How To Pour Concrete On Wet Ground

Pouring concrete is a straightforward job. You dig, form the mix and pour. Sometimes, however, you may hit a snag that will force you to troubleshoot the problem. For instance, your ground may be wet. A wet ground is not the best base for newly poured concrete. You can do a few things to help the ground dry up just enough for you to pour your concrete.

Step 1

Prepare your ground by removing as much of the water as possible. This can be done with a shovel and a wet-vacuum. Dry the ground out even more by throwing an inch of sand onto the ground. Not only will this absorb the water, but it will make it an ideal surface to pour concrete on as the sand holds up much better in colder weather.

Step 2

Prepare your concrete as you normally would, but use a little less water than you normally would because of the excess water already located in the ground. For this application, the stiffer the concrete the better. If you need forms for your concrete, this is the time to build and place them.

Step 3

Pour your concrete onto your prepared ground. Spread the concrete out over the entire portion of the exposed ground with your concrete trowel. Dip the trowel in water to smooth out the top of the concrete for a nice finish. Allow the concrete to dry for 36 hours before you remove the concrete forms.