Different concrete finishes

Concrete is used in a lot of commercial and also residential projects. Drive ways, retaining walls, stairs and lots more. It is a strong holding material and can be beautifully finished to add a nice look to any outdoor space. There are several different types of concrete finishes that you can use.

The most basic (but still tricky to accomplish) finish is a SMOOTH SURFACE. This finish is created through the use of screeds and trowels. Right after the concrete has been placed into its forms, even the surface with a screed. Once you leveled out the concrete and made sure all the gaps are sealed, you can utilize trowels to smooth and fine-level the surface of the concrete. This can be done by hand or in a mechanical way.

To smooth out the concrete by hand, you have to use a hand trowel, which is typically composed of a flat steel blade with attached handle, is pushed and pulled across the concrete surface. For bigger and commercial projects, a mechanical way is a must. Power trowels are used for those large scale projects, they resemble large fans with blades sitting directly against the concrete. These power trowels are available in a walk behind or sitting and “riding” version.

EDGING is also a type of finish. The edges of the concrete is used to create beveled or rounded edges on the finished concrete and also to create joints in the surface to minimize possible cracking. For this type of finish, you will need a specific edging tool and the process is quite tedious and requires some practice.

BROOM FINISH is a common way to make the concrete non-slip. You can perform this step after leveling and troweling of the concrete. After a smooth surface is created, a broom is used to drag across the surface of the concrete to create small ridges that provide for traction control, especially after a rainy day and a wet concrete surface.

SALT FINISHES are used mainly for pool decks. Rock salt is applied to the top of the wet concrete and then washed it away, leaving small pits in the surface. Another great way for a non-slippery surface.

EXPOSED AGGREGATE FINISH is created by washing the top layer of concrete away which will reveal the small stones that are mixed into the concrete. This finish also creates a slip resistant surface and safe to use even on those rainy days. This style of finish is a beautiful version and you can take things to the “next level” by adding additional materials, pebbles etc into the concrete mix like gemstones (rose quartz, limestone, basalt, red or blue granite) and even colored glass or seashells. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure that none of those have very sharp edges since that might cause some pointy and harsh to use surfaces.

CONCRETE STAMPS can give your concrete a very unique touch, you can even stamp a logo, design or any pattern into the wet concrete.

Now let’s talk about COLOR. Yes, one of the main perks for using concrete is that you can basically give it any color that you would like. You can add PIGMENTS to the concrete mix which are available in liquid form or also in “ready to use” bags. The color intensity depends on the amount of pigment used.

STAINS are a good solution if you have existing concrete and want to give it a color touch-up. One common method of staining concrete is through the use of acid. Usually after using a stain on your surface, you should apply a sealer to ensure that the color will last as long as possible.

Which ever finish you decide on, concrete is always a very promising, sturdy material that can be customized in so many ways. Have fun with it!