Concrete poured, how long do I wait?

[midnightscape]

OK, my slab was poured Monday morning, I've kept it misted over the past few days to prevent premature surface cracking, but how long do I need to wait to:

1. Pull the forms (I'm thinking I can take them off already)

2. Put my "plastic/vinyl" shed on it with my son's toys

3. Put my 16' aluminum fishing boat/trailer on it

Thanks for the help in the previous thread "First timer..." Helped me feel more at ease with the process.

Jason

[Rich]

The forms could have been pulled the following day of the pour. I would say go ahead and start putting up the structure on it. By the time you're done you should have pretty good strength - it won't be 100% but it never is. The boat I would wait at least 14 days - it won't be but maybe 75% cured but you should have the full concrete strength that was specified (most likely 3000-4000psi).

[midnightscape]

Thanks for the reply Rich. That's what I thought about the forms. The shed will be pretty light so I'll get started on that tonight. As far as the boat, hopefully I'll get it out on the lake (if it warms up, had frost advisories last night again) before I want to put it in it's winter spot on the slab.

Jason

[mjpliv]

If you are putting a boat on it you might want to "seal" the concrete surface to help prevent oil/grease stains

[midnightscape]

I never even thought of that...thanks for the suggestion.

What do you use to "seal" the concrete? Do they have a standard concrete sealer you can buy, and is there one that's is superior you can recommend?

[mjpliv]

You should be able to buy a quality sealer at your retailer. The brands are different all over the place so check out a few sources before deciding.

[mjpliv]

Here is a bit of information from a google search

http://www.concretesealers.com/
http://www.vseal.com/
http://www.wrmeadows.com/concretesurvey.html
http://construction.articleinsider.com/117661_concrete_sealers.html
http://www.thomasregisterdirectory.com/building_materials/concrete_floor_sealers_0048442_1.html
http://www.symons.com/products/chemicl.htm