When you do concrete work it is important that you have the right concrete products and tools so that you can get the best possible concrete. If you have ever done a cement job without the right concrete products and tools then you know how hard it is to do a good job without them.
Before you can pour new concrete, there is often old concrete that needs to come out. Cutting the concrete with a diamond saw blade can be a great way to get a solid and straight line in the existing concrete to butt up to.
After you remove the old concrete, it is time to prepare the ground for the new concrete. If the old concrete sunk and that is why you are replacing it, then you may need to add some base and do some major compacting work to make sure that the new concrete does not have the same problem. Once the ground is prepped, you then will need to place concrete forms. When forming, it is always better to use too many stakes rather than not enough. If you try to skimp by, you may find a form bulging from the weight of the cement during the pour, causing the concrete to not have a straight edge or a weird curve to it. For some concrete pours, you will also need to place rebar in the concrete area to reinforce the cement. When pouring the concrete where the rebar is, you will pour a little over it, then raise it up and let it sit on the bottom of the concrete and then pour over the top of it. The goal is to have it in the middle of the concrete as much as possible.
It is important to make preparations long before the cement truck ever arrives. Consider the size of the pour and if you need to ask family friends and neighbors to help. Will you be pouring directly into the pour site or will you need to wheel barrow it to the pour site. Can the cement truck pull up to the area to be poured and dump from the shoot? Will you need to wheel barrow the concrete to the pour site? Is it large enough that you should get a concrete pump? Do you know where all of your concrete tools are at?
Once you have established the answers to these questions and made the necessary arrangements for the help, equipment and tools that you will need, you can schedule the concrete pour. Most people prefer to pour early in the morning so that they have the whole day to work and finish the concrete.
Once the truck arrives, it is time to go to work. The driver will want to know what slump you would like. This essentially refers to how runny or wet the concrete is. The wetter it is the longer you have to get it in place and worked, but it will also take a lot longer to set up. If you do not want to be there all day you can have the driver make it stiffer so that it will set quicker. If you are going to do this you need to make sure that everyone is moving quickly to get the concrete down and in place so that you can start to work the concrete as soon as possible.
The first step in working concrete is to make it level to the forms. This is done with a screed, which is usually a 2X4 board that is moved back and forth over on the top of the forms to scrape and move any concrete that is above the height of the form. Next, you will need to have someone working the float to bring the cream to the top.
While one person is working the float, another will come behind them and put a rounded edge on the top edges of the concrete using a tool called and edger. Another person comes behind them to smooth the lines with a trowel. This series of steps is repeated several times during the concrete curing time until the concrete is stiff enough to put the finishing touches on it. - 30228
Before you can pour new concrete, there is often old concrete that needs to come out. Cutting the concrete with a diamond saw blade can be a great way to get a solid and straight line in the existing concrete to butt up to.
After you remove the old concrete, it is time to prepare the ground for the new concrete. If the old concrete sunk and that is why you are replacing it, then you may need to add some base and do some major compacting work to make sure that the new concrete does not have the same problem. Once the ground is prepped, you then will need to place concrete forms. When forming, it is always better to use too many stakes rather than not enough. If you try to skimp by, you may find a form bulging from the weight of the cement during the pour, causing the concrete to not have a straight edge or a weird curve to it. For some concrete pours, you will also need to place rebar in the concrete area to reinforce the cement. When pouring the concrete where the rebar is, you will pour a little over it, then raise it up and let it sit on the bottom of the concrete and then pour over the top of it. The goal is to have it in the middle of the concrete as much as possible.
It is important to make preparations long before the cement truck ever arrives. Consider the size of the pour and if you need to ask family friends and neighbors to help. Will you be pouring directly into the pour site or will you need to wheel barrow it to the pour site. Can the cement truck pull up to the area to be poured and dump from the shoot? Will you need to wheel barrow the concrete to the pour site? Is it large enough that you should get a concrete pump? Do you know where all of your concrete tools are at?
Once you have established the answers to these questions and made the necessary arrangements for the help, equipment and tools that you will need, you can schedule the concrete pour. Most people prefer to pour early in the morning so that they have the whole day to work and finish the concrete.
Once the truck arrives, it is time to go to work. The driver will want to know what slump you would like. This essentially refers to how runny or wet the concrete is. The wetter it is the longer you have to get it in place and worked, but it will also take a lot longer to set up. If you do not want to be there all day you can have the driver make it stiffer so that it will set quicker. If you are going to do this you need to make sure that everyone is moving quickly to get the concrete down and in place so that you can start to work the concrete as soon as possible.
The first step in working concrete is to make it level to the forms. This is done with a screed, which is usually a 2X4 board that is moved back and forth over on the top of the forms to scrape and move any concrete that is above the height of the form. Next, you will need to have someone working the float to bring the cream to the top.
While one person is working the float, another will come behind them and put a rounded edge on the top edges of the concrete using a tool called and edger. Another person comes behind them to smooth the lines with a trowel. This series of steps is repeated several times during the concrete curing time until the concrete is stiff enough to put the finishing touches on it. - 30228
About the Author:
One of the most under utilized of all concrete products by people who do not do cement pours much is diamond saw blades. However, it is one of the most efficient tools in saving time in cement pours.
