How to Make Your Concrete Smooth and Shiny?

If you're seeking the perfect finish, you should adhere to a set of steps.

Step 1: Level The Concrete

After you've laid your concrete, it's time to get it level. Two tools commonly used for leveling freshly laid concrete are the screed board and darby.

The screed may be an aluminum strip or a flat piece of wood which you place over the wet concrete. Darbys are basically enormous trowel that has an extended, narrow strip and one or two handles that cover a large space.

First, you must make sure that your concrete is level by using your screed board and moving it across the concrete's surface. The screed helps to fill in any holes in the concrete and remove any concrete that is not needed. Then, you can utilize an abrasive to smooth the concrete even more.

It's recommended that you rotate the darby with an arc and make sure it's at a level surface so that you don't leave any marks on the floor.

This should be done before the free water of your concrete mixture, also known in the industry as "bleed water," rises onto the surface of the concrete.

Step 2: Wait and Stand-by For The Water To Bleed Off

The next step is to allow the water to reach above the surface of the concrete before moving on to the next stage, smoothing the concrete. The bleed water will disappear in its own time, but the time it takes to evaporate depends on the characteristics of the concrete and the environmental conditions.

It is essential to allow the water from the bleed to completely evaporate. If it doesn't, you could face problems such as scaling, dusting and delamination in the future.

Step 3: Float The Concrete

Floating concrete is an important process for creating smooth surfaces. When using a screed or darby, it will provide you with a level surface. Floating can help to smooth any imperfections as well as compact the concrete and help prepare for the next final steps. Concrete can be floated either by hand or using the aid of a machine.

If you are floating concrete with your hands, it is feasible to use small hand floats or larger bull floats. While a standard hand float of magnesium works great for smaller concrete surfaces, you might want to utilize the bull float on larger surfaces so that the aggregates are able to settle.

A bull float is equipped with an extended handle that lets you to pull or push it across the concrete. A typical bull float measures 10 inches wide and may be as long as 10 feet long.

The method of mechanical floating is becoming more popular; however, the concrete needs to be a bit more firm before you try the process. The machines are huge, flat floats constructed of steel that smooth concrete and leave only very slight circular markings.

To make sure that your concrete has enough moisture to support the machine's weight, it is possible to press the concrete with your shoes. If the impression is less than 3mm in depth, the imprint should be safe to let the machine float.

Step 4: Trowel The Concrete

Troweling is crucial in indoor concrete. In this instance, you're using a floating or finishing trowel or trowel for flooring. The way to achieve the smoothest surfaces is to trowel with trowels made of steel and increase tension as you progress.

Make sure not to move the trowel around as you go, as you'll end up creating a "chatter" texture, which isn't an even surface. Don't forget to add water to your concrete when making it.

Step 5: Allow The Concrete To Cure

After you've completed the final steps and are ready to allow for the cement to set, when it is fully cured, then you can proceed to polish.