Concrete mix tweak for cold weather posts

A veteran fence guy mentioned using extra aggregate in the mix for areas with frost. It stops the posts from cracking when the ground freezes. Seems obvious now, but it never crossed my mind before.

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_craig1mo ago

More aggregate means less paste to crack when frozen.

the_christopher1mo ago

You say more aggregate means less paste to crack, but I see it differently. Too much aggregate can leave the cement paste too thin to coat everything well. When that happens, freezing can cause cracks at the weak spots between aggregate pieces. A good mix needs enough paste to hold it all together.

blair_stone71mo ago

Minnesota winters show thin paste always cracks first.