New constructions are something to be careful about. You need to give them their due time to solid up and that will be helping you to ensure that they are properly dried up and sturdy enough to take the loads that you might put on them.
Especially, if you are using the concrete on your road to the farm or something like that, you cannot take the risk to drive on it while it is still wet as that will not only deform it but will also be leaving permanent marks on it.
How Long To Wait Before Driving On New Concrete?
Typically, it is said that you need to wait until the concrete is properly dried off and there are no apparent signs of wetness on the road. But you will need to wait for at least 48 hours to drive on a concrete road after you have put it there.
The timespan is not fixed and it can vary based on the humidity in atmosphere and the weather conditions that you are having. So, if you are getting strong sunlight, 48 hours should be enough for your concrete to get strong and that is going to help you out perfectly.
However, if you are not getting much of sunlight and you are living in low temperatures, you will need to wait a bit more to give concrete right time that is needed by the concrete to properly dry off and get strong to take all the weight that you might need to put on.
How to know if the concrete is dried?
There are several different signs that are going to help you out in figuring if the concrete is dried up properly and you can drive on it without having the risks of getting it deformed.
You will need to check on the color and the color of concrete is going to turn a lighter shade of gray as the time passes and the water is evaporated from the concrete. This way, you will be able to ensure that you don’t end up damaging the concrete unnecessarily by driving on it and you can have the right concrete that will be stronger for years to come and you will not have to face problems on it.
While the color is an apparent indicator, you also need to ensure that you are not making any mistakes and the best way to get that part sorted out would be to try inserting a pointy metal tool in the concrete on a side and that way you can test the hardness for the concrete without damaging it.
If the concrete feels soft at the touch, then you will need to wait a bit more before you can drive on it. However, if you can feel the concrete to be rigid and solid, and you are unable to insert the metal tool in it with force, you can be sure that you can drive on the concrete without facing any issues.