the same rig - just a tarp and some plumbing pipe, and theyd put it right behind them so it blocks the sun without getting in the way of the pour. The key is setting it up low enough that it doesn't catch the wind and become a flying hazard. Even a small 4x4 patch of shade can keep your surface from setting up too fast and save your trowel work. Another thing I picked up was wetting down the surrounding concrete or ground before you start, helps keep that ambient heat down around your spot. Curious if anyone's tried using a cheap sprayer with a mist setting instead of a bottle.
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val3233mo ago
That spray bottle trick is a total game changer for sure. Saw an old timer in Tucson use a cheap sunshade made from PVC pipe and a drop cloth. He'd just set it up over his section when the sun got mean. Basically gave him a little patch of shade to work in. Made a huge difference on those brutal afternoon pours.
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