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You primarily need to be concerned about the moisture level in concrete when you are dealing with a basement or other below-ground part of your house. If you find any indication of moisture in your subterranean space, consider calling in a professional for further testing and moisture control solutions.

Concrete shrinkage cracks are very common and should be expected. Even professionals end up with shrinkage cracks on newly poured concrete slabs. Remember that these cracks are not harmful to the slab's strength, though some homeowners do prefer to fill in the cracks for aesthetics. When installing concrete, you can avoid ample concrete shrinkage cracks by avoiding hot, sunny, or windy days.

Yes, you can pour a foundation slab without footings, in which case it’s often called a floating slab. Floating slabs don’t have separate footings poured beforehand for support, which means they’re better suited for smaller structures. Monolithic concrete slabs are another option for a slab foundation without standalone footings, although the vertical edges of the single-pour slab do act as footings.

Concrete can take up to 28 days to completely harden, depending on the type and its water content. But it dries enough for foot traffic in 24 to 48 hours. If you're curious about how long it takes concrete to dry entirely, the answer is more complex, so always check with the specific mixture instructions before adding heavy machinery or driving on new concrete.