Concrete Contracting FAQs

Most crews advise waiting 24 to 48 hours for light foot traffic. Stamped finishes may need an extra day, and edges stay softer for longer.

Wait about seven days before driving a car on new concrete. By then the slab reaches roughly 70 percent of its strength, enough for cars.

Heavy vehicles such as trucks, RVs, and dumpsters should wait the full 28 days. That is when concrete reaches its design strength under normal conditions.

Light items like bikes, trash cans, and a mower can usually return after about five days. Keep heavier loads off until a week has passed.

Four inches is the standard slab thickness for passenger-car driveways. Thicker slabs or reinforcement suit heavier vehicles, and the compacted base matters just as much.

Ready-mix concrete should be placed within about 90 minutes of batching, before it starts setting in the truck. Crews schedule pours tightly for that reason.

Concrete cures; it does not dry. Water reacts with cement in a chemical process that builds strength for weeks, so keeping moisture in early matters.

Suppliers break sample cylinders at 7 and 28 days. Day seven shows roughly 70 percent of strength, and day 28 is the standard design measure.

Yes, over a sound, clean slab. A thin overlay works there, but cracked, heaved, or crumbling concrete usually needs removal first because defects show through.

Driving on new concrete too early can leave tire marks, chip edges, and start hairline cracks. The slab may be weaker than it should be.