A 46 External Patching Compound
Cementitious exterior patching (NZ) · NZ · manufacturer-sourced
How long before you can install flooring over ARDEX A 46 External Patching Compound?
Short answer
Placement-to-service plan
Set, hardening and loading come days apart
- Place and finish the Cementitious exterior patching (NZ)
- Keep it moist or protected as directed
- Load it only at the stated strength time
This product’s stated stages Quoted at 68°F
- Working time ends15–20 minutes
- Ready to trim15 minutes
- Light foot traffic2–3 hours
- Ready for flooring1 day
- Ready to paint2–10 days
Worth noticing: Working time is only 15–20 minutes; the next stated stage, ready to trim, is 15 minutes.
Common mistake: Driving on it because it feels hard; strength keeps building for days.
Time the concrete cure
Your countdown
Stated times
- Working time ends15–20 minutes
- Can be trimmed15 minutes
- Ready for floor covering1 day
- Paint-ready2–10 days
- Light foot traffic2–3 hours
From ARDEX data sheet · checked 2026-10-25. Anything not listed isn’t stated by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer website: ardex.com
Conditions & fine print
- Stated conditions: 68°F (20°C)
- Times depend on temperature, humidity, film or bead thickness and airflow. Follow the current data sheet and label.
- Region NZ. Formulas can differ between countries; check your container.
- Working time ends: At 20°C.
- Can be trimmed: At 20°C.
- Ready for floor covering: The source gives no conditions for this time.
- Paint-ready: The wait scales with patch depth: 5 days at 10 mm and 7 days at 20 mm.
- Light foot traffic: At 23°C.
- Entered from the cited manufacturer documentation. Check the current label for the exact formula and region. Report outdated information
- Actual results depend on preparation, thickness, ventilation, temperature, humidity, mixing and substrate.
Confirm this is your product
Closely named formulas, colors and regional versions can use different times. Match these details to your container before starting a countdown.
- Exact listing
- ARDEX A 46 External Patching Compound
- Variant
- Cementitious exterior patching (NZ)
- Region
- NZ
- Listed use
- external concrete repair, steps and landings, patching to 30 mm
- Timed stages recorded
- tooling, trim, floor ready, paint ready, light foot
- Source checked
- 2026-10-25
Documentation: Technical data sheet · Data sheet, 2017
Condition attached to the stated time: At 20°C.
About this product
An exterior patching compound where the coating wait depends on how deep you filled: 2 days at 5 mm, 10 days at 30 mm. The working time is short, so mix only what you can place in 15 to 20 minutes.
Using this specific product
ARDEX A 46 External Patching Compound is listed here as the Cementitious exterior patching (NZ) version for external concrete repair, steps and landings, and patching to 30 mm. For repairing concrete or masonry, the useful question is not simply whether the surface looks finished—it is whether the exact next-action milestone shown above has been reached.
Before you start
- Confirm the package says Cementitious exterior patching (NZ); related versions can use different timing.
- For external concrete repair, steps and landings, and patching to 30 mm, pay particular attention to substrate moisture, depth, temperature and protection from traffic.
- At 20°C. The source gives no conditions for this time. The wait scales with patch depth: 5 days at 10 mm and 7 days at 20 mm. At 23°C.
How to check readiness
Check the slowest, coolest section before loading or coating. The sheet gives a working time of 15 to 20 minutes. The sheet gives trimming after about 15 minutes. The sheet gives floor coverings after 24 hours.
Avoid this mistake
Early strength, coating readiness and full cure are separate decisions.
Compare with similar products
- Compare with Euclid Chemical Kurez DR VOXLight foot traffic: 2–4 h there, 2–3 h here.
- Compare with Rapid Set (CTS Cement) TRU PCLight foot traffic: 2–3 h there, 2–3 h here.
Questions
How long before you can install flooring over this product?
ARDEX states: The sheet gives a working time of 15 to 20 minutes. Conditions: At 20°C.. The sheet gives trimming after about 15 minutes. Conditions: At 20°C.. The sheet gives floor coverings after 24 hours. Conditions: The source gives no conditions for this time.. The sheet gives coating after 2 days at 5 mm up to 10 days at 30 mm. Conditions: The wait scales with patch depth: 5 days at 10 mm and 7 days at 20 mm.. The sheet gives walking on it after 2 to 3 hours. Conditions: At 23°C.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
How long before I can paint over ARDEX A 46?
The sheet gives 2 days at 5 mm, 5 days at 10 mm, 7 days at 20 mm and 10 days at 30 mm.
How long do I have to work with this product?
ARDEX states: The sheet gives a working time of 15 to 20 minutes. Conditions: At 20°C.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
How long before I can paint over this product?
ARDEX states: The sheet gives coating after 2 days at 5 mm up to 10 days at 30 mm. Conditions: The wait scales with patch depth: 5 days at 10 mm and 7 days at 20 mm.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
How long before I can walk on tile set with this product?
ARDEX states: The sheet gives walking on it after 2 to 3 hours. Conditions: At 23°C.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
What affects how long this product takes to dry or cure?
Times depend on temperature, humidity, film or bead thickness and airflow. Follow the current data sheet and label. Follow the product label for your conditions.
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