Procedures for finishing

slabs-on-ground
Chapter 7
 Chapter Topics
Striking off (screeding) the concrete
Bull floating or darbying
Highway-type straightedge
Waiting period
Edging and jointing
Brooming
Floating
Troweling
 Chapter Topics
Machine float and trowel direction and
patterns
Floating-to-troweling sequence
Finishing when setting time varies
from load to load
Floating edges
Walk-behind basics
Hand floating and troweling
Blade tilt
Overview of Finishing Steps
Finishing to Obtain F-
numbers
 Striking Off (Screeding)
Screeding is the act of striking off the surface
of the concrete to a predetermined grade.

Immediately done after spreading and

consolidating.

Types of screeds
Hand held
Vibrating
Laser-guided
 Rigid vs. Wet Screeds
Support for the screeding process

Rigid screeds
Temporary pipe or rail, edge forms, bulkheads, adjacent
hardened concrete

Wet screed
A ribbon or pad of fresh concrete used as guides in
screeding the rest of the fresh concrete

Use wet screeds for FF20/FL 20 or lower and use rigid

screeds for higher F-number
 Bull Floating or Darbying
Smooths the surface removing high and low spots.

Done immediately after screeding before bleed

water appears.

Bullfloat used on large areas.

Darby used for congested areas.

Use only one and not both (bull float or darby).

 Highway Straightedging
Use to improve flatness and levelness.

Use immediately after screeding before

bleed water appears.

Use in cutting and filing operation.

Use multiple times in different directions.

 Waiting Period
Further finishing cant begin until bleeding
has stopped and concrete is firm enough
to start floating
No visible bleed water on surface
Footprint indentation of inch or less

Finishing cant be done with bleed water;

so remove it if necessary.
Drag heavy rubber hose across surface
Use squeegee to push water off surface
 Edging
Commonly done on sidewalks, driveways and steps.

Leaves a neater, slightly rounded edge that is less

likely to chip under traffic or when forms are removed.

Before using edges, good practice to use a pointed

trowel (vertical sawing motion) to loosen the concrete
from the side form.

Place edger flat and then tilt up slightly in the direction

the tool is moved.
 Jointing
Jointer or groovers are used to make contraction joints
in exterior flatwork; driveways and sidewalks.

Mark the location of the joint with a string line or chalk

line on opposite side forms or on the concrete surface.

To start the joint, push the groover into the concrete

and move it forward while applying pressure to the
back of the tool.

After the joint is cut, turn the groover around and pull it
back over the grooved joint to produce a smooth finish.
 Brooming
Most common final treatment for exterior flatwork; provides slip
resistant surface.

The rough texture is made in the surface by running the broom

crosswise (perpendicular) to the direction of travel.

Several textures can be produced by using various types of

brooms and different amounts of pressure while the concrete is
stiffening.

Rough brooming typically follows the bull floating pass.

If a fine broom finish is required, the concrete is often floated

and lightly troweled.
 Brooming
Gently place the broom on the opposite edge of the surface and
pull the broom toward you.

When the broom is close to the near edge, lift it up and return it to
the far edge.

Let the next pass slightly overlap the previous pass.

Always pull the broom, never push it. This allows more of the broom
face to contact the concrete surface and gives better control.

Pushing the broom may cause surface paste to build up on the

broom that can damage the surface during the push.

The broom should be dampened but not dripping with water.

 Floating
After the waiting period, floating is done to:
Embed the large aggregate beneath the
surface mortar layer;
Remove slight humps or other imperfections
and produce a plane, level surface; and
Compact and further consolidate the surface in
preparation for other finishing.

Float when bleed water sheen is gone and

footprint indentation of inch or less.
 Troweling
Immediately after floating.

No troweling should ever be done unless the surface has first

been floated.

Troweling produces a hard, smooth surface that will be easy

to clean and maintain.

For first troweling, a blade at least 4-3/4 in. wide is preferred,

and it should be kept as flat against the surface as possible.

For additional trowelings, smaller trowels are used, and these

are tilted slightly up in the direction of travel to increase the
pressure on the trowel.
 Machine Direction and
Patterns
Use power float and trowels in controlled patterns.

Start the first float pass perpendicular to the direction of last

finishing procedure. Typically that last procedure is bull floating, so
the first float pass is perpendicular to that.

Subsequent float passes are perpendicular to previous float passes.

Each pass in the alternating direction refines the flatness of the
floor until the concrete stiffens to a point where it can no longer be
moved.

Floating or troweling in only one direction creates a wave, and

repeated floating or troweling in only one direction accentuates the
wave.

These waves lower the floor flatness and levelness and are difficult
to remove during restraightening if that procedure is used.
 Machine Direction and
Patterns
For double-riders, the weight of the machine is centered over
each rotor that is attached to the blades.

This concentrates the weight at the center of the blades, with

less weight (and pressure) at the outer edge of the blade.
This creates a trough at the center of each rotor.

Overlapping each pass by minimizes the depth of the

trough left by the previous pass.

After the first pass, center the rotor of the machine over the
mortar ridge.

Each pass erases the mortar ridge left by the previous pass.
 Floating Edges
If done properly, machine floating the slab edges at
least once before the hand finisher begins edge work
can save a lot of hand labor.

If the edges are low and more concrete must be

brought to them, use a ride-on or walk-behind
machine on a forward pass along the edge, with the
float blades or pan on or over the edge form.

If the edges dont need more concrete, or if you

arent sure, make a backward pass with the ride-on
or walk-behind machine.
 Walk-Behind Basics
Use the handle to guide the machine.

To move left, apply a slight upward pressure on the handle, to

move right, press down slightly.

To move forward, twist the handle clockwise.

To move backward, twist the handle counterclockwise.

To rotate in one spot, hold the handle in a neutral position.

Do not stay in one spot for too long. Move the machine
across the slab in a sweeping motion.

Wipe out footprints during each pass.

 Blade Tilt
For both floating and troweling operations, the angle of the blade is
important .

For floating, the blade must be absolutely flat to prevent tearing or

gouging of the surface.

On each successive troweling pass, the angle of the trowel blade is

slightly increased to exert greater pressure on the concrete surface.

When a trowel blade is tilted or pitched at too great an angle, an

objectionable washboard or chatter surface will result. If this
occurs, reduce the tilt and continue troweling until the surface is
smooth and level, after which the tilt may again be slightly increased.

The tilt is excessive if the leading edge of the blade is more than 1 in.
above the concrete surface.
End of Chapter 7