TY students had the opportunity to mix concrete. They followed Mr. Mitchells instructions and adding half of the cement, sand and aggregates and let them run as a dry mix for a couple of minutes before starting to add water. Keep gradually adding water until the thickness is about right. Then repeat the process by adding the rest of your mix followed by the water until it’s at the right consistency.
Students then followed 6 easy steps to finish the concrete slab.
- Use a square shovel or a come-along tool to push and pull the wet concrete into place.
- During this step remove excess concrete and bring the surface of the concrete to proper grade. Use a straight board or special tool called a screed.
- Use a bull float to level ridges, fill voids and slightly embed the aggregate. Then allow the bleed water to disappear.
- Once all the bleed water is gone, create neat rounded edges along the perimeter of the slab using an edger.
- Prevent unwanted cracks by jointing the slab with a grooving tool.
- If you’re looking for a smooth, hard, dense surface, use a steel trowel or fresno for this step.
