Concrete Pre-Pour Checklist

Paperwork

• Before scheduling or pouring concrete, it is imperative to have all paperwork accounted for. All necessary building permits, construction plans and billing information should be accessible at the job site. This will prevent work stoppages and allow for analysis of the design if the forms are moved or damaged.

Forms

• A pre-pour check of the forms is critical to ensure they are accurate, secure and treated to prevent the concrete from sticking. Make sure stakes holding the forms in place are securely into the ground and that the forms are backfilled to prevent concrete from leaking underneath. Wood forms should be sprayed with diesel fuel or an anti-sticking agent so they cleanly release from the dried concrete.

Rebar

• All rebar and reinforcement material should be in place or ready to be placed into the concrete quickly. For walkways and driveways, steel fence material is used and should be fastened to spacers to keep it off the ground and centered in the concrete. All rebar should be properly tied together using wire to prevent it from moving during pouring resulting in an exposed piece.

Tools

• All necessary tools to pour and finish the concrete should be layed out in position which makes them easily accessible. The tool list includes shovels, concrete puller, edgers, screed bar, hand trowel, bull float and power float. Check finishing tools for dried concrete and remove as this will cause imperfections on the concrete surface.

Crew

• Check to make sure your whole work crew is present and ready to work. Missing workers can mean longer pour times resulting in less time to create a quality finish. Workers should have all necessary gear on including mud boots, gloves, safety glasses and knee boards.

Clean-up

• Cleaning up all the tools and equipment is essential when pouring concrete as it will harden and deem the tools useless in the future. Have cleaning supplies ready before pouring including a container of water, detergent and a water source. A pressure washer is ideal when cleaning metal concrete tools.