I tried the damp-dry-damp thing briefly too, but honestly didn't see any noticeable difference in cracking or strength once I stopped fussing over it. Proper mixing and steady curing conditions seemed way more impactful overall...and less stressful.
- Totally get where you're coming from. I messed around with the damp-dry-damp method a few times, and honestly, it felt more like superstition than science to me.
- For what it's worth, my foundations turned out just fine without all that extra fussing. Mixing consistency and steady curing conditions seemed way more important in my experience too.
- I mean, sure, if you've got the time and patience, maybe damp-dry-damp helps slightly in some scenarios...but I couldn't see any real difference either. And hey, if cutting out unnecessary steps reduces stress and doesn't compromise quality, that's a win in my book.
- One thing I learned the hard way though: don't underestimate proper reinforcement placement. Had a buddy who skipped that step thinking it wouldn't matter much. Let's just say his garage floor taught him otherwise...
- Anyway, sounds like you're on the right track. DIY concrete work can be intimidating at first, but once you find your groove (and learn to ignore some of the overly complicated advice), it's actually pretty satisfying.
- Totally agree on reinforcement placement—seen more than a few DIY projects go sideways because someone underestimated rebar spacing or depth. Personally, I experimented once with adding fibers to the mix instead of traditional mesh, and it actually worked surprisingly well. Not saying it's a magic bullet, but sometimes trying something slightly unconventional can pay off. Concrete's tricky enough without overcomplicating it unnecessarily...
I've seen fibers used before, and while I'm glad it worked out for you, my experience was a bit less impressive. Helped a buddy pour a small slab for his shed a couple years back, and he insisted on going fiber-only—no mesh or rebar at all. Honestly, I was skeptical from the start, but hey, not my shed, right?
Anyway, the slab looked great at first, but within about six months we started noticing hairline cracks popping up here and there. Nothing catastrophic, mind you, but enough to make me think twice about skipping traditional reinforcement entirely. Maybe it was the soil prep or curing conditions... who knows? Concrete can be finicky like that.
I guess my takeaway is that fibers might be fine as an addition or in certain situations, but I'd still hesitate to rely solely on them for anything structural or load-bearing. Call me old-fashioned, but there's something reassuring about seeing that grid of steel before the pour goes down.
Had a similar experience myself. Helped my dad pour a patio slab a while back, and he wanted to try fibers instead of mesh. I wasn't totally sold, but figured we'd give it a shot. Sure enough, after about a year, we had some cracks—not terrible, but noticeable enough to bug me every time I walked by. Like you said, maybe it was prep or curing...but I'm sticking with rebar from now on.
