SURFACE FINISHING, FLOORING

AND DAMP-PROOFING
UNIT IV
 Surface finishing
Concrete Finishes
The most basic type of concrete finish is a smooth surface created through the use of
screeds and trowels.
Immediately after concrete has been placed in forms, concrete finishers utilize a
screed to level out the concrete surface.
Screeds often consist of long pieces of metal or wood that are pulled and pushed
across the concrete surface to remove excess concrete and fill in gaps in the
concrete surface.
 Surface finishing
Troweling or Floating
Once the concrete has been tooled with a screed,
concrete finishers utilize trowels to smooth and fine-
level the surface of the concrete.
This can be accomplished through manual or
mechanical means.
To smooth concrete manually a hand trowel, which
is typically composed of a flat steel blade with
attached handle, is pushed and pulled across the
concrete surface.
Power trowels are available and are typically used
on large commercial and industrial projects where
using hand trowels is not feasible.
Power trowels resemble large fans with the blades
sitting directly against the concrete. These power
trowels are available in both walk behind and riding
versions
TEXTURED CONCRETE FINISHES
Stenciling concrete
TEXTURED CONCRETE FINISHES Stenciling concrete can be a great alternative to
decorative stamping while permitting similar design
Textured concrete finishes are going to be flexibility
the least expensive of the decorative
concrete ideas listed here.
The reason is because all these finishes are
done by the concrete finisher, or maybe
one or two extra finishers on the crew.
They require no added materials to
produce (except for several bags of salt in
the rock salt finish application)
Stamped Concrete
Stamped concrete, commonly referred to
as textured or imprinted concrete, is
concrete that is designed to resemble
brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile and even
wood.
Swirl Finish
It has been made the industry standard for non slip surfaces.
This finish is applied by brushing the concrete surface with a broom just before the
concrete hardens. Swirl Finish.
Extremely unique, our swirl pattern is created by smearing the surface of the concrete in
a uniform overlapping circular pattern.
Broom Finish
Broom Finish
In order to make concrete surfaces slip resistant, a broom finish can be applied.
This is done after placement, leveling, and troweling of concrete.
Once a smooth surface has been created, a broom is dragged across the surface of
the concrete to create small ridges that provide for traction control, particularly when
the concrete surface is wet.
Concrete surfaces without a broom finish tend to be slippery and dangerous when
liquids are present on the surface.
Ribbed concrete finish
Acid etching
Acid etching is a method of removing laitance from the concrete surface to expose
the color and texture of the matrix beneath.
Hydrochloric acid is used, either in diluted form or as a gel.
The level of dilution of the acid, and the length of time that it is left in contact with the
concrete before being washed, off control the depth of exposure.
The process may be repeated to achieve a greater depth of etching.
Care must be taken when acid etching vertical surfaces to avoid streaking.
 exposed-aggregate
An exposed-aggregate surface is obtained by placing concrete and then removing the
outer 'skin' of cement paste to uncover decorative coarse aggregate(either batched
into the concrete mix or seeded onto the surface).
 Weathering
Weathering is the effect of pollution and natural forces, such as frost, rain and
sunlight, on a structure.
With concrete, the main weathering problem is unexpected variations in the visual
appearance of the structure.
Dust in the atmosphere will be deposited on the facade.
The flow of rainwater will tend to wash some areas preferentially, resulting in
significant differences in color between clean and dirty areas.
This phenomenon is controlled by many factors, including the surface texture of the
concrete, the architectural detailing and the orientation of the structure.
 In the short term the visual appearance of the structure can be improved by washing
but the process will have to be repeated regularly.
Painting or coating the surface may help to increase the time before the surface needs
to be re-washed.
In some cases, it may be possible to find a long-term solution to the problem, such as the
provision of alternative drainage paths.
Rainfall is usually slightly acidic due to the dissolution of carbon dioxide in the water in
the atmosphere.
Air pollution in the form of sulphur dioxide increases the acidity of the rain due to the
formation of sulphuric acid.
This will tend to etch the surface of concrete or mortar, but it is largely a cosmetic
problem, unless it is allowed to concentrate
external render
An external render is, in its most basic form, a coating applied to the walls of a
building, to provide a protective coating which would prevent rain penetration.
It also acts as a decorative finish to enhance the appearance of a building.
Exterior House Rendering is the process whereby an external wall covering, applied
by hand and tools, is applied by a plasterer to protect the bricks or blocks from which
the building is constructed from and is normally covered with paint or a wall coatings
to protect the render surface from cracks or erosion.
If the exterior walls of your house are covered in render, good maintenance of the
wall covering is required, to avoid the instances of cracking and the penetration of
damp through the render and into the house.
Roughcast
Roughcast or pebbledash is a coarse plaster surface used on outside walls that
consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel, and
often pebbles or shells.
The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown at the working surface with
a trowel or scoop. The idea is to maintain an even spread, free from lumps, ridges or
runs and without missing any background
Dry Dash
WBS Dry Dash Finish can be used on full elevations or can be used together with any
of the other WBS finishes, such as brick effect render, ashlar detailing or brick slip.
Dry dash is ideal for use on bothrender only projects and as a final finish for external
wall insulation systems.
 Stucco or render
Stucco or render is a material made
of aggregates, a binder, and water.
Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very
dense solid.
It is used as decorative coating for walls and
ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material
in architecture.
Stucco may be used to cover less visually
appealing construction materials such
as metal, concrete, cinder block, or
clay brick and adobe
Plaster of Paris (POP)
Plaster of Paris (POP) is a building material having Gypsum as its main component.
It is used for coating walls and ceilings and also for creating architectural designs.
Plaster of Paris is manufactured as a dry powder and is mixed with water to form a
paste when used.