Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?

On 10/10/10 11:42, Will wrote:
Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?



Vibrating poker or using a stick to similar effect sorts out the
entrapped air.

I've got a pretty nice finish in the past with floating it off.

Cheers

Tim

On 10 Oct, 11:46, Tim Watts wrote:
On 10/10/10 11:42, Will wrote:

Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?

Vibrating poker or using a stick to similar effect sorts out the
entrapped air.

I've got a pretty nice finish in the past with floating it off.

Cheers

Tim

Yup, pokering. It also, IME, causes the aggregates to sink somewhat,
(hence, I assume the warnings about over-pokering) leaving an easily-
skimmed cement-only layer at the top.

On 10 Oct, 11:42, "Will" wrote:
Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?

There's a good book out there on "Concrete countertops", how to do
decorative concrete in kitchens and even bathrooms.

Vibrating pokers are one part, for de-bubbling (mine's home made and
goes on the Mutleymaster). Plasticised mixes too. Then you float
while it's wet and grind when it's dry.

There's a good book out there on "Concrete countertops", how to do
decorative concrete in kitchens and even bathrooms.

I've looked through a mate's copy of that, very good for the diy-er
with the time and space to experiment.


Vibrating pokers are one part, for de-bubbling (mine's home made and
goes on the Mutleymaster). Plasticised mixes too. *Then you float
while it's wet and grind when it's dry.

Oooh - show us yours! I bought the genuine multimaster poker when it
was a discounted end-of-line - it was rubbish beyond belief, you'd be
lucky to poker a teacup of concrete with it.

On 10 Oct, 12:31, " wrote:
There's a good book out there on "Concrete countertops", how to do
decorative concrete in kitchens and even bathrooms.

I've looked through a mate's copy of that, very good for the diy-er
with the time and space to experiment.

Vibrating pokers are one part, for de-bubbling (mine's home made and
goes on the Mutleymaster). Plasticised mixes too. *Then you float
while it's wet and grind when it's dry.

Oooh - show us yours! I bought the genuine multimaster poker when it
was a discounted end-of-line - it was rubbish beyond belief, you'd be
lucky to poker a teacup of concrete with it.

The high frequency ones are wonderful. You need to wear gloves, they
will take the skin off your hands.
There are also vibrating beams and power floats. All do a better job
than you can do by hand.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Will" saying
something like:

Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?

On small areas a length of batten flittered on the surface does it.

On 10 Oct, 12:31, " wrote:

Vibrating pokers are one part, for de-bubbling (mine's home made and
goes on the Mutleymaster).

Oooh - show us yours!

I've no idea how these are supposed to work, but it needed to turn
rotational oscillation into a sideways movement. So mine is plastic
tube (airline? pub beer line?) with a screw thread wired and glue-
gunned into one end, and an off-centre weight (couple of big nails,
bamboo chopstick fillers) glue-gunned into the other. Then run it
slowly, otherwise it behaves like a lariat and the weight hangs still
while the pipe wobbles on its own.

I bought the genuine multimaster poker when it
was a discounted end-of-line - it was rubbish beyond belief, you'd be
lucky to poker a teacup of concrete with it.

That's a bit disappointing! If Fein can't get things right...

"Will" wrote in message
b.com...
Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?


Talk of concrete reminds me of a pet grudge. Why is it that you can drive
on concrete motorways on the continent and they are smooth and quiet.
Drive on one over here (e.g. M25) and it is like driving over corrugated
iron; and you can't hear yourself think for the road noise.
--
Tinkerer

That's a bit disappointing! *If Fein can't get things right...

It's the only Fein thing I've ever had issue with. All their other
kit, and all the other multimaster accessories have been excellent.

The high frequency ones are wonderful. You need to wear gloves, they
will take the skin off your hands.

Not tried a HF one, I usually hire a small electric unit from HSS
(though I should have bought one by now, for what I've paid in hire
charges).

The small electric ones (shoebox size power unit containing the motor,
plus 3-4m hose and vibrating head) - have been excellent. Readily
comparable with the large compressor driven units used on construction
sites.

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote

Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?

On small areas a length of batten flittered on the surface does it.

What does flittered mean in this context exactly? Something similar to
"tamped" perhaps?

Phil

On Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:20:55 +0100, Tinkerer wrote:

"Will" wrote in message
b.com...
Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?


Talk of concrete reminds me of a pet grudge. Why is it that you can
drive on concrete motorways on the continent and they are smooth and
quiet. Drive on one over here (e.g. M25) and it is like driving over
corrugated iron; and you can't hear yourself think for the road noise.

Some ex-spurt sold the guvmint on it as a elfin dafty jobby. The ridges
see, they stop vehicles sliding abart in the ice. Said ex-spurt works
for a tyre company. Go figure.

R.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "TheScullster"
saying something like:

On small areas a length of batten flittered on the surface does it.

What does flittered mean in this context exactly? Something similar to
"tamped" perhaps?

Tamping but edge or side on, not lengthways.

"TheOldFellow" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:20:55 +0100, Tinkerer wrote:

"Will" wrote in message
b.com...
Anyone know how the professionals get such a smooth finish on their
concrete - mine always has air pockets and a rough surface?


Talk of concrete reminds me of a pet grudge. Why is it that you can
drive on concrete motorways on the continent and they are smooth and
quiet. Drive on one over here (e.g. M25) and it is like driving over
corrugated iron; and you can't hear yourself think for the road noise.

Some ex-spurt sold the guvmint on it as a elfin dafty jobby. The ridges
see, they stop vehicles sliding abart in the ice. Said ex-spurt works
for a tyre company. Go figure.


Thanks for the explanation. Sounds similar to a story about the minister
who got Beeching to ditch the railways being tied up with a firm that built
motorways. ;o)
--
Tinkerer