Misread the slump specs on a 4,000 psi mix in Atlanta last Tuesday

I was pouring a driveway near Buckhead and the engineer called for a 4 inch slump. I figured it was standard residential stuff, no big deal. But the mix they sent was way stiffer than I expected - took me and my partner nearly 4 hours to get everything screeded and bull floated when it should've been a 2 hour job. Anyone else run into mix designs that sound simple on paper but fight you the whole way?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_drew25d ago

Yeah, it's funny how something that reads fine on paper can completely throw your whole day off. Kinda makes you realize how much of a difference a tiny change in the mix makes, even when you think you know exactly what you're getting into. Does your supplier ever let you swap batches when it's way off from the spec?

sageallen25d ago

Three weeks ago I got a batch that was supposed to be their standard blend and it was almost like they forgot one of the core ingredients. Completely threw off three days of work before I figured out what was going on. It's rough when you plan around a specific profile and get something totally different. My supplier has swapped batches for me maybe twice in the last year, but only when I caught it within a day or two of receiving it. They usually blame it on the raw materials being inconsistent that season. I feel like that's just part of the game now though, you know?