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on site
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document
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Making good
and finishing
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INTRODUCTION
Theelevenbookletsin the Concrete onsite series are updated
replacementsfor thewell-knownMan onthejobpublications,
BerksRGll6YS
Telephone 0344762676
Fax0344761214
BritishCement Association
1993
SAFETY ON SITE
WhenPortland cement ismixedwithwater, or even
becomesdamp, alkalisarereleasedthat canbeharmfulto
theskin.The effectdependsonthelength ofcontact, any
abrasion,the individual,andthe partofthebody
involved.Suitableprotectiveclothingshouldbeworn.If
eyesareaffectedtheyshouldbewashedoutimmediately
and medicalattentionsought.
Many construction activitiesarepotentiallydangerous
so care isneeded atalltimes. Currentlegislationrequires
all personstoconsidertheeffects oftheiractionsor lack of
action onthehealth andsafetyofthemselvesand others.
Advice on safety legislationmaybe obtained from any of
theareaoffices oftheHealthandSafetyExecutive.
Grout runs
Lippingat joints
Grout fins
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
Arrises
Boltholes
Blow-holes
7
7
7
8
Sandytexture
Honeycombed areas
Exposed aggregate
9
9
10
Toolsandmaterials
12
Further reading
12
MAKINGGOCI) ANt)FINISHING
whattheclientexpects.
Acceptanceofthis fact,plus a
willingnesstocompromiseon
thepartofeveryone involved,
arethereforedesirable.
Blemishesthataresmall in
numberand extentasa
proportion ofthe total areaare
surrounding concreteperfectly.
So thetechniques recommended
inthisbooklet generallycall for
a subsequentoverallsurface
treatmentoftheaffectedareato
maskany localised repairsyou
havecarriedout.
In thepagesthatfollowwe
give advice on methods and
materialstobeused formaking
goodand finishing. Insome
cases, itmay be necessary touse
acombination oftwo oreven
more ofthem.
COLOURMATCHING
Asalreadypointed out, itis
difficulttomatchthe colourof
anypatchingormaking-good
withthatofthesurrounding
concrete.True,you can geta
good match at thestart byusing
thesame materialsin thesame
proportions as intheoriginal
concrete,orevenaddingalittle
whitecement to therepairmix
toachievethesame tone ofgrey.
Butdifferentcuring
conditions and slightlydifferent
surfacecharacteristicsbrought
aboutby thefact the patch is
trowelledintoplace, whereasthe
concretewill havebeen cast
against formwork can result in
differentweathering.Asaresult,
therepairwillbecome more
obvious as timegoes by.
The techniquesand
materialswedescribehavebeen
developedwiththis in mind.
CONTROLLING
SUCTION
Cement-basedrepairmixes
should neverbeapplied todry
concrete,for itwill absorb
BONDING
Abondislikelyto be more
successful, particularlywhere
thedefective areaisdeep, ifa
bondingcoatofcement and
CURING
Just like theoriginalconcrete,
cement-basedrepairsneedto be
properly cured. Themethod to
be usedwill depend on the
circumstances.
frequentlyin thisbooklet, so
referto this sectionwhen you
needto useone.
MixA: Mixtogether Portland
cement anddrycrushed
limestonesand,in proportions
rangingfrom 1:1 to 1:2,
depending on thecolour ofthe
surfacetobe matched.Mixa
styrenebutadiene rubber
dispersion(sbr)withanequal
amountofwater.Addthis
gaugingliquid tothemixed dry
materialsuntil amortar ofjustmoistconsistencyis obtained.
The mixing must bethorough,
and is best done onaspotboard,
using steel trowels.
Whenyou are aimingfora
darkgreycolour, asmall amount
ofblack pigment may beadded.
4 MAKI\( OO[).M) F1\iHI\(
cement,which is usuallydarker,
insteadofnormal Portland
cement.
For alightgrey, addwhite
Portland cement to normal
Portland cement. The proportions willdepend on the
colouryou wishto achieve, and
they may needadjusting.
Unfortunately,the colourcan
bejudged onlywhen themortar
has dried,soyou will probably
havetocarryout trials. However,
3 parts whiteto 1 partofnormal
Portland cementisnormal.
Whencementsareblended
thisway, 1 part of blended
cement should bemixed with
1 to2parts oftheaggregate.
Mix B: Thisisagain made with
Portland cementand dry
crushed limestonesand. Screen
thefinesthrough a sieve. For
roughertextured finishes,a
600 micron sieve willusuallybe
satisfactory, butforsmoother
finishes, such asthoseobtained
from plastic-facedplywood,itis
better to usea 300 micron sieve.
Make any colouradjustments
tothe cement neededtomatch
itto MixA,thenmixcement
andlimestonein equal parts.
Dilute 1 partsbrwith3parts
ofwater inabucket, and addthe
drymixture, stirringwelluntila
creamymortar ofbrushing
consistencyisobtained.
MixC:Passasharp concreting
sand through a2.36 mm sieve,
andadd 2 parts sand to 1 part
Portland cement. Mixsbrand
water in equal proportions,and
addtothe dry mixto obtain a
creamyconsistency.
Blemishes
GROUTRUNS
Groutormortar willoozeoutof
imperfectlysealedgaps in
formwork,and rundownthe
faceofthe completedwork.
Groutleakagecauses blemishes
Chippingoffexcessgrout
LIPPINGATJOINTS
Ifthe formworkat a
GROUTFINS
Groutoozingout ofleaking
importanton page 7.
An alternativetechnique isto
usea fine-grainedcarborundum
stone, butthereisadanger that
itcouldscour the adjacentface
ofthe concrete.However,ifyou
start immediatelyafter striking,
whiletheconcrete isstill green,
youmay achievesomeblending
ofcolour by carefully filling-in
thesandytexturewithcement
paste worked upwiththe
carborundum stone.
ARRISF.S
Chipped orspalledarrises and
corners,caused byaccidental
knocksorcareless removalof
formwork,are difficultto mend
satisfactorily, particularlyifthe
repairhas toblendvisually.
Thiscould mean thatsmall
chipped cornersandarrises (up
toabout10mm long)ate best
leftalone sincetheywillthen be
lessconspicuousthan ifthey are
made good.
Should you decideon
remedialwork, alastingrepair
callsforgreatcare,especiallyin
the preparation.
Beginbysquaringoff the
edgesaround theperimeter
featheredgesmustbe avoidedif
agood bondis tobe achieved.
Squaringofftheedges
Dampdownthe areato
control suction, then make the
repairwith MixA, adjusted for
colour.If theresulting match is
notgoodenough, see Where
appearance isimportanton
page7.
BOLTHOLES
Aswithall making-good,itis
almostimpossibletofill bolt
\l:\KING(;()c)r) ANI)I NJ')IJNG
if
from spreading.
feature.
Fillingabobholewithasmall
rammmer
Thisimprovisedtoolmakesit
easiertofillboltholes
RecessedhoItholes
\IAKJNG GOOD
\DJ\IOfl\
Whetheryoufill theholes
flush withthesurface,orrecess
thefilling, you must make sure
thatthefillingwillbedurable
and watertight.
To ensurethis, thoroughly
cleanout the hole bypushing a
cleanrag throughittoremove
anygrease and loosematerial.
Thendamp down irsinside to
controlsuction,
Withholesup toabout
300mmin depth, the filling and
ramming can bedonefrom one
side only,withapieceofboard
held on the other side toact as
astop.
For recessed filling, use a
purpose-madecircular plugto
push themortarfirmlyhome
until thetop oftheplugis level
withthesurfaceoftheconcrete.
Makeup aquantityofMix A
for therepair, ifthe appearance
is important,otherwiseyoucan
use MixC.
Purpose-madeplugforrecessed
fillingofahoIthole
Thustheplugactsasagauge
Whenflush-fillingwherethe
appearanceisnot important but
asmooth finish is required,leave
themortar slightlyproud, then,
onceithas stiffened,level itwith
a suitabletool, such asawooden
float faced with sponge rubber.
Butifthe finishdoes matter,
strikeoffthefillingflushwith
thesurface,taking care notto
spread mortar over the
surrounding area.
Noattempt shouldbemade
to treatanydarkringsorsandytextured areassurrounding the
hole, unlessthewhole unit isto
be colour-matchedas described
later, inwhich caseMixA
should beused for thefilling,
followedbyMixB overthe
wholearea.
The mortar shouldbemoistcured foratleastsevendays.Ifa
high-class finish iswanted, cover
itwitha pieceofpolythene
taped atall edges. Where the
concretewill not beseen, you
needmerelygivethefillingand
itsimmediatesurround a coatof
bituminous emulsion.
BLOW-HOLES
It isneither usual, nor necessary,
to fill blow-holesifthey are
small andinsconspicuous.But if
they arelargerthanabout5 mm,
and thesurfaceislikelyto be
seenfrom closer than,say,3m,
somesurfacetreatment should
be carriedout.
Whereappearanceisnot
important
Isolatedblow-holesmay be filled
individuallywithmortar applied
by a smalltrowelor, perhaps,a
puttyknife.Alternatively,try
stoning. Strike theformwork
earlywhilethe concreteis still
green, andrub thesurfacewitha
carborundum block, whichwill
work upamortar that can be
pushed into theholes tofill
them.
Another possibilityis
bagging-in.Fill theholeswitha
freshlymixed mortar pushed
homewith apieceofhessian
rolledinto aball.Or you can
applymortar tothesurfaceand
rubit into theholeswitha float
facedwithsponge rubber see
sketch(right).
Whereappearanceis
important
Aswithallmaking-goodwhen a
high-classfinishis important,
theobjectiveis tostop-up the
holescompletelyso that the
fillingwillbe durable,and,
secondly,toachieveasclosea
matchas possiblewiththe
parentconcrete.
The followingstepsare
recommendedfor achieving a
highdegreeofcolour uniformity
after othermaking-goodhas
been completed.
They arebest carriedout in
overcastconditions,orin the
lateafternoon orevening.Never
attempt in conditions ofhot
sunshine.
Thoroughly damp down the
surface.
damp, usearwo-knotstock
brushtoapplya coat ofMixB,
in athickcreamyconsistency,
over anarea ofabout1 m2.
Useawooden float facedwith
theholes.
Stopping-upblowholesfora
high-classfinish
Makea drymixofcement
and crushedlimestonesand in
thesame proportions as used for
MixB. Beforethe mortar inthe
holeshasset, wet thesponge
rubber face ofthefloat,and use
it torub this drymix overthe
entire surface.The mortar inthe
holeswill thenbestiffened,
ensuringaflush, tight filling.
Continue rubbing toremoveall
excess soft mortar untilthe
originalconcreteisexposed.
SANDYTEXTURE
Nomaking-goodis necessary
when thefinish is not
important. On important
finishes, usethe technique
recommendedfor blow-holesin
the previouscolumn.
HONEYCOMBED AREAS
Honeycombed areasofa depth
greaterthanabout 10mm
should bemade good.
Begin bycutting backto as
uniform adepthas possibleuntil
you reach sound concrete.Do
notcutdeeper thanany
reinforcementyou expose,
unlessthe honeycombing
extendsbeyond it.
Next, theperimeter to be
patched should becarefully
chiselledto giveacleansharp
edgeatleast 10mmdeep.
It isessentialthatallexposed
surfacesbecleanand freefrom
dust, especiallyinthe corners.
Cleanthemwithasoft brush.
The exposedsurfacesshould be
dampeddown, and repairsleft
until they are almostdry.
manufacturersproduce suitable
cement-basedmaterials,batched
dry andreadyto mixwithwater.
Thicknessesgreaterthan
about75mm should berepaired
using amixsimilar totheorginal
concrete,placing itbehind
formworkwith a'letter box'
entry atthe top.
Shallowhoneycombedand
scouredareas, such as thosein
thesketch below,may be made
goodwithMixA, carefully
adjustedtothecolour ofthe
originalmortar orconcrete.Rub
in themixwithafloat facedwith
sponge rubber, then cureitwell
for seven daysbeforetooling or
abrasiveblasting.
Honeycombingcaused bygrout
Shallowrepairs
Deeprepairs
loss
EXPOSED AGGREGATE
Exposedaggregate andabrasiveblastedfinishesareusuallya
featureofhigh-quality work,so
they demand agood finish.
Any physical blemishesvisible
after the formworkisstruckare
likelyto beaccentuated rather
than maskedbytooling and
abrasiveblasting,butslight
variationsincolour maybe less
noticeableafter theremovalof
thesurfaceskin.
Thereislittle that can be done
withshallow water-scoured
surfaces,sandy-texturedareas
where grout andwater loss has
occurred,orblow-holes,other
than to increasethe depthofthe
texturing.Thisislikelyto be
very costly, andmay reducethe
reinforcementcovertoo much.
Deeper honeycombedareas
present more ofaproblem. Itis
recommendedthat they becut
backcarefullytoadepthofat
least50 mm.Then they should
befilledwithconcreteofthe
sameproportions as theorginal,
butmixed toastiffer consistency
sothat itcan be tightly punched
homeandtrowelled,particlar
attention beingpaid to thejoint
lines.Allowthe repairto cure for
at leastsevendays,thenwait a
few more daysbefore tooling or
abrasiveblasting.
Smallareasthat areaslightly
darker colourortexture after
tooling maysometimesbe
improvedbycarefulhand
peckingwith asharp pointed
hammer.
work.
In this sectionwe takeacloser
lookathowthingsworkout in
practiceon site,andoffer some
tips andsuggestions.
MAKING GOODAND
FINISHINGFAIRFACED CONCRETE
Defectsinaconcretewallthat
needtobemade good
Procedure
Thisis theprocedurethat
shouldbefollowedfor these
repairs. Thereareeleven stages
formaking-goodandafurther
sixstagesforfinishing.
Dayone Making-good
1. Removethegroutruns below
thehorizontaljointwithacoarse
carborundum stone;
alternatively,you couldchip
themofiwitha hammer and
bolster.
U Blow-holes.
U Waterscourthisismore
noticeableonthe secondlift.
Removingtheispaboveajoint
bybush-hammering
whole.
Removinggroutrunswitha
hammerandbolster(left)anda
carborundum stone
honeycombedarriswitha
hammer andbolster until sound
concrete isreahed.
4. Bush-hammertheendbelow
thejointto provide a good key
forthe laterapplicationofadrypack repair.The keyshould
extendatleast 150mmbelow
thejointin order toimprove the
alignmentbetweenthe two lifts.
5.Wire-brush thetreated areas,
then usea soft brush to remove
anylooseparticlesand duststill
clingingto theconcrete.Damp
down thearea, andallowto
becomealmostdrybeforeyou
proceed.
6. Make upaquantityofMixA,
but donot make ittoowet; a
stiffconsistencyis needed.
\IAKIN(,(001)ANI)I 1NI
io 9
andcement to theprepared
surfaceson theend andthearris.
Immediatelyyou have done this,
fixandwedge aboard alongthe
line ofthe arris.
A bondingcoatbeingappliedby
brushtothedefective area
8. Whilst thebondingcoat is
andimmediatelyforce MixA
intothesurface.Finish offflush
withthesurrounding concrete.
REMEDIAL WORKTO
BOARD-MARKED
CONCRETE
Usingasteelfloat,MixAis
forcedfrom ahawk into a
honeycombedarea
10. Fill thebolt holesby drypackingwithMixA.
11. Lightlyspraytherepaired
areas with cleanwater, andleave
themovernight.
Daytwo Finishing
1. Workovertheentire surface
3. Dampdown theentire
MxAisappliedwhilethe
bonding coatisstillwet. Use
eitherasmalltrowel,ashere,or
aputtyknft
9. Applyfreshlymixedbonding
coatto thehoneycombedarea,
10
surfacetoreducesuction when
the repairis applied.
4. ApplyMix Bto thewhole
panel while the surfaceofthe
concrete isstill damp.
5. Before the slurrydriesout and
stiffens,rubitwitha rubberfaced float to fillsmall blowholes andwater-scourmarks.
Then rub itback toexposethe
originalconcretesurface.Scrape
thefloat occasionallyto remove
excess slurrythat mighthave
collectedonit.
6.Whenthefinishinghas nearly
Defectsyoumightfindina
board-markedconcretewall
possible.Because complete
uniformityofcolour andtexture
across ajointisvirtually
unattainable,itwas decidedto
make afeatureofthejoint.
Onlyarelativelysmall
amount ofremedialwork needs
tobecarriedouthere, so it is
possibletocombine themakinggood andfinishingoperations.
Where more needs to bedone,it
is better tomake-goodoneday
andtackle the finishingthe next.
Procedure
1. Removedribblesbygently
tapping themwithapieceof
wood(seesketch onpage4).
aguide.
3. Removeexcessgroutbelow
the linewithabolster andclub
water
5. Honeycombed areasshould
bemade goodbyforcingMixA
intothesurfaceoftheconcrete.
removeexcess mortar by
rubbing back tothe original
surface.Carefuldabbing ofthe
float can reproducerealisticlooking board marksinthe
surface.
Blending-inthetreatedarea
usingafloatfacedwithsponge
rubber
Dampingdown withclean
joint,applytherubber-faced
float to each board in turn, first
to rub-inthe slurryandthento
ApplyingMzxBwithasoft
brush
Making-goodhoneycombed
areas
Thefinishedresult
\IAKI\( ((X)I)N1) -I\ISIiiN,
11
&
Styrenebutadienerubberdispersion(sbr)
Builders'merchants
Materialsandmethodformakinga
float,facedwith spongerubber
12mm medium-densitysealed-face
sponge
rubber
64-66
RedchurchSt,
WMannering Coplc,
London E27DP. Tel: 071-7294145
Marine-qualityplywood
Builders'andtimbermerchants
&
Bostik D
Builders'merchantsand others
Mount therubber onmarine-quality
plywood,glucingitwithBostikD. Trim
therubber withaverysharp knifesothata
straight,deancutwithsharp arrisesisleft.
Do notleaveeitherproprietaryorselfmade floatsinwaterfor longperiods
becausetheytendto distort.
FURTHER READING
Visualconcrete: Design andproduction,byW Monks. 1988. Publishedbythe BritishCementAssociation.
(Addresson inside front cover.)
The Controlofbemishes in concrete,byWMonks. 1981. Published by theBritish Cement Association.
(Addressoninside frontcover.)
12