Concrete finishing.

[Stroppymonkey]

I have a few concrete pads and tracks to lay over the coming years. Probably about 500m sq by the end of it .
Being stubborn and tight I would prefer to do it myself , usually have ability to pull labour in when needed.
I grew up laying concrete on the farm, but very rough and ready / site mixed usually and tamped finish.
We lay slabs on a weekly basis for oil tanks , and have progressed to using an edge trowel which felt like sophistication at the time 🫣
Looking to learn to float properly and get a brushed finish. Fallen down the rabbit hole of you tube videos and looking at all the tools available.
Local hire place has a beam screeder / power float.
Trying to get advice on the best bull float to finish ready mix prior to brushing. Prices and materials vary so much .
Brush finish . Do you need a fresno broom or just use a simple brush?
Brush attachment for the normal bull float or a dedicated blade just for the broom?
3’ or 4’
Never going to be more than 15ft reach required.

Pic for attention

 

[Gunners]

A nice brushed finish is pretty easy to achieve. Get a magnesium float, don't worry about a "big blue" steel float - your not trying to polish it. I just use a standard broom to get the finish but it would be nice to not have to gaffa tape it on the poles every time The advantage of a Fresno is you can float it out across larger spans, then brush on the way back. But for smaller areas, not really needed. Edging trowels make you look pro, have a hand mag float hanging out for pocket for the true American pro look. Otherwise its all about timing more than the tools really. You can have all the tools in the world but get on it too soon and you make a mess, too late and your done for! Comes with experience - and then the weather completely screws you and makes every pour basically luck!
Don't know where your based @Stroppymonkey, but I have a load of poles spare I got from a guy who was retiring that you can have for some beer money. Might start your collection off as these things aren't cheap for what they are really.

 

[Stroppymonkey]

A nice brushed finish is pretty easy to achieve. Get a magnesium float, don't worry about a "big blue" steel float - your not trying to polish it. I just use a standard broom to get the finish but it would be nice to not have to gaffa tape it on the poles every time The advantage of a Fresno is you can float it out across larger spans, then brush on the way back. But for smaller areas, not really needed. Edging trowels make you look pro, have a hand mag float hanging out for pocket for the true American pro look. Otherwise its all about timing more than the tools really. You can have all the tools in the world but get on it too soon and you make a mess, too late and your done for! Comes with experience - and then the weather completely screws you and makes every pour basically luck!
Don't know where your based @Stroppymonkey, but I have a load of poles spare I got from a guy who was retiring that you can have for some beer money. Might start your collection off as these things aren't cheap for what they are really.

Thanks .
You mean magnesium bull float ?
Which do you use? Huge variation in prices . Not sure if handles are same pattern on all makes? Be nice if they were.
Steel is for finer finishing I think-and not needed for what I do.
I am down on the far border in Gods country.
Another 3 miles and I’d be Cornish 🫣

Another reason for doing myself is that I am in charge of my own time , and would hate to be paying for a team to sit waiting around for the right conditions
If its me and a couple of lads then will always be busy.

 

[TiltyShaun]

I have a collection of various floats from our concrete floor finishing days. The one thing I would say with any slab, is the first float wants to be as wide as you possible have. We would then wait until it is “just right” to is the one you have pictured with the brush attached to give it the finish. Too soon and you can smooth it off again. Too late……you learn for next time!!

 

[Danny]

The right mix slump comes into it. To wet you'll be playing with it for hours, to dry you'll also always be playing with it for hours
Sometimes, no two mixes are the same on the same day if the sand is slightly wet etc but its normally pretty consitant

Visqueen or no visqueen - recently, we have been using no visqueen (if its not designed eg a farm track), as the visqueen holds water and then takes hours and hours to go off. In the summer we use visqueen as the ground is so dry it will suck the moisture right out

Set your forms right
Roller striker - normally leaves a pretty good finish, just be mindful where you stop as will leave a mark so always go back further before spinning again
Big blue at the right time and then brush, sometimes if its creamy enough you can skip the blue and go straight to brush
Always pull the brush back to you rather than push away from you and have someone on the other edge moving the brush along for you

 

[Smiffy]

The cheap kits off eBay are perfectly good enough the one that comes with a roller tamp is good. You don't have to worry about tamping as you pour it so need less people and can work quicker. The company I use to work for had loads of these. As with general groundworkers they ran over them with a dumper constantly. And the expensive kits bend just the same as the cheap ones

Pardon our interruption...

The ox tools mini float is also a good tool to keep in the van if you regularly do small pads

https://www.screwfix.com/p/ox-pro-concrete-bull-float-extendable-47-x-6-/827XX?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19822797737&gbraid=0AAAAAD8IdPwg9gE6lNeMAK4gCsgmAccxS&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7-rMBhCFARIsAKnLKtDrFLM5DTWE7ouxOCEV5ZhL7FXj6IqYHRkpcXkvpy21RYXYr00VRfwaAtNdEALw_wcB

A few different bullnose trowels for the edges or use 45degree chamfer screwed to the formwork gives stronger edges.

And one of these trowels is a must for sorting out the edges.

Ragni Cement & Floor Finishing Trowel

Tempered and polished carbon steel blade with arrowhead design to ensure a clean finish in corners. Blade attached with hidden interval rivets. An increased stem to blade ratio enables a smooth consistent finish. Features soft grip 2-component handle for comfort.

www.toolstation.com

 

[V8Druid]

The cheap kits off eBay are perfectly good enough the one that comes with a roller tamp is good. You don't have to worry about tamping as you pour it so need less people and can work quicker. The company I use to work for had loads of these. As with general groundworkers they ran over them with a dumper constantly. And the expensive kits bend just the same as the cheap ones

Pardon our interruption...

The ox tools mini float is also a good tool to keep in the van if you regularly do small pads

https://www.screwfix.com/p/ox-pro-concrete-bull-float-extendable-47-x-6-/827XX?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19822797737&gbraid=0AAAAAD8IdPwg9gE6lNeMAK4gCsgmAccxS&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7-rMBhCFARIsAKnLKtDrFLM5DTWE7ouxOCEV5ZhL7FXj6IqYHRkpcXkvpy21RYXYr00VRfwaAtNdEALw_wcB

A few different bullnose trowels for the edges or use 45degree chamfer screwed to the formwork gives stronger edges.

And one of these trowels is a must for sorting out the edges.

Ragni Cement & Floor Finishing Trowel

Tempered and polished carbon steel blade with arrowhead design to ensure a clean finish in corners. Blade attached with hidden interval rivets. An increased stem to blade ratio enables a smooth consistent finish. Features soft grip 2-component handle for comfort.

www.toolstation.com

first link doesn't appear to have the roller included
"KIT
1200X 200 ALIMINIUM BLADE
900 X 120 STEEL BLADE
KNUCKLE CONNECTOR
3 X 6 FT HANDLES
1 X BRUSH ONLY"

 

[Gunners]

And one of these trowels is a must for sorting out the edges.

Ragni Cement & Floor Finishing Trowel

Tempered and polished carbon steel blade with arrowhead design to ensure a clean finish in corners. Blade attached with hidden interval rivets. An increased stem to blade ratio enables a smooth consistent finish. Features soft grip 2-component handle for comfort.

www.toolstation.com

Shouldn't really use a steel trowel on wet concrete, you risk trapping the bleed water in. Use magnesium floats to start with until it starts to firm up. Steel is for polishing really.

 

[V8Druid]

Shouldn't really use a steel trowel on wet concrete, you risk trapping the bleed water in. Use magnesium floats to start with until it starts to firm up. Steel is for polishing really.

so what's the difference between a polished steel surface and a polished Mag alloy surface - neither are permeable ?

 

[Gunners]

so what's the difference between a polished steel surface and a polished Mag alloy surface - neither are permeable ?

The Mag floats aren't polished. I don't know the science behind it Graham, I just know that's how it is

 

[Smiffy]

Shouldn't really use a steel trowel on wet concrete, you risk trapping the bleed water in. Use magnesium floats to start with until it starts to firm up. Steel is for polishing really.

That set comes with aluminium rather than magnesium for the initial work. As far as I am aware aluminium has the same effect as magnesium

 

[charlie2]

The Mag floats aren't polished. I don't know the science behind it Graham, I just know that's how it is

guy i worked for did lots of finished concrete slabs and yards the main thing with it was getting the right concrete mix and not having it piss wet. the finishing it was a game of chance especially if it was powerfloated, brush finish not so critical he used a fibre brush mostly after floating it with a steel float to get a fairly flat smooth surface then go to the brush the one he used was fitted onto the float and could be adjusted for the angle and pivoted up out of the way when not used they sometimes used a metal brush with just a single row of tines like a rake but much thinner tines when done right it gave a good finish. but it was mostly down to how good the guy was that used it. a lot of petrol stations seem to have the wire type brush finish. mag floats seem to drag rather than flatten/polish the concrete. the guy doing it is the answer to a good finish needs a bit of pride in his work and ideally needs to be same guy doing it on each pour for best looks i had to break up a few that were rough as f**k.