![]() ![]() Rubber floats are good choices for producing textured or slip-resistant finishes because they bring more sand to the surface.Īverage costs: You'll pay about $100 to $125 for a 4-foot magnesium bull float with bracket, and $18 for a 14-inch magnesium hand float. Each type may produce a different surface texture, so it's always wise to experiment. Wood hand floats are available in variety of types, including teakwood, bodark wood, and redwood. The handle also should be positioned for good balance, allow adequate knuckle clearance, and have a comfortable grip. On hand floats, look for handles that are screwed to the blade so the handle can be replaced if it splits or breaks. For better control, buy an adjustable tilt-action bracket that lets you change the float pitch with a simple turn of the handle. Not all bull floats come with bracket assemblies for attaching handles, so you may need to purchase those separately as well. Buy fiberglass handles if you plan to work in areas with overhead power lines, because fiberglass won't conduct electricity. They are typically offered in aluminum, magnesium, or fiberglass in 4- to 10-foot lengths, and often can be interlocked to create longer lengths. You'll need to purchase bull float handles separately. Look for magnesium bull floats with top reinforcement ribbing, which adds strength and prevents distortion. More info: See our section on Concrete Admixtures for tips on controlling drying shrinkage cracking, and hot weather and cold weather concreting.Kraft Tool Magnesium Darby Comes in 42-inch and 48-inch options. Get more information on joint layout and required joint depths. Using more than one of these attachments on a float or fresno lets you cut multiple grooves in one pass.įor a 6x4 1/2-inch groover, you'll pay about $25 or more for bronze and as much as $35 for heavy-gauge stainless steel. Or you can simply buy a special groover attachment that secures to your metal bull float or fresno trowel with thumb screws. So if you plan to groove a 4-inch-thick sidewalk, be sure to buy a tool with a 1-inch bit depth.įor stand-up use, walking groovers are available with features similar to those of walking edgers. The bit depth of the groover should be at least one-fourth the slab thickness to create a sufficient plane of weakness along which the slab can crack. Some stainless steel tools come with highly polished finishes so they glide more easily through the concrete. ![]() Bi-directional groovers are also available and have double-end bits that give you the flexibility to cut forward or backward.Īs with edgers, bronze or heavy-gauge stainless steel groovers will often deliver the best durability and performance. ![]() However, more important is the dimension of the bit, which can be anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches deep and 1/8 to 1 inch wide. The most common groover size is 6 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide, but many other sizes are available, ranging from 2 to 8 inches wide and 3 to 10 inches long. Like edgers, they come with wood or comfort-grip handles. Groovers are usually made of bronze or stainless steel and have a V-shaped bit that cuts the joint. MATERIALS, SIZES AND BIT DIMENSIONS FOR GROOVERS Joints are most often hand-tooled into sidewalks, driveways and patios and sawcut into floors, highways, and city streets. Look inside tooled joints or sawcuts and you will see the concrete is cracked-The joint did its job and controlled where the concrete cracked. The purpose is to control the location of cracks that may form when the slab "contracts" due to drying shrinkage or temperature changes. Jointing the concrete is accomplished by grooving tools (unless the slab will be sawcut later). ![]()
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