TOOLS YOU NEED FOR CONCRETING

You may have all the tools you need (lucky you!) but if you don’t, you can hire tools for laying concrete from most plant hire organisations. It’s best to get some neighbours and friends to help. Not that it’s really hard work, but your project will be much easier and faster if you have help.
(We suggest a minimum of 6 – 2 on barrows, 2 spreaders and 2 screeders).

TOOLS CHECKLIST

• Timber for formwork and pegs.
• Builder’s barrows (with inflated rubber tyres).
  Small garden barrows with metal wheels are not suitable for this work. The number of barrows you’ll need will depend on the quantity of concrete and how far you have to move it.
  As a guide: 2 barrows would be needed to place one load of concrete approx. 20 metres from the concrete truck.
• Timber planks/ramp to wheel the barrow over if the ground is uneven or soft
• One or two square-mouthed shovels.
• A screed board – a smooth, heavy board about 900mm wider than the formwork
• A wooden float (flat piece of wood with a handle) for finishing the surface.
• A steel trowel, if needed
• An edging tool for making cross-joints and edging.
• A 15mm grooving tool for long sections of concreting such as driveways and long paths.
• A garden rake.
• A mallet or heavy hammer.
• Enough waterproof building paper, hessian, plastic sheeting or sand to cover the areas to be concreted.
• A spirit level.