Pouring a concrete slab can be a simple task. However, it can become difficult when a person must screed a driveway before the pour of the concrete set. Using the correct tool will help a person to work at a fasterer speed when screeding a driveway.
Furthermore, using the proper tools will allow a person to finish a driveway with a flatter surface and avoid the cracks and low spot that can appear during an amateur pour of concrete. Knowing which tools to use for a concrete slab will turn a difficult task into a predictable process that a person can master over time. When preparing to pour a slab of concrete, there are three main function of the tools that a person will purchase for this process.
First, the tools will move the concrete from one location to another where the pour will be needed. Second, the tools will remove excess concrete without damaging the slab of poured cement. Third, the tools will ensure that the poured cement are dense enough to allow it to withstand future cracking.
A person can usually avoid the frustration that a person feels when pouring a slab of concrete by purchasing five or six tools that will make the process seem like a professional work. These are the tools that will be needed after the delivery of the concrete and within the time limit for the pour. The first tool to purchase is a sturdy concrete rake.
Essential Tools Needed to Pour a Concrete Slab
1. Concrete Rake
This tool will be used to ensure that there are no air pocket in the poured slab. A person will use the rake to pull and push the pour of concrete to create a rough grade on the poured slab. The tines of the rake is usually wide enough to allow the aggregate to pass by the tines but are also designed in a way that will drag the heavy stones down the slab and bring the cement cream to the top of the poured slab.
Using this tool will save a person from having to shovel the poured slab of concrete back and forth until the persons back becomes tired. This tool can also be used to move the rebar into place in the pour of the cement. This tool will be used to both place and consolidate the poured slab of cement, which is why it should be the first tool on a list of the necessary tools for pouring a slab of poured concrete.
2. Bull Float
The next tool that should be purchased is a bull float. This will help to make the poured slab of concrete look like a finished floor. The bull float will have a blade made of magnesium or aluminum and will be four to six feet wide.
The blade will be used to push the aggregate down into the poured slab and will draw the thin layer of cement to the top of the poured slab. A person will use this tool in wide arcs as soon as the bleed water on the poured slab begins to dissapear. Using the tool too early will trap water beneath the poured slab of cement.
However, if used too late, the tool will not properly create a flat slab of poured cement. However, once a person masters the use of this tool, it will save the most laborer for any poured slab that may exist in addition to a small patio. After the use of the bull float, the use of hand floats will be needed.
3. Hand Floats
In this case, a wood float or a magnesium darby is the better tool to use. The wood float or magnesium darby has an open texture that allows a person to properly close the poured slab of cement without sealing it too much with the tool. Later on in the process, once the poured slab of cement has hardened enough to allow a person to stand on knee boards, a person will use a steel trowel.
4. Steel Trowel
Using a steel trowel too early in the process will create a weak skin on the poured slab of cement while the bottom of the poured slab remains soft. However, when purchasing a wood float and a magnesium darby, these tools will be used in the initial pour. Professionals will use a power trowel to screed a driveway.
5. Power Trowel
However, even if a person does not purchase one of these tools, it deserves to be mentioned. When pouring a slab of concrete that is larger than a garage slab, a power trowel will save a person time and will ensure that the finished product will be able to withstand wear and tear. The power trowel will have rotating blades that will change from a float shoe to a finishing pan or burning blades.
This tool will perform each of the steps necessary to screed the poured slab. The trade-offs of purchasing a power trowel are the weight of the tool and the learning curve of how to properly use the power trowel. When used for the first time, a power trowel may create swirl marks that a person may struggle to hide.
However, with the proper understanding of how to use it, the tool will complete the screeding of the cement that would otherwise take place over several day. Another tool that is used is an edger and a groover.
6. Edger and Groover
A person will use a hand edger to round the poured slab of cement to ensure that it will not chip along the edges if there is foot traffic on the slab or if snowplows hit the edge of the poured slab. Using the hand edger while the slab is still workable will create a clean and even edge to the poured slab. A person will use a groover to create control joints in the poured slab. These control joints will be cut to a depth that is one-quarter of the thickness of the poured slab.
The cut joint will ensure that if the slab of poured cement cracks, they will not appear like lightning bolts across the poured slab. These two tools may seem small and insignificant. However, using the tools will ensure that a person does not have to fix any damage caused by the slab of poured cement later.
A list of all the tools necessary to screed a driveway is not complete without mentioning the screed board. Whether a person chooses a two-by-four board or aluminum extrusions, three people will use the board to properly screed the pour of cement. The secret to a good screed board is not the material used for the board but the three people that will use the tool.
Two people will pull the screed board back and forth while the third person moves forward in slow motion. The leading edge will cut the high spots in the poured slab while the trailing edge will even out the low spots in the poured slab. The third person will use a bull float to remove the ridges created by the screed board.
This three-person process will create a level slab that is within an eighth of an inch within a distance of twenty feet. This evenness in the poured slab is necessary when placing tile on the poured slab later. A discussion of screeding tools will not be complete without mentioning knee boards.
8. Knee Boards
These poor knee boards can destroy a person’s knees. However, professional knee boards will feature swivel wheels that will allow a person to glide across the poured slab of cement without digging into the poured slab. These knee boards will allow for a better distribution of the weight of the person when screeding the slab.
The swivel wheels on poor, cheap foam knee boards may break and make a depression in the poured slab of cement. A person should purchase good knee boards once, and there knees and reputation will thank the person every time after then. The last tool that may be necessary is a curing tool.
9. Curing Tool
Many people will think that the curing process will happen on its own. However, using a spray bottle of curing compound or using burlap to cover the poured slab of cement will allow the process to happen properly. Pouring the cement too quick will cause the slab to crack.
Furthermore, pouring too quickly will take up to half of the strength of the poured cement. Pouring the cement properly and keeping it damp for the first seven days is the only way to prepare it for the winter months. The tools can be divided into several groups.
The tools used for placing and consolidating the poured slab of cement. A person should then use tools to float the slab and level it. Finally, the last group of tools is those that will edge and joint the slab of cement before the final finish of the cement and the curing of the poured cement.
If a person misses any of these steps with the wrong tools, the person will have to fight the poured cement all day. However, following the proper tools will allow a person to master pouring cement in the future. When the next concrete truck pulls up to the driveway, a person will not be standing in the driveway wondering what tool to use first.
By reading this article, a person will know the correct order of the tools and the reasons behind each tool being used in the order that it was mentioned. A person should grab the proper tools to screed a driveway, respect the time limit, and the poured slab of cement will do the rest of the work.
