Floor, p2
Pouring and Finishing
Because of the way we chose to finish this floor (a stone appearance) I needed to be able to reach the entire pour without putting weight on it. The solution was to break the floor up into several pours. The methodology was simple: begin by mixing a rather stiff mix and wheelbarrowing it to the desired location. Initial leveling was done by hand, followed up by a screed board with a level on top. The concrete was screeded to the level of the chalk line on the grade beam and leveled inward. The edge of the pour was finished with an abrupt edge to tie in nicely with the following pour.
First section of the floor finished; note the vapor barrier and suspended wire mesh.
After the concrete had set for about 20-40 minutes, I ran a grooving tool in random patterns to present a stone-like appearance. Again, I let the concrete set a while longer, then applied a finish trowel. I was careful not to overwork the concrete, as I did not want too smooth a finish.