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.