Features of operation
The correct use of the smoother is as follows:
It is important to remember that after using the trowel, other mandatory work is carried out: moistening the concrete, fixing it by standing and filling it with a self-leveling mixture.
Making a smoothing iron with your own hands from scrap materials is not difficult. The tool will allow you to level the concrete floor without major costs. You can work without assistants. The quality of the floor is not inferior to mechanical leveling.
Making at home from wood
If you don’t have the money to buy a device, but you urgently need a smoothing tool, it’s quite possible to make it yourself. Of course, it will not be possible to create a powerful device, but it is quite possible to make a simple and convenient ironing iron to perform a one-time task.
Working cloth
To create a profile for a construction tool, you need an edged board with a smooth surface. The length of the lumber should be from one to two meters: the parameter will depend on the size of the area that needs to be concreted. Thickness – no more than 30 mm, otherwise the smoother will turn out heavy, and its handle will sag. Further:
Pen
The holder for the mortar leveling tool is made of timber. A design with a very long holder will turn out to be bulky and inconvenient, it will not be easy to work with it, so the handle should not exceed 5.5 m. To operate the smoother during construction work in small areas, you can use holders from a shovel, rake or fork. When working with standard timber, the edges need to be rounded with a planing tool and sanded. Further:
Video instructions: making from scrap materials
The use of manual slatted trowels for laying concrete
For small areas of the treated surface, small-sized hand trowels are used. The corners of the blades are rounded, and the handle of the tool is attached to the working plane.
The volume of coatings processed determines the size of the work area. Manufacturing materials are light aluminum alloys. The working surface (blades) is characterized by specularity.
Manual smoothers are equipped with a cable reducer, with the help of which, when moving “back and forth,” you can change the angle of the blade. The angle of inclination of the blade depends on the mobility of the mixture and can reach 60°.
Tips: When performing work on smoothing concrete, it is not recommended to immerse the blade in the material being processed.
Making a concrete trowel at a construction site
Factory tools are usually used for smoothing coatings on large objects, but for individual construction and one-time small volumes, you can make a trowel with your own hands.
To complete the work you will need the following tools and materials:
Instructions for making it yourself (see video in this article):
Tips: instead of securing the handle with spacers, you can choose a ready-made factory-made hinge mount.
Tool Features
The main factor determining the dimensions of the working element of the trowel and the length of the handle is the area of the surface being processed. Factory-made tools are used mainly on large objects.
Do-it-yourself concrete trowel , as a rule, is used during the construction of low-rise private buildings, and after completion of the concrete work it is disposed of or thrown away. At the same time, the scraper smoother, due to the complexity of manufacturing at home, is purchased in a factory version.
Ironing device
When the master moves the plate away from himself, the far edge rises, and when moving in the opposite direction, the rear edge rises. The angle of inclination is changed by installing a gearbox at the point where the handle is attached to the smoothing plate.
Kawabanga! Do-it-yourself concrete production
A self-made trowel is similar in design to a wide mop for washing the floor. The device consists of a plate and a long handle attached to it. To make a smoothing iron you will need the following:
- Board or timber 20-30 cm wide and up to 2 m long;
- Beam 50x50;
- Bars for making spacers 25x25 and 1-1.5 m long;
- Plane;
- Wood saw or electric jigsaw;
- Sandpaper;
- Self-tapping screws;
- Screwdriver;
- Impregnation, drying oil or paint.
How to make a pen
The handle of the smoother is made of timber. It is not advisable to make a handle longer than 6 meters, since the structure will be too heavy and it will be very difficult to work with it.
To work in small areas, use a ready-made shovel handle or a wooden mop. If regular timber is used, the edges are rounded with a plane and sanded with sandpaper.
The prepared handle is attached to the smoothing plate at an angle of 60 degrees with two spacers. The screws are screwed in so that their ends do not protrude onto the surface of the plate and do not disturb its smoothness.
It is advisable to attach 2 handles to a working plate of more than 1.5 meters: the structure will be much more convenient to operate, but you will have to involve an assistant in the process of smoothing the screed.
A good mounting option is a hinged unit: in this case, the maneuverability of the device increases. The handle is attached to the hinge at an angle so that it does not dangle, but only freely changes the angle of inclination of the working surface.
Step-by-step process for making a mop-trowel
Necessary materials:
- profile pipe;
- sheet metal;
- bolts with wing nuts;
- steel mesh.
The first step is to make the base of the trowel. To do this, we cut four blanks from the profile, trim the edges at an angle of 45 degrees, and weld a rectangular frame.
1
Concrete mop
This special tool has become high-tech, having a wide range of modifications. The use of trowels, even those made by hand, improves the quality and productivity of work on moving concrete bases.
Purpose
Peculiarities
How to do it yourself?
Rules
This hand tool ensures the initial distribution of the solution over the surface filled with concrete mixture.
What is a rule and the size of the rules?
Application area
How to choose?
The rule is a flat, long strip of aluminum or other material.
Self-made tool
Conclusion
Smoothers and rules for moving concrete ensure the formation of perfectly smooth and even surfaces, which is an important step in preparing concrete solutions for use.
Industrial and homemade tools, with proper preparation and selection, will make such work as effective as possible.
Concrete trowels - general information and application
A product made of wood must be well sanded to avoid errors during the work process.
Design features and operating principle
The tool, used for working in small areas, looks like a trowel for a mason or a trowel for plastering work, to which a handle is welded by electric welding.
A product made of wood, as well as a metal device, copes with its functions perfectly. The smooth working plane has rounded edges, allowing it to move smoothly across the surface. The device is moved in zigzags to improve the distribution of the solution.
The use of manual slatted trowels for laying concrete
Manual rack and pinion devices are often used in small areas, are made of light aluminum alloys, and are equipped with a cable gearbox that changes the angle of inclination of the working plate with rounded edges. The change in the angle of inclination depends on the mobility of the freshly poured solution, the maximum value is 60 degrees.
Channel trowel for correcting the surface of fresh concrete
The channel device is mainly used for simple corrections and leveling of concrete pavement with the angle of the installed handle up to a maximum of 30 degrees. The optimal width of the adjustable working area is 3 meters.
The complete set is complemented by a toothed nozzle, which forms expansion joints that separate the surface of the laid mortar, which allows you to simultaneously level and create expansion joints. Thus, the tool reduces the cost of the work performed and its labor intensity.
The device is made of aluminum alloys or stainless steel; the mirror working plate has increased resistance to corrosive processes and chemical reagents.
Scraper
The scraper type of tool is designed to collect and remove escaping liquid. It eliminates tubercles well and controls the horizontal level of the plane. Rotating the handle increases or decreases the angle of the blade to facilitate the alignment process. The length of the handle reaches 6 meters, the maximum width of the working area is also 6 meters.
Serrated
The tool has a number of undeniable advantages:
- light weight, since the blade is made of aluminum alloy;
- wide range of blades;
- used over large areas;
- strength and durability of the structure.
To perform the work efficiently, you should prevent the device from immersing itself in the concrete mixture by constantly holding it on the surface, sliding along it.
Types of trowels for concrete
In order for the floor surface to allow any finishing work to be carried out, it must be perfectly flat and meet all the necessary technical requirements.
The smoother is used for leveling by adjusting the smoothing angle.
All this very often cannot be achieved without additional installation work. In order for the surface of the floor slab to become suitable for further work, it is necessary to make a screed over it and level it correctly.
To do this, you need specially made manually or ready-to-use mixtures, which can be bought at construction stores. But, in order to achieve the desired, these mixtures alone will not be enough - you also need special equipment, a smoothing iron.
Ironing device
The scraper trowel is designed to remove excess water after vibration treatment of the surface.
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Smoothing
Smoothing features
Concrete smoothing tools
The most effective devices for performing this type of work are trowels for laying concrete, available in various modifications:
- channel;
- scraper;
- trowelling machines.
Channel trowel for correcting the surface of freshly laid concrete
The channel type is used for smoothing and simple correction of the surface with coordination of the smoothing angle up to 30° and the optimal width of the corrected coating up to 3 m. The length of the rod (with extension) is up to 6 m.
Typically, cutting seams is done on dry material using power tools with expensive diamond blades. In this case, the workers’ wages and the price of diamond blades are removed from the cost of work on constructing expansion joints.
Channel devices are made of aluminum alloy or special stainless steel. The blades have a smooth mirror surface and are highly corrosion resistant.
Scraper for smoothing concrete mixture
The width of the treated coating is up to 6 m. The maximum length of the handle (bar) is 6 m. The design provides for a smooth increase or decrease in the angle of inclination of the working blade by rotating the handle, which makes work easier during operation.
- wide selection of blades;
- light weight due to the blade material (aluminum alloy);
- strong and durable design;
- Thanks to the long handle (up to 6 m), a large area can be used.
Trowels - mechanized concrete trowels
To smooth large areas, mechanized types of devices for freshly laid screed are used - paddle trowels. Depending on the design of the drive, machines are divided into electric and gasoline.
To carry out work in interior spaces of a relatively small area, and especially on sites of complex shape, electric single-rotor blade units with a working disk diameter of 600–1200 mm are used.
The electromechanical unit includes the following equipment (see photo):
- electric motor;
- gearbox;
- dolly wheels;
- batch switch;
- handle;
- disk.
For work in open areas, gasoline-powered machines are used.
Depending on the power and design of the gasoline unit, two types of gasoline-powered vehicles are distinguished:
- Manual machines controlled by a handle. Ideal for processing coatings on narrow and small areas of the floor.
- Self-propelled two-rotor trowelling units equipped with hydraulics for autonomous operation.
Types of tools
In general, a concrete trowel is a machined meter-long strip of aluminum alloy metal to which one or two long handles are attached.
Structurally, the tool resembles a large mop for cleaning surfaces. There are two types of smoothers: classic and scraper. Classic trowels are used to smooth a still plastic surface, which allows you to effectively level the surface.
Scraper trowels are used to level the already setting material and at the same time effectively remove excess water.
Application of concrete trowels
The technology for smoothing a freshly laid concrete mixture consists of three stages:
- The first stage is carried out using a trowel disk with a diameter of 600–1220 mm. When rotating, the smoothing disk eliminates all primary roughness and unevenness of the concrete surface.
- Then smoothing blades with rounded edges are attached to the rotor. The tilt angle of the rotating blades can be adjusted from 0° to 30°. First, the blades are set in a horizontal position. Then, as the concrete mixture dries, the angle of inclination is increased.
- When finishing troweling a concrete surface, rectangular finishing blades are attached to the rotor of the trowel and the maximum angle of inclination of the rotating blades of the trowel is set.
Despite the simplicity of the operation of trowels, you still need to follow some rules:
However, it’s up to you to decide which tool to use and on which objects. The purpose of this article was the pressing question - how to make concrete smooth. For more details on this topic, watch the video in this article.
Types of tools for smoothing concrete
Manufacturers of construction tools produce several types of devices that smooth concrete.
Tools differ in type, function and have different properties:
- Channel – corrects freshly laid concrete. Made from stainless steel and aluminum alloys. It is a smooth plate with a mirror surface 1-3 meters wide, up to 6 meters long and a handle.
- Scraper - use a tool to remove lumps and cement laitance and fill the resulting depressions in the already set concrete with the mixture. The width of the scraper smoother plate is from 1 to 6 meters. The design allows you to smoothly change the angle of the plate by twisting the handle.
- Manual rack - a device used in small areas. The short handle of such a smoother is attached directly to the working plane. This type is used on stairs and vertical surfaces.
- Trowels are expensive mechanized tools with an electric and gasoline drive with two working plates. Grinding is carried out by moving the plates in a circle. Used in professional construction.
Application area
In addition to plastering work, the rule is used for:
- laying tiles. When performing this work, it is necessary to carefully observe the verticality and horizontality of the surface;
- applying elastic soft putties. The rule for plaster
in this case is to use a large spatula; - ceiling devices. It is with the help of this tool that you can get a perfectly flat ceiling surface;
- screed devices. The rule is a very convenient tool for leveling the mortar on the floor surface.
Kawabanga! Forms for concrete stones
The rule can be of different lengths:
- 1 meter;
- 1.5 meters;
- 2 meters;
- 2.5 meters.
It makes no sense to release longer models, since even the 2.5 m rule is already quite difficult to use alone . Although a professional must have in his arsenal all models of the instrument: from the shortest to the longest.
Application of levelers
Aluminum rakes are indispensable in road construction work, because they are widely used:
- For pothole repair, when it is necessary to locally “cure” problem areas of the road surface, quickly and without significant costs.
- On small sections of roads where it is not practical to use expensive motorized equipment (since the cost of delivering them to the work site is too high), light hand tools can be used.
- At large facilities (if you need to “work” some areas where, due to lack of space, it is difficult to use large-scale special equipment - in this case, even in the high-tech 21st century, ordinary manual labor comes to the rescue).
- In individual construction and landscaping (in dacha and garden plots, in the local area, for arranging various paths and sites).
The choice of the method of work remains with the organizers - they decide what equipment and devices are needed, whether hand tools (rakes, manual joint pourers, vibrating plates, etc.) will be enough, or whether it is necessary to involve large road construction equipment - such as bulldozers, excavators, graders, asphalt distributors.
Books on the topic:
Modern work on the construction of walls and partitions - Galina Serikova - 45 rubles - link to a review of the book Modern floors. Technologies and materials - Valentina Nazarova - 29 rubles - link to book review
Builder's Handbook - Victor Akhanov - 250 rubles - link to a review of the book Construction of Floors. Materials and technologies - Lyudmila Zarubina - 127 rubles - link to book review
This special tool has become high-tech, having a wide range of modifications. The use of trowels, even those made by hand, improves the quality and productivity of work on moving concrete bases.
Concrete mop
This special tool has become high-tech, having a wide range of modifications. The use of trowels, even those made by hand, improves the quality and productivity of work on moving concrete bases.
Purpose
Peculiarities
How to do it yourself?
Rules
This hand tool ensures the initial distribution of the solution over the surface filled with concrete mixture.
What is a rule and the size of the rules?
Application area
How to choose?
The rule is a flat, long strip of aluminum or other material.
Self-made tool
Conclusion
Smoothers and rules for moving concrete ensure the formation of perfectly smooth and even surfaces, which is an important step in preparing concrete solutions for use.
Industrial and homemade tools, with proper preparation and selection, will make such work as effective as possible.
Rules for using the ironer
Homemade smoothing devices are used in areas whose length does not exceed seven meters. For large areas, it is more advisable to buy a suitable tool.
Tools for leveling cement and concrete mixtures are presented in a large assortment on the construction markets. You can buy both household and professional models with great functionality. However, to save money, you can easily make a simple and convenient ironing iron with your own hands.
Source
Types of trowels for concrete
In order for the floor surface to allow any finishing work to be carried out, it must be perfectly flat and meet all the necessary technical requirements.
The smoother is used for leveling by adjusting the smoothing angle.
All this very often cannot be achieved without additional installation work. In order for the surface of the floor slab to become suitable for further work, it is necessary to make a screed over it and level it correctly.
To do this, you need specially made manually or ready-to-use mixtures, which can be bought at construction stores. But, in order to achieve the desired, these mixtures alone will not be enough - you also need special equipment, a smoothing iron.
Ironing device
The scraper trowel is designed to remove excess water after vibration treatment of the surface.
