How to Finish Concrete like a Pro

So you want to save a little money and tackle that concrete job yourself? Great, you are going to do just fine. Concrete finishing does not have to be intimidating and most people enjoy working with this material to create that perfect smooth surface.

Regardless of what type of concrete project you are contemplating on doing you need to know the basics. Concrete finishing is very much like smoothing out frosting on a birthday cake. It does look better when someone does it that has a lot of experience but it also turns out good with a little practice by even the complete novice. This may be over simplified but it gets the point across that it isn't rocket science.

The first step is pouring the concrete into your prepared forms. This doesn't just involve discharging the concrete from the truck to the ground but includes methods to ensure that the concrete you are pouring will not for air cavities during the pour that can weaken your finished product. This is done by agitating the poured concrete from the top down to remove these air bubbles. Some pros go as far as the use a power agitator for this task. For smaller residential applications the process of screeding he concrete can accomplish this.

Screeding takes two in most cases. One person on each end of a screed board will do. The board is rubbed back and forth and towards one end of the forms. This causes the concrete to compact in the forms and also helps remove those air pockets. As the board passes over the two tops of the forms a rough surface develops.

Once the concrete has been screeded and a uniform flat surface appears it is time to "float" the surface. For a large and hard to reach pad using a bull float will do the trick. These bull floats incorporate sections of threaded handle that can be put together to reach quite some distance. The bull float takes some practice to get used to it and does its trick on when it is pulled back across the surface that you are finishing. Bull floats can be rented for about $20 per day and are essential if natural arm reach is not going to be enough.