Inexperience in finishing concrete often leads to one of two mistakes — troweling too soon or too much. Both of these mistakes pull too much water to the surface. You end up with a white, dusty, cracked surface.
Concrete sets more quickly on warm days, so make sure to work at a pace that is appropriate to the weather. Work the surface with a trowel to work the water back down into the concrete to prevent dusting, scaling, and cracking. Many contractors have learned the art of being creative with finished concrete. All it takes is some colored concrete dye and some serious dedication to perfecting your work. Apply a sealant to the concrete after it is finished, dried, and cured.
A good sealant will protect the concrete for years if it is properly applied. Property owners tend to love the simplicity of concrete. My neighbors recently got a concrete carport on their house and I was curious on what you had to do to finish concrete. No wonder you see textured concrete in more places now. Thank you for the information!
Great list of steps for the process of placing and finishing concrete. I would also add prepping the base before placing the concrete. Adding the right amount of aggregate and compaction will help with any movement and also add strength. Great post! Hi Chris, Thank you for your comment. We do agree that a proper foundation makes any project easier, stronger, and will make it last longer. I liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to make sure you finish at a good time of the day to avoid possible problems.
Thank you so much for your tips about choosing concrete. I found it interesting that some concrete mixtures can handle extreme temperatures better than others, and that other mixtures can handle weight better than other. Now I just need to find a concrete contractor who can do all the compressing and troweling correctly. Great article, thanks for sharing. For those reading, do NOT skip the last step! I have seen plenty of jobs in my experience where people do it themselves and do not apply sealant.
This is beyond my understanding but it happens! Do not skip! Thanks again. I like your recommendation to use concrete dye to make the concrete look like marble or brick, etc. My wife and I are considering expanding our back deck so that we can have barbecues on it.
We may consider ready mix concrete or something like that. Right before any concrete is ready for the first time float you will see water sitting on the surface after the pouring is completed….
Find concrete contractors near me. Once you have your tools, you're ready to get started. Here are the steps for finishing a concrete slab:. Once the concrete is fully cured, apply a protective sealer to prevent stains and prolong the life of your slab. A good finisher is produced through training and years of experience. Books have been written about this topic, and only experience provides the ability to expertly "time" the finishing operations.
Concrete Tools Guide Find the top concrete tools for placing and finishing concrete properly and with minimal effort. Concrete Screed Used for the intial leveling of freshly placed concrete. Concrete Floats Used for eliminating ridges, filling voids and smoothing the surface. Groovers Used for jointing concrete to prevent unwanted cracks. Trowels Used for closing up the slab at the end of the finishing process.
Power Tools for Concrete Grinders, saws, polishing machines and other equipment. Concrete Finishing Tips How to place, spread and finish a concrete slab. Kraft Concrete Float 24" x 3. Stainless Steel Groover Allows for sharp grooves with leading edge. Copyright ConcreteNetwork. Looking for local job leads?
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