How to Pour and Finish Concrete

Pouring and finishing concrete slabs. Concrete is one of the most economical, versatile and durable building materials available. Regardless of your skill level, building a sidewalk, patio or floor with QUIKRETE Concrete Mixes can be successfully achieved. Before pouring concrete into the forms, make sure your forms are level. Place three to four inches of QUIKRETE All-Purpose Gravel and spread the gravel evenly. Using a tamper, compact the gravel base. A solid sub-base will help prevent erosion, when the slabs settle. Then, dampen the gravel with a garden hose. This will help prevent shrinkage cracks, especially in hot temperatures. Pour the concrete mix in evenly placed amounts. The top of the concrete should be about two to three inches above the forms, before leveling. Then, consolidate and distribute the concrete, evenly, using a hoe. The surface of the concrete should be relatively flat and slightly above the form. Next, use a straight 2x4 long enough to rest on the opposite sides of the form to screed the concrete. Move the board back and forth, across the surface of the concrete, in a sawing motion, to remove the excess concrete and smooth the surface. Add concrete to any low areas and screed level. This will take several passes. Once the concrete has lost its sheen, use a wood float, in an arching motion, to smooth the concrete surface. This is an important step because it will consolidate the concrete and bring cement to the surface, which is necessary for a durable finish. Immediately after floating the concrete, use a stiff bristled broom to create a non-slip, broom finish. All broom strokes should be made in the same direction. Next, use a groover and a straight edge to cut in control joints. Control joints are designed to allow for expansion, contraction, and movement in a concrete slab. A four inch thick slab will require control joints at a minimum of every ten feet, in each direction. Control joints should be cut at least 1/4 the depth of the slab. For a finished look, use an edging tool to consolidate and shape the edges of the slab. Several passes should be made, in each direction, for a smooth finish. Freshly placed concrete should be water-cured for a minimum of three to five days with a fine water mist. The need for water curing can be eliminated by applying QUIKRETE Acrylic Concrete Cure & Seal immediately after finishing the concrete. Acrylic Cure & Seal can be applied with a roller, garden sprayer or a brush. QUIKRETE Acrylic Cure & Seal will also provide a semi-gloss sheen that repels water and protects the concrete from oil, grease, gasoline and food stains.

Channel: QUIKRETE

Views: 6,627,526

Keywords: pouring, concrete, slabs, howto, instruction, Tips, Building (Ontology Class), Do It Yourself (Website Category), DIY, patio ideas, quikrete, quickrete, pour concrete, pour, concrete sidewalk, lay concrete, in backyard, mix and pour, mix, patio, cement, Lowe's (Business Operation), Home Depot (Organization), Ace Hardware (Organization), home improvement, concrete slab, finish concrete, sakrete, Do It Yourself (Hobby), Concrete Finisher, quickcrete, concrete finishing, concrete finish, pore

Id: tqP1DDYt2Gk

Length: 2min 40sec (160 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 23 2011