Duracrete

Polypropylene Fibres for Improved Concrete, Plaster and Stucco Performance

Resource Library > Concrete Finishing Tips

Concrete Finishing Tips

  1. Always joint and cure your concrete properly as per ACI practice.
  2. FRC will appear to be slightly stiffer than plain concrete, because fibre acts as a cohesive agent and bind the mix together. The workability remains – do not add excess water.
  3. Fibres do not float to the surface once they are distributed in the concrete. Fibres may appear on or near surface simply because they are three dimensionally distributed.
  4. FRC slab will bleed less and slower than mesh reinforced slab. Do not get on the slab too early for finishing.
  5. Do not use rake to move FRC. Use shovel with straight edge.
  6. For broom or textures finish, broom in only one direction.
  7. Fibre that may appear on the surface will wear off quickly under light traffic.
  8. Use steel or magnesium trowels and floats. Wood trowels and tools are more abrasive to surface and may reveal more fibre.
  9. For smooth hard trowel finishes, the normal practice of using the machine trowel first to bring up sufficient mortar to achieve a closed durable surface is also applicable with fibres.
  10. Screed faces show some fibres sticking out. If this is unacceptable, it can be remedied by flaming off the fibre ends.

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