Printable version (pdf)*
If you are building a house or a commercial space this sheet should be clearly posted and handed out to all your subcontractors. A few simple and obvious precautions will yield a beautiful floor.
General slab requirements for interior and exterior concrete:
- Five sack mix with no additives, fillers or curing compounds
- Machine trowel interior spaces if possible, not too hard, leave some porosity
- You want the marbling affect from the machine trowel however a burned slab will not take stain well so do not over burnish it!
- On exterior concrete safety is important, you can make the surface slip resistant by giving the concrete a light broom finish or a rock salt one for more style. (sand can be added to sealer if concrete is slick troweled and slippery)
- Give the concrete a day to cure before subjecting it to foot traffic
General cautionary statements:
- Concrete should be protected from pesticides, they can discolor the concrete and alter stain penetration
- Do not cover concrete for 30 days, any board or object left on a green slab will leave a permanent water mark or stain (all masking tapes should be removed promptly after use, the stick-um can prevent stain penetration)
- Do not leave wall plates for doors or cased openings for more than a day, this can leave water mark or stains
- Do not nail supports studs into slab
- Do not spill plumbers glue, primer, solder, threading oil, or flux (provide some cardboard or masonite for your plumber and see that he uses it). Threatening charge backs is useful in getting their compliance. Be sure to talk to the plumbers helpers as well, the boss rarely is doing the actual work.
- Do not use paint, grease pencils, markers, crayons, or red chalk to mark on slab
- Do not leave metal or nails on slab (will leave rust stains)
- Do not let contractors eat or drink on slab, greasy foods can really soak in
- I recommend a trash can in the garage and a job site broom and dustpan to remain on the job. (set a tone of cleanliness and have the slab swept daily)
- The foam in the can your insulation people use can be very bad for the concrete, please have the installer use a tarp where they are using that product
- The adhesive in a can that dry wall people use to affix corner bead, usually the round type, is very bad for the concrete. You can not get it off. Please have your installer use tarps or paper when using that product
- When using latex or oil based primer for sheetrock, the installer must use a tarp or paper or the job will be charged as a remodel
Timing:
- For most new construction jobs we like to get started when the space is dried in i.e. chimney capped, plumbing and A/C roof penetrations flashed and roof shingled. Our work begins before insulation if you want scored borders otherwise scoring is done before framing. Staining and sealing are done after drywall and texture and before trim and paint. We then cover the floor after at least one whole day of drying. As part of our service we pull up the covering right before move in and apply a final wax finish.
- For new construction exterior jobs work is best done at the very end of build out. Things like stone work and stucco are hard on the sealer and the concrete can not be covered because of rain. The exterior concrete needs to be protected from painters or the job will be treated and charged as a remodel.
*PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader tool to view.
