Post Pour Concrete Inspection Review

This lesson explains how concrete cures and walks through the next steps as you prepare to hand the project to other trades.

First, it’s important to understand how concrete cures. Curing is the process of protecting concrete from moisture loss and keeping it within a reasonable temperature range; the result is greater strength, lower permeability, and fewer cracks. Remember that curing is a process, not a measure of strength. You’ve likely heard concrete takes 28 days to reach full strength—that 28-day mark is an industry-standard basis for comparing compressive strength, but it doesn’t determine whether the concrete meets the requirement for a given application. As long as the minimum compressive strength is reached before the structure is put into service, the timeframe itself isn’t the deciding factor.

As a general guideline: concrete reaches about 25% of design strength after 24 hours, 50% after three days, 75% after one week, and full design strength after 28 days—continuing to gain strength as water keeps moving out.

Be sure to clean after pouring concrete. After the pour, walk the site and clean up. Scrape floors clear of debris and spillage and dust concrete off the walls with a soft broom, avoiding the bracing and scaffolding. Doing this quickly after the pour saves significant time and labor.

Lastly, you will need to understand the timeline for concrete curing and strength. After three days, install the top plate and floor system, and you can hand the structure to other trades—cautiously, since full design strength hasn’t been reached, so framers should be especially careful around headers. Wait three days before stacking any additional courses. After seven days, the bracing system can be removed; if you’re going up another story, install the floor system before removing bracing. After 14 days, vertical bracing can come off doors and windows if necessary, though it’s best to leave it as long as possible. After 28 days, all bracing—including doors and windows—can be removed if not already done.