-->

Concretebroker

Blog

article title image

Published on 8/27/2017

Published by timharrison0064@gmail.com

Here's Ten "Don't Do's" when it comes to pouring and finishing concrete

Inadequate concrete finishing can lead to surface imperfections


Cover Photo Don Mason/GettyImages

 

There are plenty of things you shouldn't do when pouring and finishing your concrete slab. 

Photo Source ; Thinkstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images

 

Here's ten that top of the list of "Don't do's" when it comes to pouring and finishing concrete : 
 

1. Don't forget to prepare and wet down your sub base. Providing moisture to your sub base ensures the fresh concrete can set appropriately without the water being sucked into an otherwise hot and dry sub base

2. Don't forget to let the batch plant know how far apart you need the mixer trucks. You may end up with an excessive waiting time bill or at  worse long gaps and potential cold joints if you forget this phone call. Remember to space your trucks according to your capabilities on the day. And ensure when talking you order the right concrete for your specifications. If in doubt order higher strength concrete, it must be fit for purpose. 

3. Don't add too much water on site. Yes concrete requires water to hydrate, though too much water reduces the strength of your concrete and can lead to weak points, cracking and surface imperfections

4. Don't forget to vibrate your concrete. Vibrating concrete brings the entrapped air bubbles to the surface where they escape. Your concrete then moves around easily and doesn't shrink as much when hardening

 

Concrete Vibrator. Annalien Swanepoel / Getty Images


5. Don't get on your concrete too early. Give your concrete some time, as the bleed water and air need to evaporate from the surface before you bring the second float out. Sealing your concrete prematurely traps rising bleed water and air beneath the top surface creating weak or soft zones directly beneath the slab’s surface. Mixing bleed water into the surface or trapping bleed water and air directly beneath the surface typically results in premature surface wear and scaling

6. Don't overwork your concrete. It's a fine line we know but excessive trowelling and overworking of your surface when finishing can lead to surface imperfections such as scaling. At worst overworking the surface can significantly reduce or even destroy the air-entrainment along the surface of the slab and result in premature surface wear

7. Don't forget to keep your concrete slab's surface protected. Keep your surface moist and protected through the application of water and aliphatic alcohol, particularly during hot and windy conditions and in times of low relative humidity. When surface moisture evaporates faster than it can be replaced by rising bleed water, concrete shrinkage at the surface exceeds the shrinkage of the underlying concrete resulting in surface tears or cracks. Plastic shrinkage cracking, crusting and mortar flaking can all appear when you forget to keep your concrete surface protected

 

Concrete needs to be cured. Photo Don Mason/GettyImages


8. Don't forget to cut your concrete within 24 hours. Concrete cracks where it wants to crack when hardened. It's important to cut your concrete earlier rather than later, and place your concrete joints where you want to place them. Otherwise your concrete may crack unintentionally in all those unwanted places

9. Don't forget to think about sealing your concrete. Concrete is exposed to all the elements, including hot and cold weather, wind, rain and traffic. Sealing not only protects the concrete surface from these elements, it can in fact make your concrete look good too

10. Don't take on more than you can handle. Its great to get it all over and done with in the same day, but remember not to bite off more than you can chew. Concrete is an unforgiving material and when you take on too much and as a result get on your concrete too late, the concrete may have become too stiff, resulting in poorly textured concrete

 

Photo Source ; Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash
 

Rather than do it all yourself you might like to ask more questions. Here at concrete broker you can choose from our list of experienced concreter's by placing concreter in the search bar of our homepage. Professional concreters pour and finish concrete slabs everyday and are knowledgeable, helpful and understanding of all your concreting requirements. We have concrete cutters, plants and sealer providers available as well for you to search. Remember, if you can't find what it is you are looking for, simply email us. We're only too happy to assist.

 

Related Articles : 

 

Beware the Cold Joint: https://www.concretebroker.com/Blog/View/163

Did you know there's a dozen things to consider before organising a concrete pour? : https://www.concretebroker.com/Blog/View/20

Why did my concrete crack? :  https://www.concretebroker.com/Blog/View/161

 

HAVE A CONCRETING PROJECT?

If you are ready to go with your next concreting project fill out a quote form here and at concretebroker we can put you in touch with a concreting expert near you. In fact we'll go further, we'll match you with 3 concreting experts.  Assess their quotations, read about their business online at concrete broker, and make an impartial, calculated decision.

 

Concretebroker provides the tools, information and resources to purchase and pour concrete.
Find what you need to know for your next concreting project here 

 

  HOW MUCH CONCRETE, STEEL AND ACCESSORIES DO I NEED?
   And how much do concrete slabs cost in Australia?

 

 

 

 

  WHAT MAKES A GOOD CONCRETER?
   Are you cut out to be a good concreter?

 

 

 

 

  HOW TO POUR A CONCRETE DRIVEWAY IN THE USA
  How to Pour a Concrete Driveway by Sciulli Concrete
  

 

 

 

 

  
  I'VE NOW GOT PROBLEMS WITH MY SLAB
  What was the cause?
  And how can I prevent it from happening next time?

 

 

 

  HERE'S TEN "DON'T DO'S" WHEN IT COMES TO POURING AND FINISHING CONCRETE
  Inadequate concrete finishing can lead to surface imperfections

 

 

 

 

  WHY DID MY CONCRETE CRACK?
  Who's fault is it?

 

 

 

 

  

  HOW TO POUR A CONCRETE SLAB BY THE FAMILY HANDYMAN
  Watch this clip for some Do It Yourself tips ideal for your next pour

 

 

 

  
  HOW TO BUILD FORMWORK
  With our friends at Bunnings Warehouse we'll show you the basics for building formwork for a concrete slab

  

 

 


  HOW TO LAY A CONCRETE SLAB
  Follow Cement Australia's comprehensive step by step guide to laying your own slab

 

 

 

 TO SEAL OR NOT TO SEAL
 Thinking of sealing or resealing your concrete? Find out what you need to know here

 

 

 

 

  DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A DOZEN THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ORGANISING YOUR CONCRETE POUR?
  Check in with concretebroker’s dozen before your next concrete pour. Before it’s too late

 

 

 

 

  

  I NEED CONCRETE. HOW DO I CHOOSE A CONCRETE PLANT?
  Concretebroker gives you half a dozen things to look out for when choosing a  concrete plant

 

 

 

  SHOULD I POUR CONCRETE TODAY?
  Every day concretors and construction managers tear their hair out unsure of whether they should or shouldn't pour concrete due to the weather  
  conditions

 

 

 

 

 SO TELL ME, IS CONCRETE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE?
 Now running the Association’s National Precast Concrete Association office from  Adelaide, Sarah Bachman gives us some insight

 

 

 

  
  CAN I POUR CONCRETE IN THE RAIN?
  We hear much these days about pouring concrete on hot, dry windy day. But what about when it's raining?

 

 

 

  THE CONCRETEBROKER DICTIONARY VOLUME 1 (AUSTRALIAN EDITION)
 Your comprehensive guide to the most popular abbreviations, definitions, phrases, slang and terms used within the industry.

 

 

 

 

  HERE'S HALF A DOZEN HINTS TO HELP YOU BEFORE ORDERING A CONCRETE PUMP
  Concrete pumps can save man hours, time and therefore money, but there are some important things to consider before you hire one

 

 

 

 

  TEN (THATS 10) MINUTE CRACK REPAIR. YOUR'E KIDDING AREN'T YOU? Cracks in Concrete - forget about them in ten minutes - just watch this
  video

 

 

 

 

  

  WOOD CONCRETE - HOW TO MAKE CONCRETE LOOK LIKE WOOD FLOORING
   Is that concrete? Or a timber floor? Watch this video to find out....

 

 

 

  HOW TO LAY A SMALL CONCRETE PAD
  Another look at how to lay a small concrete slab from DIY Network.com

 

 

 

 

 LETS TALK ABOUT STEEL FIBRES
 Mesh sits in the middle of your concrete slab and is quite cumbersome. What do steel fibres do?

 

 

 

 

  EVER THOUGHT ABOUT PLACING A PATTERN ON YOUR CONCRETE?
  BRICKFORM show how to properly stamp concrete from start to finish

 

 

 

 

  HOW TO POUR AND FINISH CONCRETE
 YouTube handyman and alround good guy Russ Richards shows us how to finish a slab properly

 

 

 

 

  NEED A CONCRETE TEST
  Check in with Valley Civilab, our latest member for all your concrete, soil and aggregate testing needs

 

 

 

 

  

  CONCRETE CAN BE A SPONGE FOR AIR POLLUTION
  Concrete surfaces can remove sulfur dioxide, a major contributor to air pollution, from the air, new research suggests

 

 

 

  
  FLOOR COATINGS EXPLAINED
  An overview of floor coatings and a quick look at whats happening in the floor coating market overseas

 

 

 

 
 COLORED CONCRETE IS TAKING OVER AND WE'RE VERY INTO IT
  Pink? Blue? A watercolory ivory? You choose!

 

 

 

 

  TALK TO ME ABOUT CONCRETE AND STEEL ACCESSORIES
  What accessories are used in the standard concrete slab? And where do I buy them from?

 

 

 

  BEWARE THE COLD JOINT
  Cold joints in concrete are your worst nightmare. But how do they occur and how do we prevent them from happening?

 

 

 

 


Tags: aliphatic alcohol batch plant cold joint concrete cracking concrete cutter concrete finish concrete finishing concrete pour concrete sealing concreter curing concrete DIY finishing concrete pouring concrete vibration


This article was written by timharrison0064@gmail.com all rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of concretebroker.com