Concrete flatwork tool

Despite all the high-tech power trowels, screeds, vibrators, and other super-charged equipment available today to facilitate placement and finishing of concrete, simple no-frills hand tools for finishing are far from obsolete.

To smooth and level small residential slabs, perform delicate detail work, blend in surface color, or maneuver in tight areas, such as step surfaces or next to walls, there is no substitute for a trusty handheld float or trowel. While concrete finishing tools don't vary significantly in design from manufacturer to manufacturer, they can vary in quality.

The finishing tools you choose will also depend on the type of decorative concrete you're placing such as stamped concrete versus an overlay as well as the characteristics of the concrete. In Bob Harris' Guide to Stamped Concrete , the veteran decorative concrete pro says it's essential to match the tool to the job.

For example, he notes that you're likely to need different tools for finishing exterior concrete that's air entrained because the high air content can make the concrete sticky. Harris finds that a magnesium bull float works best because it won't stick to the concrete. For non-air-entrained concrete, on the other hand, he recommends using a laminated wood bull float because it does the best job of smoothing and leveling the surface.

The extra heft of the wood float makes it effective at cutting high spots, filling low-lying areas, and consolidating the aggregates to bring more paste to the surface. Harris also prefers to use steel trowels or fresnos for final finishing of exterior concrete flatwork prior to stamping because they produce a smoother, flatter surface.

Understanding these nuances and knowing which finishing tools work best under certain conditions should be the key factors guiding your purchasing decision.

Not all concrete is created equally. Like any building material concrete comes in different qualities and strengths. You can also buy it with special qualities mixed in like extra crack resistance, flexibility, faster set times or more strength. Whatever you add into the concrete effects the price too. Things like colors, fiber or micro rebar and chemical hardeners can all be used. Thicker slab often have steel rebar. This of course will effect the price. Site Work. Excavation will typically be required for concrete flatwork.

This comes with a cost as well as removal of excess dirt. Access is also an issue. Most flatwork requires a compacted gravel base of some kind. The more elaborate the finish the more the flatwork will cost.

The edge material makes a big difference too. Brick or pavers have a very different price than bluestone. This is all in including the forms, base material, compaction, cleanup, finish work, etc. This is in addition to the cost of the flatwork. This price varies a lot depending on what type of material you choose and how you want it installed.

The more time it takes the crew to set up and build forms the more the job will cost. Masons generally need to excavate and deliver materials by machine.

If it all has to be done by hand it will cost more for the labor. Concrete and pavers are two of the most common materials used for flatwork like patios, walkways and driveways. So, which one is better? Most commonly for applications like driveways and roads.

Both materials have their strengths and weaknesses. The main considerations are appearance, cost, and maintenance. Concrete is an all around fantastic building material. Concrete flatwork is built as a solid slab. Typically it includes some sort of reinforcing material inside like wire mesh or rebar.

Slabs are separated by expansion joints to allow for some movement. Without them, if concrete moves and butts up against another slab, they could crack. This design makes it very hard to repair flatwork if it gets damaged. In some cases, the repair work can cost more than the initial install because repairs involve demolition of the old slab.

If a section is cracked, typically the entire slab has to be removed and replaced in order to hide the repair. Flatwork is the most common type of concrete job used on residential and commercial properties. And it looks great too. When done by a professional, flatwork can last over 30 years years without needing repairs.

If you properly maintain your concrete and use a good sealer, the concrete will last even longer. The environment plays a role here too.

But a pro will compensate for this by reinforcing the concrete and including expansion joints. Concrete has a very high compression strength which makes it ideal for flatwork. But it lack tensile strength which makes it bad as a support beam. Unless you add rebar. By including steel rebar inside the concrete you can span long distances safely. This makes some very strong and durable exterior beams.

Concrete is fairly cheap and easy to work with so you can make money with it. A beautiful new concrete driveway is a draw to most buyers and cheaper than pavers. A backyard patio can also be a great selling point.

Concrete is just as nice but much cheaper. Concrete is one of the few materials that is truly maintenance free. Another benefit to using concrete is how easy it is to clean. Concrete Flatwork Design Concrete flatwork comes in a wide range of styles and designs.

Color can be added to the concrete in a few different ways. Pigment can be added into the wet mix which changes the color of all the concrete equally. Color can be thrown on top of the concrete as it dries. This is just a surface coat. Colors can be added into sealants or epoxy coats. Colors can be used along with the stamps to create all sorts of designs Combination. Common Examples Of Concrete Flatwork There are lots of common examples of concrete flatwork that you probably see and use every day.

Concrete is a very popular driveway material. Simple sidewalk slabs are almost always made from concrete. The most common patio material is concrete. Pool Decks. We pour ours at 6 inches to support the weight of vehicles. A basement or crawl space floor is almost always made from concrete too. These are typically 4 inch for a basement and 2 inch for a crawl space.

The flatwork used in a crawl space is called a dust cap. Shed Floor. A great floor and foundation for a shed is a concrete slab. Vary the thickness depending on what you plan on storing in the shed. This price varies a lot depending on what type of material you choose and how you want it installed. The more time it takes the crew to set up and build forms the more the job will cost.

Masons generally need to excavate and deliver materials by machine. If it all has to be done by hand it will cost more for the labor. Concrete and pavers are two of the most common materials used for flatwork like patios, walkways and driveways.

So, which one is better? Most commonly for applications like driveways and roads. Both materials have their strengths and weaknesses. The main considerations are appearance, cost, and maintenance. Concrete is an all around fantastic building material. Concrete flatwork is built as a solid slab. Typically it includes some sort of reinforcing material inside like wire mesh or rebar. Slabs are separated by expansion joints to allow for some movement.

Without them, if concrete moves and butts up against another slab, they could crack. This design makes it very hard to repair flatwork if it gets damaged.

In some cases, the repair work can cost more than the initial install because repairs involve demolition of the old slab. If a section is cracked, typically the entire slab has to be removed and replaced in order to hide the repair. Flatwork is the most common type of concrete job used on residential and commercial properties. And it looks great too. When done by a professional, flatwork can last over 30 years years without needing repairs.

If you properly maintain your concrete and use a good sealer, the concrete will last even longer. The environment plays a role here too. But a pro will compensate for this by reinforcing the concrete and including expansion joints. Concrete has a very high compression strength which makes it ideal for flatwork.

But it lack tensile strength which makes it bad as a support beam. Unless you add rebar. By including steel rebar inside the concrete you can span long distances safely.

This makes some very strong and durable exterior beams. Concrete is fairly cheap and easy to work with so you can make money with it. A beautiful new concrete driveway is a draw to most buyers and cheaper than pavers. A backyard patio can also be a great selling point. Concrete is just as nice but much cheaper. Concrete is one of the few materials that is truly maintenance free. Another benefit to using concrete is how easy it is to clean.

Concrete Flatwork Design Concrete flatwork comes in a wide range of styles and designs. Color can be added to the concrete in a few different ways. Pigment can be added into the wet mix which changes the color of all the concrete equally. Color can be thrown on top of the concrete as it dries.

This is just a surface coat. Colors can be added into sealants or epoxy coats. Colors can be used along with the stamps to create all sorts of designs Combination. Common Examples Of Concrete Flatwork There are lots of common examples of concrete flatwork that you probably see and use every day.

Concrete is a very popular driveway material. Simple sidewalk slabs are almost always made from concrete. The most common patio material is concrete. Pool Decks. We pour ours at 6 inches to support the weight of vehicles.

A basement or crawl space floor is almost always made from concrete too. These are typically 4 inch for a basement and 2 inch for a crawl space. The flatwork used in a crawl space is called a dust cap.

Shed Floor. A great floor and foundation for a shed is a concrete slab. Vary the thickness depending on what you plan on storing in the shed. Simple shed are usually 4 inch.

But if your using large and heavy machinery you may want to go thicker. Many interior floors are made from concrete. If the house is built on a slab the concrete can double as a foundation and finished flooring. This is very common in Modern style homes. Most commercial store like a Home Depot or Walmart use polished concrete floors.

First, the site needs to be prepared for concrete. Mark outs and excavation are done. We excavate done deep enough for not only the concrete but also the base. Next we pour and compact the base material. Generally this is standard gravel. Once the base is done we build out forms. Typically the base is a bit wider than the forms. Forms are almost always regular wood and plywood. After the forms are built we install the reinforcement. This could be wire mesh or rebar.

Remember the inside of a home can have concrete flatwork too.