On most projects, hours are spent discussing mix design, reinforcement, vapor barriers, joint spacing, and loads.
But curing—the process that determines long-term strength, shrinkage behavior, moisture performance, and durability—is often covered in a few quick comments:

“We’ll spray a curing compound.”
“We’ll throw blankets on it.”
“We’ve always done it this way.”

Yet curing is one of the most critical variables affecting slab quality. Poor curing leads directly to:

• Shrinkage cracking

• Curling and warping

• Higher permeability

• Lower long-term strength

• Moisture issues under flooring

• Adhesive failures

• More callbacks and rework

A better-performing slab starts with a better curing conversation—not a more complex one. You don’t need to be a concrete chemist to make informed decisions. You just need to ask the right questions.

Below are five essential questions that help you evaluate a supplier’s curing approach, understand their plan, and steer the discussion toward modern internal curing strategies—including nano-silica systems like E5^®—that strengthen performance across the entire slab depth.

1. “How are you curing my concrete beyond just the surface?”

Most curing discussions still focus on surface-only methods:

• Blankets

• Wet curing

• Sprayed curing compounds

• Misting or fogging

These methods help reduce evaporation at the top of the slab but do almost nothing for the interior. In low water-to-cement ratio mixes—which are now common—internal moisture loss leads to autogenous shrinkage, micro-cracking, and incomplete hydration.

What you want to hear:

• How the curing plan protects the full slab depth

• How internal moisture will be controlled

• How early-age self-desiccation is addressed

Internal curing admixtures—such as nano-silica systems like E5^® Internal Cure—are designed to retain internal moisture and support hydration throughout the matrix. These admixtures attract and hold water at the nanoscale, improving internal moisture availability without raising the water-to-cement ratio.

A modern curing plan should consider more than the top ¼ inch.

2. “How does your mix and curing approach reduce shrinkage, cracking, and curling?”

Cracking and curling are often dismissed as “just concrete things,” but most early-age defects are curing problems, not mix-design failures.

Shrinkage, curling, and warping occur when moisture and temperature conditions differ between the top and bottom of the slab. Low w/c mixes intensify this because they have less free water to support hydration.

A strong answer from your supplier should address:

• Internal moisture retention

• Reduced autogenous shrinkage

• More uniform drying across the slab depth

• Support for joint stability and FF/FL retention

Internal curing admixtures help reduce shrinkage by keeping water available as hydration consumes internal moisture. This reduces volume changes at joints, edges, and corners—locations where curling is most severe.

If the supplier focuses only on joints and reinforcement, they’re addressing symptoms—not causes.

3. “What is the plan for moisture and pH where flooring or roofing will be installed?”

Some of the most expensive slab failures show up months later during flooring and roofing installation:

• Adhesive breakdown

• Blistering

• Bubbling

• Coating delamination

• pH-related failures

• Moisture-driven discoloration

These are not compressive-strength issues—they’re curing and moisture-movement issues.

A supplier should address how:

• The curing plan affects moisture migration

• Surface pH will be stabilized

• Permeability will be controlled

• The slab will support adhesive performance

Internal curing contributes to a denser microstructure that reduces permeability and helps stabilize moisture movement as hydration continues. When paired with surface-level nano-silica treatments (such as Catalyst-type materials), the system can support better pH control and provide a more stable substrate for flooring.

Flooring failures are expensive—and nearly always preventable with the right curing strategy.

4. “How will your curing plan impact schedule, labor, and risk?”

Curing isn’t just a durability issue. It’s also a scheduling, logistics, and cost issue.

Traditional curing often requires:

• Wet curing for 3–7 days

• Sprayed curing compounds

• Extra steps before flooring (grinding, blasting, removal)

• Topical moisture mitigation systems

• Separate densifiers or hardeners

• Field labor and trade coordination

Each step increases:

• Schedule duration

• Labor costs

• Trade congestion

• Risk of field error

• Variability in slab performance

Ask your supplier to outline how many field-applied steps their curing plan requires—and what happens if weather, labor shortages, or sequencing challenges interfere.

Internal curing technologies—such as those used in E5^® systems—help reduce dependence on these labor-intensive methods by retaining moisture internally, eliminating wet curing, and reducing the need for topical products.

A curing plan that simplifies the field reduces risk and increases consistency.

5. “What independent data and track record support your curing approach?”

Every admixture sounds impressive in a brochure. What matters is:

• Independent research

• Third-party testing

• Field performance across climates

• DOT and public-agency acceptance

• Documented long-term results

• Proven performance in high-demand environments

Your supplier should be able to reference:

• Independent testing on shrinkage, permeability, and hydration

• ASTM and AASHTO validations

• Project history supporting performance claims

• Use in mission-critical applications (healthcare, retail, education, data centers, industrial, civil)

E5^® Nano Silica systems, for example, have been used across millions of cubic yards of concrete and adopted by DOTs and major commercial developers. Independent research—including work validating internal curing and densification mechanisms—helps back up the performance seen in the field.

A documented track record equals reduced risk.

The Bottom Line: Don’t Skip the Curing Conversation

You don’t need to engineer the entire mix yourself. But you do need to ask informed questions.

By pressing your concrete supplier on how they address:

• Internal moisture

• Autogenous shrinkage

• Curling and warping

• Moisture and pH control

• Schedule and logistics

• Independent testing and history

…you move the conversation from “what we’ve always done” to “what aligns with your performance goals.”

Internal curing—using nano-silica technologies such as the E5® system—is one way to simplify curing, reduce shrinkage, improve durability, and reduce long-term risk. But the key is to make curing a deliberate, early part of the plan.

Better questions lead to better slabs.

Next Step: Make Your Next Concrete Spec Smarter

Download the E5^® Analysis Guide

Use this guide to:

• Ask more informed questions about curing, shrinkage, and moisture

• Compare surface-only curing to internal curing approaches

• Review independent testing on shrinkage, permeability, abrasion, and moisture performance

• Understand how internal curing fits into modern mix design

• Evaluate whether your current curing plan matches your project’s performance needs

A clearer curing conversation starts with better information—and this guide helps you get there.