Last Updated on February 21, 2022 by Admin
Different professions demand different tools to ease up their work. When it comes to construction, it involves multiple phases before the work is finally commenced. Note that all of these stages require different tools.
If you are a concrete contractor, you must ponder which tool for concrete work is essential enough to buy. The marketplace is loaded with variegated tools, making it even difficult to narrow down on the right ones.
If you are tired of calculating the proportion, this definitive guide will help you. Before buying any tool, make sure you purchase the ones you frequently need. If you want to know more about what a concrete contractor job involves, click here.
8 Must-Have Tools for Concrete Contractors
Herein, you will find the most crucial tools for concrete work that any contractor can’t do without.
1. Protective Wearing Kits
Safety should always be the first priority with a concrete contractor since their job involves considerable risks. Here are specific kits that will protect you from any potential harm your work might cause you.
- Protective Glasses: Protective glasses will save you from any harm caused by cement during the mixing and pouring of concrete.
- Gloves: The majority of construction work involves using hands. Protective gloves can save you from any potential harm caused by the chemicals and admixtures.
- Boots: Boots save your feet from any issues caused by concrete, as very often you have to step on concrete that might lead you to irritation, burning, or blisters at your feet.
- Hearing Protection: The heavy machines running on the construction site might cause hearing problems. So, when such machines are on, you must wear hearing aids.
- Breathing Protection: A protective mask or respirator can save you from cement, lime, and dust particles.
2. Levels
Levels are used to determine the sub-base and the slab surface area level. There are different types of levels available. You can go for a long-line level or a laser level. Usually, laser levels are more convenient to work with, as you don’t need to hold them with your hands. Besides, they produce comparatively more accurate results.
3. Portable Mixer
The concrete needs to be mixed well. Portable mixers can do the job. These mixers are handy to mix a moderate quantity of concrete at the worksite.
Mixers come in different sizes. You can go for the size most comfortable for you. Besides, these mixers can be electric or gas-powered and can easily fit in the back of most trucks. Thus, this is a tool with both- value and convenience.
4. Wheelbarrows
Wheelbarrows are carts usually with two handles, a large bowl, and one wheel, where you can mix a small amount of concrete and carry it. You can use it to transport any other material or tools apart from concrete around the job site. Using these heavy-loaded tools, you can take concrete samples for slump tests or other assessments.
5. Vapor Barriers
Vapor barriers or vapor retarders are tools used to retain moisture in concrete surfaces. It cures the concrete. You can choose to place them below the concrete before it is poured so that dry base materials don’t drain the water away.
As for the material of vapor barriers, sheet plastic can be better than standard six mils plastic sheeting.
6. Vibrators and Compactors
Vibrators are tools used to release excess water and trapped air from the concrete mix by consolidating it. These tools come in handy usually in the construction works related to roads, railways, and buildings. Vibrators also prevent potential problems in medium to high slump concrete.
Vibrators come in different shapes and sizes. Internal, form, surface, or table vibrators are certain options you can choose from.
Compactors, on the other hand, are instruments used to make the stone basis or sub-base firm and solid. A plate compactor is a good choice among these instruments.
7. Screeds, Shovels, and Trowels
These tools for cement work are indispensable for a smoother finish. Screeds are levelling tools that can be long, straight, stiff tubing or boards. These come in handy to smooth roughly level wet concrete shortly after it is poured. You can get different-sized and even project-specific screeds out there in the market.
While for hand-screeding, your screed needs to be longer than the width of the concrete form, you can use a simple straight piece of dimension lumber. You can choose between manual screeds and power screeds according to your requirement.
On the other hand, shovels help you manually move small amounts of concrete around a pour. By doing so, you fill the gaps left during the pouring process. They come in handy to distribute the concrete around the site for smaller applications. These essential hand tools are usually made of sheet steel.
Like shovels, trowels are also hand-held tools that smooth concrete surfaces before leaving them to dry. This tool is used to apply concrete to the walls too. You can come across different types of trowels.
8. Finishing Tools: Saws, Edgers, Grinders, and Hand Sprayer
Finishing tools come in handy when giving the final finish to a construction project.
Saws serve differential purposes. They are useful when you have to demolish and remove old concrete or cut rebar or forms on the job site. Saws with good quality diamond blades are recommendable.
Edgers are used to produce a neat rounded edge along a slab border. In comparison, grinders are tools used to make the concrete surface smoother and shinier. As they can sand, polish, and sharpen the surface, they add to the aesthetic value of concrete work.
Finally, when concrete work is done, it needs to be sprayed with a final compound (usually water) for curing after they are completely dry. Although hand sprayers are not essentially construction tools, they actually come in handy to serve this purpose.
Endnote
From the beginning until finishing the project, a concrete contractor needs several tools. Using professional tools for concrete work enhances your service quality. The concrete tools list mentioned above will help you become a better concrete contractor. It will be beneficial if you strike a balance between cost and quality when purchasing the equipment. Make certain that you do not sacrifice quality in your desire to save money.
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