BUTLDINO WORKS - VOWME l Chapter 5 - Reinforced Cement Concrete

(i) Bulges and ridges shall be removed by careful chipping or tooling and the
surface shall then be rubbed with a grinding stone.

(ii) Honey-combed and other defective areas shall be chipped out, the edges being
cut as straight as possible and perpendicularly to the surface, or preferably
slightly undercut to provide a key at the edge o f the patch.

Shallow patches shall first be treated with a coat of thin grout composed of one part of cement
and one part of sand and then filled with mortar simjlar to that used in the concrete. The mortar
shall be placed in layers not more than l O mm thick and each layer shall be given a scratch
finish to secure bond with the succeeding layer. The last layer shall be finished to match the
surrounding concrete by floating, rubbing or tooling on formed surface by pressing the form
material against the patch while the mortar is still plastic.

Holes left by bolts shaJI be filled with mortar carefully packed into place in small amounts.
The mortar shall be mixed as dry as possible, with just enough water so that it will be tightly
compacted when forced into place.

Tiered holes extending right through the concrete may be filled with mortar using a pressure
gun (similar to the gun used for greasing motor cars).

Normally, patches appear darker than the surrounding concrete, possibly owing to the presence
on their surface o f less cement Iaitance. Where uniform surface colour is important, this defect
shall be remedied by adding 10 to 20 percent of white portland cement to the patching mortar,
the exact quantity being determined by trial.

Care shall be taken to cure the material in the patches as taken with the whole structure. Curing
shall be started as soon as possible after the patch is finished to prevent early drying. Damp
hessian may be used but in some locations it may be difficult to hold it in place. A membrane
curing compound will be most convenient in these cases.

5.4.7.2 Surface Preparation for Plastering

The surface which is to receive plaster or where it is to be joined with a brick masonry wall,
shall be properly roughened immediately after the shuttering is removed, taking care to
remove the laitance completely without disturbing the concrete. The roughening shall be done
by hacking. Before the surface is plastered, it shall be cleaned and wetted so as to give good
bond between concrete and plaster.

The reinforced concrete work shall be done to such tolerances that the thickness of plaster
required for finishing the surface does not exceed IO mm.

5.4.7.3 Surface Preparation for Floor Finishes

The surface of a reinforced concrete slab on which a screed or other finish is to be laid shall be
roughened with brushes while the concrete is green. This shall be done carefully without
disturbing the concrete.

5.4.7 .4 Preparation for Roof Slabs

Jn case of roof slabs the top surface shall be finished even and smooth with a wooden trowel,
before the concrete begins to set. When required, a brushed finish shall be obtained by
brushing the surface with a stiff broom or wire brush while still green. This provide a slightly
coarse surface.

.....,.
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Bull.DING WORKS- VOLUME I Chapter 5 - Reinforced Cement Concrete

5.4.8 Surface Finishes

This sub clause on finishes t<? in-situ concrete covers formed finishes, worked finishes on
plastic concrete and worked finishes on hardened concrete.

The contractor shall provide form work appropriate to the required formed finish and to the
dimensional tolerance it any specified.

Control samples shall be provided for the specified finish and approval of the appearance of
each sample obtained from the officer-in-charge in advance of constru ction.

The surface of plastic concrete shall not be wetted to assist surface working to obtain the
specified finishes.

All adjacent work shall be protected from damage when finishes are worked on plastic or
hardened concrete particularly when working with power dirven floating, trowelling or
grinding.

5.4.8.1 Formed Finishes

Formed finishes shall consist of one o f the following;

( I ) Basic finish
(2) Plain finish
(3) Fine finish
(4) Special finish

5.4.8.1.1 Basic Finishes

A basic finish shall be appropriate for areas which are not exposed in the finished work e.g.
foundations, backs of retaining walls, areas to be subsequently clad, plastered or rendered.
There are no special requirements for this finish except those for dimensional tolerances. The
concrete shall be fully compacted and shall be sound.

5.4.8.1.2 Plain Finish

A plain finish shall be appropriate for plain concrete surfaces exposed in the finished work.
e.g. Car parks subways, circulation areas and areas to be subsequently painted.

The general requirements for plain finish shall be as follows:

( 1) The surface shall have an even finish by use of a sheet material e.g. plywood.

(2) Panels shall be arranged in a regular pattern as a feature of the surface.

(3) The concrete surface shall be free from voids, honey combing and other large defects.
Blow holes shall not be more than 10 mm diameter.

(4) The concrete surface shall be free from discolouration due to contamination or grout
leakage but variation in colour resulting from the use o f an impermeable form lining
may be permitted.

The tolerances for the concrete surfaces shall be as follows;

(a) Abrupt irregu1 1:1f ities not more than 5 mm.
(b) Gradual irregularities expressed as maximum permissible deviation from a metre
straight edge shall be not more than 5 mm.
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 BUILDING WORKS- VOLUM8 I Chapter 5 - Reinforced Cement Concrete

(c) The arises to columns, walls etc. Shall be chamfered or rounded as specified in
the drawings or as directed by the officer-in-charge.

Plain finish shall be left as struck unless otherwise specified. Making good of small defects
will normally be permitted but only after inspection by the officer-in-charge Blowholes
shall be filled _with mortar to an approved sample.

5.4.8.1.3 Fine Finish

Fine finish shall be adopted for areas of high aesthetic importance and generally only for
internal work. The contractor shall provide the control sample of fine finish in an approved
location in advance of construction.

The general requirement for fine finish shall be as follows;

(i) . A smooth even finish shall be produced with an impervious sheet material eg.
plastic faced plywood.

(ii) Panels shall be made as large as practicable and arranged in an approved regular
pattern as a feature o f the surface.

(iii) Blow-holes less than 5 mm will be permitted but otherwise the surface shall be free
from voids, honey combing and other defects.

(iv) Variation in colour resulting from the use of impermeable form lining will be
permitted but the surface shall be free from discolouration due to contamination or
grout leakage.

(v) Cover spacers shall not be used without the approval of the officer-in-charge.

Tolerances for the fine finished surfaces shall be as follows;

(a) Abrupt irregularities in the surface shall not be more than 3 mm.

(b) Gradual irregularities expressed as maximum permissible deviation from a one metre
straight edge shall not be more than 3 mm

(c) Arises of columns, walls etc shall be chamfered/rounded as detailed in the drawing
or as specified by the officer-in-charge.

Form work ties shall not be used except with the permission of the officer-in-charge.

Making good o f fine finished concrete will not be permitted and the surface shall be left as
struck.

Blow holes shall be filled with mortar to an approved sample.

5.4.8.1.4 Special Finish

Special finishes to concrete surfaces like rough board finish, ribbed finish, coffered/Toughed
etc. shall be provided by the Contractor to the specific requirements and tolerances indicated in
the drawings.

5.4.8.2 Worked :Finishes : Plastic Concrete

Worked finishes (nonnally to horizontal surfaces) shall be produced by working the concrete
when still in the plastic condition.
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BUILDING WORKS - VOLUME I Chapter 5 - Reinforced Cement Concrete

5.4.8.3.2 Tooled Finish

Tooled finishes shall be obtained over an initial plain finish surface or a ribbed finish surface
by using a snub-nose tool/Disc head bush hammer/combed chisel or other approved tools.
Tooling shall be carried out only on a concrete which is at least 21 days old and has a
compressive strength o f not less than 20 N/mm 2 when tooling is carried out. Tooling shall be
stopped short o f arises with a regular margin o f 40 mm or as otherwise directed.

5.4.8.3.3 Power Ground Floor Finish

Power grinding shall be used to produce a hard wearing surface suitable for the direct
application o f thin sheet or tile covering. Grinding shall be used as a finishing technique and
shall not be used to correct gross irregularities in the surface. The objective shall be to remove
the thin, weak surface layer o f concrete (about 1 mm thick) to produce a surface which is less
prone to dusting and wear, more coarse and slip resistant.
A sample shall be provided by the Contractor in an approved location. Power grinding shall be
carried out on a floated finish obtained with specified tolerances. (The normal gradual
irregularities o f the surface shall be not more than 2 mm on a I metre straight edge.) Power
grinding shall normally be done dry and within 7 days o f concreting. After grinding, all dust
shall be swept away and the surface thoroughly washed down. To reduce dusting, a surface
hardening solution may be applied to the specification o f the manufacturer, i f so directed by the
officer-in-charge.

5.4.9 Sampling and Compliance Criteria For Strength of Concrete

5.4.9.1 General

Sampling and testing o f concrete shall be as per B.S. 1881.

The characteristic strength o f concrete on which the structural design is based is that 28 day cube
strength below which not more than 5% o f the test resu Its may be expected to fat I.

Compliance with the specified characteristic strength should generally be judged by tests· made
on cubes at an age o f 28 days. Ln order to get an idea o f the quality o f the concrete sooner,
compressive strength test at 7 days may be used to test compliance with the specified
characteristic strength.

For this purpose the 7,days strength may be taken to be 75% o f the 28 day cube strength. The
rate o f sampling shall generally be as given below unless otherwise decided by the officer-in-
charge.

One sample shall be taken from any one batch selected randomly to represent an average
volume o f not more than 20 cubic metres, 20 batches or I/4 o f the total quantity o f concrete
under consideration for testing whichever is the lesser volume, but not at a rate less than l
sample per day per grade.

5.4.9.2 Testing Plan and Compliance Criteria

Two test specimens from a sample shall form a single result. The specimens shall be cured as
follows:

(a) for 28 days

(b) by any other regime o f curing agreed between the producer and the purchaser
(eg. 7 days nonnal curing or accelerated curing at an elevated temperature) that is
capable o f predicting the strength o f 28 days.
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