Radiant Heat and Concrete

To stop concrete from cracking, the first thing to understand about concrete is that it reacts to moisture. The moisture within it creates a chemical reaction that hardens the concrete.

Many people believe that once concrete appears lighter in color, with a hard surface that it is dry, but in reality concrete takes at least seven days to cure and several weeks to completely dry.

For concrete to become strong and for the surface to wear well, curing concrete needs moisture. Concrete needs to dry out at a slow continuous pace; otherwise shrinking and cracking will likely occur.

The strength of concrete when accurately cured is about 80 to 100 per cent higher than concrete, that hasn