How to Dry a White Butterfield Overlay

Butterfield is one company that sells concrete overlay products. Butterfield overlay products come in white or gray. Concrete overlays provide an extra layer of concrete on an existing concrete patio or pathway. A concrete overlay will help improve the look of a patio space when the concrete underneath is discolored or cracked. They should be installed on a single, flat concrete surface rather than on concrete bricks. The surface should still be structurally sound, since an overlay is not designed to re-engineer the structure of the concrete. Proper installation techniques help overlay products dry well.

White concrete overlay
Concrete
Sprinkler

Instructions

- 1
  Install the concrete overlay. A stampable concrete overlay should be at least half an inch deep in order to dry without cracking.
- 2
  Determine whether the weather conditions warrant special treatment for the overlay. Butterfield overlays dry by themselves given enough time. However, if the weather is very hot, the overlay may require misting so that it does not crack as it dries. If the weather is hot, test a small patch of overlay first and mist it with a fine mist from a sprinkler as it dries.
- 3
  Use a concrete saw to cut joints in the concrete overlay 14 hours after you install the overlay. Install the joints in the same place as the joints that lie underneath the concrete overlay.
- 4
  Dry the concrete for three days at 70 degrees or higher. After at least 72 hours have passed, cure the dried concrete with a concrete cure and seal product.
- 5
  Avoid walking on the surface for four hours after you have installed it. Test the surface with a finger and then a foot before walking on it. Wait at least 96 hours before exposing the surface to car traffic, otherwise cracks and changes in shape may occur.

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