Dry Pouring Concrete-This Might Have Been a Mistake! 

Needed to soak the concrete 3x for 3 inch thickness. You didn't soak it enough, that's why the middle part is clipping. Definitely a learning experience.

I have been doing Concrete for 32yrs from massive Warehouse slabs, Driveways. Deck Posts, Fence Posts, Small slabs, Sidewalks. The Best, Strongest, Fastest Cure is to use Water! If you have water, USE IT!! My 32yr Opnion!!

I bet if you do it again with more water all the way around, you’ll be happy. This was a good learning experience 👍👏

You never know until you try and thanks for trying and like you say, it might help others as well.

Your stacking of the cement bags went in time with your music 😊😊. I noticed again. The pigs are happy 😊😊🚜🚜🌿🌷🌷🌿🚜🚜

I've never done dry setting a stab, but I have dry set fence posts for over 40 years.

Tyler, you were extremely kind to the proponents of this path of concrete mixing. Keep cool!

FYI concrete will cure better in water than in the dry. Concrete does not have to be dry to cure. When you do a wet pour you can put more Portland in the mix to make it stronger. I think you can make this work for you when your not afraid to put too much water. I I enjoy your content.

I like that you’re willing to try new things…thanks for sharing!

Well you constantly try different things. That, my friend, is how you gain character and wisdom. I admire you and your family for so many things. I am honored that you chose to share your world with me. I look forward to your videos so again, thank you. 😊

Cie la vie. We try, sometimes it works out, sometime we fail. Every time (hopefully) we learn.

That looked so easy! You do such amazing work, I love watching you! Good job 👍

Very interesting. I have never heard of this technique. Let's see how it goes. Happy 4th to you and your family.

I don't know if you care, but I have done about a dozen dry pours now. My first few turned out like yours. But after much research and trial and error it is getting much better. Im about to drop some videos soon on how I do it. But some quick tips, dry pour is nothing like wet pour. It takes much longer to cure. You need to leave it in the forms for about 3 days and you need to soak it a lot. You are not going to get professional results with dry pour. I had 2 pads wet poured 2 years ago for $12000. They look professionally done. I just poured a 16x28 dry pour myself for my shelter logic. It does not look professionally done. Cheapest quote I got for 16x28 slab was $10000. I did it, by myself at my leisure for the cost of the concrete and rebar for about $1700. Remember, it takes longer to cure than dry pour, it needs more frequent watering during the cure then dry pour. If you wanted wet pour results, do not attempt dry pour. Dry pour concrete is for someone who wants concrete slabs at a 25% of the cost with 90% of the strength and 90% of the look. Im sure there are some out there that can get 100% of the strength and look, but I have not reached that level, and have not seen anything on the RU-vids about it either. Practice makes perfect.

FT, I have always been weary about dry pouring cemen. Please keep us posted on future results. Thanks.

always a pleasure to watch Farmer Tyler Ranch😎

Farmer tyler ranch I hope you have a great weekend

Thanks for sharing farmer tyler ranch I enjoyed the video and

It’s all a learning process. And glad you are not giving up but are trying again

Another educational video! I know nothing about concrete but I enjoyed watching you try something new. Very brave!!! Love your videos always learn so much. Thank you

if it survives Pigs it will survive ANYTHING !!!! that is the perfect test THANK YOU ! I've been wondering about the whole "Dry pour" idea ! I think your biggest problem was you didn't use enough water in the first initial wetting.... the video I saw mentioned wetting it every hour till you get puddles.... for about 8 hrs !!!!!!!! not just 2 or 3 wettings while in the forms... this makes sense if you want the entire slap to get wet and you do or you'll have powder in the middle. so on your next try use alot more water, not just from below as that is a great idea with the sprinkler, but when wetting it too.... I think they used Mist setting throughout the wetting period but not positive.... obviously once a good thick crust develops you can hose it on quickly but USE MORE WATER is my recommendation !....yah California is very Dry not like back east !

This was really informative. We always have a test run. ❤

Never know for sure until you try!

Interesting vid FT! Doesn’t ever hurt to try something new! We will see! God bless!😊😊😊

Good thing u did this experiment so that none of your viewers try it.

Good job very smart

My friend and I really enjoy your videos, don't change much. Your day to day is exactly what we like to see. I especially enjoyed watching the walnut harvest, your wife did good. The one thing I am requesting is because I love horses so much. Please introduce us to your horse, and tell us his story. Will he ever have a horse friend to live with? He seems pretty content, especially when you give him attention. -many thanks for hours of enjoyment. I will recommend your channel. Take care. Linda

I left a bag of cement out for a bit too long and it got as hard as a rock. But I'm in New England where there's lots of moisture. I bet it will last if the pigs don't get to it first.

This was so interesting, I have never heard of it. We could use it on a back yard project. 😊

This is a very helpful video, we've been considering using this technique. The "comments" are very helpful for this also. I have to say the idea of dry pouring in amazing. We will stay tuned to see how it works out over time. Thx

Interesting technique

I’ve been thinking about doing same , and seeing the problems people were having, once misting and first spraying done so top crust solid I was going to add a lip to the form and fill with water to try and stop lamination and let the water suck through al at once 🤷‍♂️

Enjoyed the video Tyler 😊

Don't give up on it yet when your misting keep the hose sprayer from hovering over the top of the slab when your hose is over the slab while you're misting the droplets from around the nozzle will hit the powder and cause little holes not that it's going to hurt anything's but it won't look right keep the hose sprayer on the other side of the form while you're misting also I think you should overkill on the misting and then do a few of the shower settings real light at first then heavier as you go I don't think you gave it as much water as you should have. Just my thoughts.

Thanks for sharing a great video everyone have a bless weekend see you on FTR 😊😊😊❤

Howdy from west Texas! 🤠

We shall see. Always great when I see a train go by.

Good Morning, Tyler and Callie! I was at the Farmer’s Market! Cement Party 🎉! Sounds Fun!

Hay Tyler never seen concrete been done this way but i think you are right little more water would of worked better won't hurt to try agin thanks for sharing

Anything's worth trying it out seeing how it works I think it's a great idea trying something different why not I ever get a chance that's what i'm gonna try the same thing Thank you for the video

Concrete cures not dries. You simply didn’t get enough moisture into the concrete. Here in Ohio where we have wet soil and humidity this technique works well for setting fence posts. I can’t think I’d do it for anything you could see.

My first dry pour turned out like yours lol. The second time it came out looking way better.

Very interesting experiment! I, too, would most likely be pouring concrete during summer, which is our drought season. So, had I tried this method, I would most likely have had similar results. Please keep us informed of your further experimentation with the dry pour method. If you can get it to work better, I'd sure like to know how you did it!

Y’all! Why you so hard on my guy, FTR?! 😂😮 y’all know he Will figure it out,! Good or bad!! I’m impressed and thankful he showed us what he learned Great job FTR I hope you all have a good holiday weekend!! 🎉🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I never heard of doing concrete like that before but alot of people are doing it that way now

It is good you tried it. Now the wear and tear. I'm anxious to see how it goes.

The only thing I would dry pour would be fence posts and only when the soil has moisture in it. With a fence post you could also fill the hole with water a couple of times and let it soak into the soil before your dry pour. If you try it again try soaking the soil with enough water to make mud a concern. I have literally poured a footing under water because it had to get done. That footing was pumped at a 2" slump (pretty freakin dry) and I would have no problem doing that on my own home.

Hello Tyler and Mrs FTR ❤

Ha! Ha! Ha! Reminds me of a garage slab pour for a farmer friend i helped with once. Got to the site, and there was a gravel pile, a pallet of bags of cement, and a roto tiller. It worked just fine, sort of. 😂😂😂

Good job, cute piggies too!😊

A chemistry experiment, what fun! It was a good learning experience. It will be interesting to see how it holds up over time. You’re one of my favorite channels, btw. Take care during these super-hot days we’re having!

This was my issue exactly. The pour was about 3 inches and I put a mortar top to make is smooth. The mortar top was denser and left the middle concrete part dry. The temperature may have played a role - between 50-65. The mud underneath was pretty moist, but just not enough. I recommend if doing a mortar top to wet the concrete first, then dry pour the mortar on top.

What up Tyler It's definitely good to try new things and it's nice to make mistakes and teach other people before they make them. Well as the saying goes if its not broke don't fix it Depends what you wanna spend your time with you know seems like both methods equaled out with ease time frustration stress just be easier to do it the old school way, Oh even mix it in the form with the water and then just add the metal After But anyway we live we learn then learn some more always i enjoy the vlogs hope all is well with the fam looking forward to more God bless

Thanks for a great educational video. I appreciate the time, effort, and money you put into this project to help teach us all. Maybe we can learn something from the "armchair experts" who will no doubt comment.

The videos I watched showed them wetting the ground fairly saturated prior to starting………then they emptied approximately half the required bags, lightly wet the quikcrete and finish adding the necessary bags to complete the slab prior to misting! I also saw them misting THREE TIMES……………waiting an hour in between each misting. Then you can saturate using the shower setting THREE TIMES waiting an hour each time! I did two slabs where I had two rather large areas that were 6”-8” thick with the majority only 2.5”-3” and it was SOLID AS CAN BE!! 🤷🏻👍🏼

I’ve put down a lot of sidewalks in my life you maybe this method should put down half of bags watered good and half again from that hieght water again heavy then top water again then smooth

Was nice watching your video. You had good flow to it, excellent job. I had the same problem with a ceptic lid I did wet and 1 regular slab I did dry. And the both had the same problem on side. I think my problem was whether wet or dry, I should've tapped & or vibrated the sides? But in the end I smeared some more cement on their sides. Both still holding nice now after 3 years : ) I was surprised. Haha. But NEXT time will be perfect : )

All my concrete usually hardens in the bag waiting for me to get off my butt. Great video!

Another thought.... through the winter it will get wet enough to solidify all of the slab....no doubt about that.... a bag of Portland cement left out in the weather for 2 years is a solid rock with paper around it.... it just needs moisture !

The only thing that might save this concrete slab is the steel reinforcement. I think you needed to add much more water earlier.

Only two things I know about concrete: 1: Keep it yet for as long as possible while it's curing since it's water that cures it. I've seen suggestions of putting hay or a plastic trap on wet concrete to help it cure. 2: Concrete "never" stops curing and getting harder (for all intents and purposes). So it really is a "time will tell" kind of thing.

It works even better for fence posts. Don't forget the rebar next time. Good luck.

Tyler, put in concrete first leveling it out pack it in then the wire support, carefully not to interrupt the powder concrete on bottom and then more concrete pack on top level that out 😮 anyways you did a good job you started something new 👍

When you mix cement the proper way, the cement dust creates a paste, that is the glue that binds everything together. You can't get that from dry pour. That's why no manufacturer has recommendations for dry pour cement.

Good suggestion from u , to pour and soak the ground before dry concertina, this will make the water to rise into the mass,and do good hardening....

I’m invested! Please update maybe end of summer to show how the slab held up? Also if you do another slab with your updated technique I’d like to see that video too!

After a good first mist my reasoning is to get as much water to soak in as possible. Hit it up with one giant soak and then do wetting each hour. Also for those needing the edge strength you could wet pour a 4 inch border around. Or as us new age people say about 10cm width

I just took 10’x8’x6” forms off my patio. Yes, I did a 5.5” deep dry pour. Kept it wet and dark looking surface for over a week. Where can I send you pix of the edges now that the forms are off? It can’t be driven on, but it will hold multiple people hopefully for decades. I’m 67, put in 90 -50 lb bags myself and had my boys screed and add another 10 bags.

Tyler, if the pigs don't dig UNDER it I think it will work. It doesn't have to be pretty in a pigpen. 😜 I have done fence posts in soil too full of slab rock to dig (along a creek side) with dry concrete and it has survived two spring melt floods where driven posts washed out. The concreted post lost most of the dirt around it and the post is still there years later holdin the fence across a creek.

Good job experimenting with a new technique. Maybe wet the wood form and permanently put the back on to protect the edges. Or make a frame by using a waterproof adhesive to attach bricks on the outside edges. Of course, I am hopeful it will stand the test of time as is 😊

Soak the ground before starting. Add half of the bags and wet the mix after levelling. Add the rebar matt and top off the bags. Screed and edge. Mist the top heavy. Cover with burlap and mist every hour for 6 hours and then twice a day for 4 days. Remove forms and burlap. Add pigs. Concrete gets 80% design strength in 7 days and 100% strength takes 30 days. The less water in the mix will make for a stronger slab once it cures. Your slab has double the rebar it needs.

I have done a couple dry pours. I have found out that here in Kansas it works best for me to wet the ground down add a couple of bags then take a hoe to it and mix it up…. Add a little more water mix again. Then I add me rebar wet it again, then add the remaining dry pour. Do the same process of misting, but a higher level and straight letting the water hit slowly I also after the 2nd misting shower the same way high and level. For every 1” of dry pour I do two hours of watering (3” = 6 showering). I also leave the forms on at least two days and water it severely more times those days. It’s not perfect by any means, but as someone who would never try a wet pour on my own I am comfortable doing small projects like this. Don’t know if I would ever drive on a dry pour, but maybe after seeing someone else do it and see how it stands up after a couple of years…. Who knows

I’ve done a couple dry pours myself now and the bottom line is that they are quick and dirty and when you’re by yourself and maybe don’t move fast enough to do a wet pour well by yourself, they’ll get something on the ground. Same category as duct tape and baling wire fixes. Nothing wrong with that if that’s the need… a temporary or very low stress situation. But it’s usually not the best option long term. In my view though, the guides people have online severely underestimate the amount of water you need to get on the slab in a short time. The initial mist is to prevent the rest of the soaking from washing everything away, but that surface crust also slows down a lot of the needed water penetration. Misting needs to be much longer, like for 30 min straight with very brief or no breaks. Otherwise you get a thin cured layer on top that isn’t bonded to the rest of the slab and it will flake off. As soon as the top layer is just barely hard enough to not wash away, the entire thing needs to be flooded in a way that keeps water flowing into the slab evenly and near continuously until the entire depth is really wet. Like having an oscillating arch style one just laying on it running on low the whole time or just continually waving a shower soak over it for 30 min to an hour. One misnomer with concrete is like you stated in this video… trying to get it to “dry”. Concrete doesn’t “dry”, it cures. It’s a chemical process that even gets warm to the touch as it “kicks off”. Do not be afraid of adding water to the slab during the process. That does not slow the process down. Especially in a dry pour, the moisture is desperately needed to help the cure. Even wet pour jobs will often include spraying down the slab after the pour as it cures for the first few hours, especially in direct sunlight or hot weather. Do not hear me say turn it into soup. The extreme other side is too much water and that will lead to very weak clay-like concrete. But that’s pretty unlikely with a dry pour after you’ve formed the top crust. Most of the time, a dry pour is a bad idea. It was an idea that came from post holes and only partially relies on soil moisture. The ”dry” post hole method was to pour in dry mix and then completely flood the hole with water essentially. Mixing in place a little, to end up with a roughly mixed oatmeal mixture in the hole. If you put too much water in the hole, the ground would drain it away. It was not done with misting and using very little moisture. The nuance of why that worked well enough in a hole has been lost in the transition to dry slabs.

Tyler put me down as a NO , it’s not gonna Hold up Long Term , but we will see !!

Lots of cope in these comments. Great video. You learned the way I did why dry pour just isn't worth the money. An extra hour of work and you can do it correctly. The Portland in the mix needs to be fully hydrated, and the only way to do that is to mix it as intended.

Good thing you don't have freeze thaw

Well I think it looks good enough for the pigs to walk on keep up the good work .

You mainly forgot to wet-saturate the ground super wet...before pouring the dry mix in. Migration of water up is equally important.

I thinks maybe you can fill 1/2 of form then add wter shower & then fill and mist

You didn't put enough water on it when misting. I don't know how much water you put on it when sprinkling. You removed the forms too soon. I think this technique works.

drill some small holes and spray it again very well. the center needs more h2o

I plan on dry pouring in my craw space I’ll make sure I wet the ground under there for a few days after building the forms before putting in the dry mix

I use a dry pour for fence posts. Not sure about using it else where.

The reason this did not work as you hoped is because for concrete to cure it must have water throughout its mass. Concrete curing is a chemical reaction that must have water to start the process. The best concrete will start with water throughout the mass. You only had water on the surfaces. My suggestion to you is this: Start by wetting the ground like you did. Then add one bag, add water to wet it completely, add another bag, wet it completely and on and on until your forms are full. Its the only way I know that you can get the water through out the mass. I don't recommend this method but if you insist on "dry pouring" then give it a try. Haven't I seen a concrete mixer? Maybe out in your Bull Pen? Use it and follow the directions on the Quickcrete bags.

I did mine and soaked it down 3 more times and drill into it to support my mini split. It's hard as a rock.

I think its good enough to walking on. Thin layers like for paths it will be great. not made for driving on or something really heavy on it .

Spray with water every few inches - works great !!!

me and my dad added wire rebar into our pour project, also yeah not enough water in the mistings. You spray until it is all dark each time

There's no shortcuts when it comes to concrete Add Water be happy

In your research, you should have learned the first misting the top of the concrete serves to put a crust on the concrete and keeps it from disturbing the surface. After the surface stiffens up, run water over the surface and allow the concrete to absorb all the moisture it will...like a sponge, it will absorb the water and cure with the chemical reaction that water creates. The sides are still dry and powdered because they did not get the moisture required to even form a crust...I guarantee the middle of your slab is the same until it absorbs enough moisture...cover your slab with some old sheets, towels,etc....cloth of some type and keep the surface for a couple of days and your slab will be a notable success. Thanks for posting your video, I am sure many will learn from your efforts.

I’m ok with doing the dry in the hole with fence posts but don’t think I would ever try slabs. My opinion

U need a good water mix to release the calcium to bond with the aggregate the ratio is important it determines the strength of the bond

Six month update, please. How is the slab holding up now? I am in California as well, so this video will help. Thank you. 🙂👍

Well that was something different very interesting Happy 4 th of July 🎇🎇 🇺🇸

being it is so dry out there I would use more water before and during the pour!

My husband has worked with concrete all his life. He considers this to be a poor method. It takes you 4 times the time to do it this way and the concrete will have less strength. Normally taking only two weeks to be near 100% cured the conventional way.

I’m in a dry climate in western Canada and had no problem with my 7’x3’ 4” dry pour slab. My edges were rock solid and smooth. I soaked my aggregate base before dropping in the first bags and gave the top and sides thorough soakings during the process. I’ve since done an identical slab with the same results. Granted I don’t know what’s going on in the centre so I’m going to core a few holes to find out.

I have tried the “dry pour” method a few times with limited success. I basically reserve it only for setting fence posts now. The problem with this method is that the cement in the mix will never receive the required amount of water for optimum hydration for the design spec and subsequently will never reach its full strength. There is such a thing as too much water in the mix, but not enough is equally as bad. Also, with this method you will get inconsistent cure rates, and that will lead to different strength rates throughout the slab. Probably not a big deal for what you are using it for here, but a major problem on larger projects.

Chipping away some quilts

Thanks Tyler, but you know what you are doing 7-1-2023❤