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Saw a video claiming concrete cures better when you spray it with sugar water so I tried it on my patio slab and it crumbled after 3 freezes.

Was in my backyard in Portland last July watching a concrete finisher friend laugh at me for believing some TikTok DIY guy, and now I have to tear out the whole thing and start over - has anyone else fallen for one of those quick fix building hacks?
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3 Comments
nancy_king29
Oh wow, I totally used to think those little tricks were genius. I saw a video about adding dish soap to concrete to make it spread easier and I was like, "that's brilliant." Then I tried it on a small walkway and it was a total mess. It never set right and started flaking after one winter. That experience changed my mind completely about trusting random internet shortcuts. Now I just stick to the basics and ask a pro before trying anything new. Have you finished tearing out the old slab yet?
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brooke_jones
Your concrete story makes me feel so much better about my own dumb mistakes. @nancy_king29 I once tried that dish soap trick too on a little patio patch and yeah, it just crumbled to dust. My dad still brings it up every time I mention doing any DIY project. I haven't torn out the old slab yet because honestly I'm scared of what I'll find underneath. Probably just gonna call a real concrete guy and let him deal with my mess.
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beth_park
beth_park12h agoTop Commenter
Call a real concrete guy and don't touch any TikTok DIY videos ever again. The sugar water hack is just about the worst thing you can do unless you actually want to stop concrete from setting.
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