Essential Tips for Laying Volumetric Concrete on a Hot Day
Feeling the heat on-site? With June 2025 being one of the hottest since 1884, we’re all having to adjust to warmer, more intense summers. This directly impacts outdoor working, especially when it involves pouring concrete in hot weather. When temperatures rise, concrete can begin to set before you’ve had a chance to achieve the perfect finish. Without careful management, this rapid hardening process can cause real problems for the structural integrity and strength of your slab, foundation, or footing.
Which is where we can help. At Custom Concrete, we’ve been supplying volumetric concrete across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire for decades, so we’ve experienced our fair share of sweltering pours, and we know the pressure that it can put you under. In this guide, we’ll share our experience with clear, practical advice to help you pour successfully in the heat.
Plan Ahead – Getting Your Site Ready for a Heatwave Pour
In hot weather, every minute counts, and preparation makes all the difference. Start checking the weather forecast a week in advance. This gives you time to get your site ready for a rapid, stress-free pour.
It’s in these kinds of conditions that volumetric concrete gives you a built-in advantage. Because it’s mixed fresh on site, you avoid issues like the mix overheating or setting in a barrel mixer during transit.
To make the most of this, think carefully about the logistics. Check the formwork complete and in place? Is the path clear for our volumetric truck? If the pour site is at the back of the property or hard to reach, you’ll need a concrete pump. Arranging concrete pump hire ensures the fresh concrete travels quickly, saving you precious minutes cutting down on the opportunities for delays.
Once the mixing is under way, lightly spray the sub-base and formwork with a hose. Hot, dry ground will suck essential moisture from your fresh concrete, so this is a simple way to stop the concrete from losing strength.
After the Pour – Protecting Your New Concrete Surface
Once your concrete is poured and finished, the next challenge is to protect it as it dries. Direct sun and even a gentle summer breeze can suck moisture from the surface too quickly. This causes the top layer to shrink faster than the concrete beneath it, leaving a network of fine cracks and a weak, dusty finish.
The solution is to shield it from direct contact with wind or the sun’s rays. Create shade for the slab with whatever you have to hand polythene sheeting or timber boards work fine. If it’s a very hot day, you can also gently mist the surface with a fine spray from your hose to help it cure evenly.
The Temperature Guide for Concrete
How hot is too hot? With the British weather it can sometimes be hard to judge exactly when you need to take action. To make things simpler, here is the guidance we follow.
Treat any day forecast to be 25°C or hotter as a day that requires full hot-weather procedures. This doesn’t, however, mean you can ignore the conditions on cooler days. Even in the low 20s, if there is direct, intense sun or a dry wind, you can experience the same problems with rapid moisture loss.
When in doubt, it’s always better to be prepared and protect your pour – a little effort goes a long way to guaranteeing that strong, lasting finish.
Final Advice for a Successful Summer Pour
The most important takeaway is to check the weather and prepare your site. And here’s one last tip – talk to us. If your pour is scheduled for a day that’s looking particularly hot, just contact our customer service team. We will always do all we can to help you get the job done right, and if our schedule allows, we will try to arrange an earlier delivery slot for you to beat the worst of the heat.
Get a Quote for Your Volumetric Concrete Delivery – 01525 861899