If you have ever done concrete work, you understand how important it is to have the right concrete products and tools so that you can do a good job and end up with a better piece of cement. If you do not have the right tools and products, then you will find it hard to produce good work.
When you are preparing for a concrete pour, you may need to remove an old piece of concrete. If you do, then you should use a diamond saw blade in a concrete saw to make a clean cut on all sides of the piece that you are removing. This will make it easier to remove the concrete as well as give you a square piece to pour too, making it easier to come up with a nice looking new piece of cement.
Once the old concrete is gone, it is time to start the preparation for the new concrete. You may need to rework the ground that was under the old concrete to make it a better base for the new concrete so that you can avoid whatever might have caused problems in the old concrete, such as a tree root. Make sure that you compact the ground using a compactor when you are finished prepping the ground. Then, you will need to form the area for the concrete pour. Make sure that you use plenty of stakes to stake the forms in place or you will find a form bulging in the middle of the pour. If it is required or you think it may be necessary to reinforce the concrete, then you may need to be sure that you have rebar handy and ready to add to the concrete during the pour.
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?
When you get close to being ready, you will be able to call the concrete place and schedule the pour. Be ready to tell them how many yards of concrete you need them to bring. It is best to pour early in the morning if you can so that you have the whole day to finish the cement.
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.
Once the concrete is down, it needs to be screeded using a concrete screed. Some people use a 2X4 to do this, while others have an actual screed tool. The idea of using a screed is to make the concrete level with the top of the concrete forms. Once this is done the concrete will be worked with a float to bring the moisture, or cream as it is called, to the top to create a smooth surface.
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. - 29958
When you are preparing for a concrete pour, you may need to remove an old piece of concrete. If you do, then you should use a diamond saw blade in a concrete saw to make a clean cut on all sides of the piece that you are removing. This will make it easier to remove the concrete as well as give you a square piece to pour too, making it easier to come up with a nice looking new piece of cement.
Once the old concrete is gone, it is time to start the preparation for the new concrete. You may need to rework the ground that was under the old concrete to make it a better base for the new concrete so that you can avoid whatever might have caused problems in the old concrete, such as a tree root. Make sure that you compact the ground using a compactor when you are finished prepping the ground. Then, you will need to form the area for the concrete pour. Make sure that you use plenty of stakes to stake the forms in place or you will find a form bulging in the middle of the pour. If it is required or you think it may be necessary to reinforce the concrete, then you may need to be sure that you have rebar handy and ready to add to the concrete during the pour.
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?
When you get close to being ready, you will be able to call the concrete place and schedule the pour. Be ready to tell them how many yards of concrete you need them to bring. It is best to pour early in the morning if you can so that you have the whole day to finish the cement.
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.
Once the concrete is down, it needs to be screeded using a concrete screed. Some people use a 2X4 to do this, while others have an actual screed tool. The idea of using a screed is to make the concrete level with the top of the concrete forms. Once this is done the concrete will be worked with a float to bring the moisture, or cream as it is called, to the top to create a smooth surface.
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. - 29958
About the Author:
One of the more under utilized of all concrete products by people who do not do cement work all of the time is diamond saw blades. However, it is one of the more useful tools in saving time in cement work.
