Simple concrete hand tools are an important part of any concrete job, even with today’s high-tech tools. Whether you’re smoothing a slab, leveling a driveway, edging a sidewalk, patching a wall or performing delicate detail work, there’s simply no substitute for a skilled concrete craftsman with a high-quality hand tool.
It’s especially important to use high-quality hand tools when you’re putting the finishing touches on any concrete project. Concrete hand tools can vary in quality, and that’s why Intermountain Concrete Specialties has chosen to partner with top concrete hand tool manufacturers and suppliers like Kraft Tool, Marshalltown and C.H. Hanson. You name it, we carry it: trowels, fresnos, edgers, groovers, floats, brooms and many other types of concrete hand tools.
It’s essential to match the right tool to the right job. This is especially true in the case of finish work, as the work immediately following concrete placement is critical to a successful finished product. These concrete hand tools essential to any concrete project:
Floats
Hand floats and bull floats are used for leveling a concrete slab. Bull floats are wide-bladed concrete hand tools used on the first pass after screed work. Magnesium floats are smaller, hand held floats used for finishing exterior concrete. A laminated wood bull float works well for smoothing and leveling interior concrete surfaces. A variety of blade types allows for different concrete finishes.
Hand Trowels and Fresnos
As one of the final hand tools used in the concrete finishing process, trowels are used to achieve a smooth texture and level surface. Trowels bring water to the surface of concrete. Different types of trowels are used for specific concrete projects. A fresno looks similar to a bull float but is actually a large trowel with a long handle and a tempered steel blade. Fresnos are for use on concrete surfaces that have been floated with magnesium or wood bull floats.
Concrete Edgers and Groovers
A concrete edger has an L-shaped edge on one side to separate the slab from the forms. The other side has a tapered edge for a rounded edge and professional finish. Concrete edgers are used when the concrete begins to dry.
Control Jointers
Grooving a concrete surface can help prevent cracking as the concrete dries. A control jointer directs the concrete to crack in a joint, rather than in the center of a slab.
Brooms
A concrete finishing broom adds texture to concrete. This adds skid resistance to the concrete surface. A broom finish is a traditional finish look for concrete, but can also be adjusted for a smoother or more creative pattern.
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With six locations across Utah and Idaho, Intermountain Concrete Specialties has the concrete hand tools you need to finish any concrete project.