Placing and Finishing Concrete

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures – Chapter 14

Overview
 Preparation before placing
 Depositing concrete
 Consolidation
 Finishing
 Jointing
 Patching and cleaning concrete
Moisture Control
Moisture Testing
Formwork and Reinforcement
 Forms:
 Proper alignment, clean, tight, braced
 Proper materials for finished look

 Reinforcement:
 Clean of debris and excessive rust/mill scale
 Remove loose, dry mortar from previous lifts
Depositing Concrete
Depositing Concrete
Depositing
Concrete
Placing Concrete Underwater
Placing on Hardened Concrete
 Surface must be prepared
 Mechanical cleaning, roughening
 Walls and columns have weaker tops
 Form-cured elements may still have weak
tops
Preparing
Hardened
Concrete
Bonding New to Existing Concrete
Special Placing Techniques
Consolidation
Vibration
Vibration
External Vibration
External Vibration
External Vibration
Finishing
 Finishes can be customized – colors, textures
 Basic steps:
 Strikeoff/screeding
 Floating
 Trowling
 Texturing
 Timing is important
Screeding/Strikeoff
 Process of cutting off excess concrete
 Straightedge or screed
 Straightedges used in sawing motion
 Surcharge of concrete fills low spots
Bullfloating/Darbying
Edging/Jointing
 Edging required along edge forms and formed
joints in slabs
 Densifies concrete where troweling is less
effective
 First pass before bleeding
 Subsequent passes after each finishing
operation
 Contraction joints can be formed with groovers
or inserts
Floating
Troweling
Brooming/Tining
Formed
Surfaces
Special Surface Finishes
Exposed-Aggregate Concrete
 Rugged, attractive surface texture
 Special aggregates chosen
 Embedded by tapping or integrally mixed
 Surface mortar is worn away to expose aggregate
 Brushing and flushing, may require acid
 Abrasive blasting or water blasting
 Tooling/bushhammering
 Grinding and polishing
 Mock-up is necessary
Colored
Finishes
Stain, Paints, and
Clear Coatings
Curing and Protection
Isolation Joints
Contraction Joints
Contraction Joints
Construction
Joints
Horizontal Construction Joints
Horizontal Construction Joints
Joint Layout
Filling Floor Joints
 Three options for joints:
 Filling
 Sealing
 Left open
 Fillers provide more edge support than sealers
 Used for heavy-traffic areas
Unjointed Floors
 Three suggested methods:
 Post-tensioning
 High reinforcement levels
 Concrete made with expansive cement
Removing Forms
 Ideally forms left on as long as possible
 Realistically, forms must come off
 Rubbed finishes
 Form reuse
 Minimum time to form removal based on
strength
 Forms should be removed gently
Patching and Cleaning Concrete
 Bulges, fins, projections chipped off
 Undesired metal cut back
 Surface can be rubbed
 Repairs are easier the younger the concrete
 Patches tend to be darker
 White cement is used to lighten color
Patching and Cleaning Concrete
Patching and Cleaning Concrete
Curing Patches
Cleaning Concrete Surfaces
 Water methods
 Low-pressure, moderate- to high-pressure
 Steam
 Chemical methods
 Surfactants
 Acids/alkalis
 Mechanical methods
 Sandblasting, shotblasting, scarification,
power chipping, grinding
Precautions
 Protect your head and eyes
 Full-cover goggles, safety glasses with side
shields, NIOSH-approved respirators
 Protect your back
 Lift with legs, not back
 Use mechanical means as much as possible
 Working safely with concrete
 Wet concrete is caustic and abrasive
 Avoid prolonged exposure to skin
Summary
 Preparation before placing
 Depositing concrete
 Consolidation
 Finishing
 Jointing
 Patching and cleaning concrete
Questions