What Is Sand Finish Concrete?
Sand finish concrete is similar to traditional concrete, but it is giving more smooth and classy finish. Sand finish concrete is made using 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand, and 3 parts of gravel by volume. These all dry ingredients are mixed well and then gradually add water.
Sand finish concrete gives sand textured concrete and it has look like hard sand on beaches and seashores, so that is also called sand-washed finish concrete.
It has a porous surface, non-slippery, and washed sand grits on the top of its concrete. Generally, it is used for passageways, driveways, pool decks, patios, etc.
Read More: 10 Concrete Finishes Types | 10 Best Types of Concrete Finishes | Different Concrete Finishes
Importance of The Sand Finishes Concrete
Sand finish concrete is having great texture. It is not harsh, not coarse, and not slippery at the same time so it is more used in the backyard of the house and around the poolside.
Sand finish concrete is also available in different patterns and designs such as squares, check patterns, diamonds, and many more.
Sand-washed concrete is very flexible and versatile in nature. Also, it adds to the loveliness of your house making it smoother and cleaner.
Types Of Concrete Finishes
The following types of concretes are included in sand finish concrete,
- Smooth Trowel Concrete Finish
- Normal Concrete Finish
- Stamped Concrete Finish
- Broom Concrete Finish or Scratched Concrete Finish
- Terrazzo Concrete Finish
- Aggregate Appearance Concrete Finish
- Salt Finish Concrete
- Sandblasted Concrete Finish
- Rosette Concrete Finish or Swirl Concrete Finish
- Color Finish Concrete
1. Smooth Trowel Concrete Finish
The concrete surface is either poured with cement dust or cement paste slurry and then spread with pressure by repetitive push and pull action and maintains a smooth appearance around it.
They are commonly used for easy runoff of water and decrease the permeability of water like pathways, verandas, Bathrooms, etc. also this type of concrete is very smooth and glossy in texture.
2. Normal Concrete
This type of Concrete is generally tamped by wooden tampers and vibrated when they are laid over the formwork and on the ground Surface. It gives a natural concrete finish; neither a very smooth finish nor a very rough finishing.
3. Stamped Concrete Finish
In this stamped concrete finish, the upper layer of the concrete is gently pressed with the different types of plates and rubber pads, so that after a few hours these plates leave the stamp on them, and look like tiles, blocks, and pavement stone.
4. Scratched or Broom Concrete Finish
In this type of finish concrete, the initial setting of the stage of concrete is scratched with the help of a broom, wire brush, and trowel.
Thus, they make the surface very harsh and rough in texture. The broom is made up of finely chopped bamboo wood and it is mostly used in pathways of roads and houses for avoiding slip-on walkway surfaces. Also, it creates a good bonding with the base surface and tiles for applying mortar.
5. Terrazzo Concrete Finish
In this type of concrete, the concrete surface is making grey or white cement along with marble chips of different colors instead of the coarse aggregate in proportion 1:1.25 or 1:2.
After placing and hardening of concrete, the chips are exposed by grinding operation and then polished with chemical treatment or paint which is more suitable to make the surface shiny and glossy.
Such type of concrete is laid only a few centimeters thick over the structural concrete and it has work as a topping and also gives a very attractive surface look and wearing resistance properties.
6. Aggregate Appearance Concrete Finish
This type of concrete is similar to the terrazzo concrete finish but in this concrete, aggregates are used instead of marble chips. The aggregate is embedded and tamped over the concrete surface and then well-embedded using a power float.
Generally, aesthetically good textures kinds of stones are used such as granite, basalt, quartz, etc, and also other options are left for finishing the concrete surface using chemical treatment or paint to give a shiny and glossy appearance.
7. Salt Finish Concrete
In this type of concrete finish, firstly wet and fresh concrete is spread all over the surface, and crystals of the slats and big lumps are embedded inside of the concrete surface.
These embedded salts are washed with the help of water jetting and then leave the concrete for hardening. Thus the salts leave depression over the embedded place and give a more natural rough finish to the concrete.
The main thing is to look an irregular appearance but it is not rough in nature. So that it is preferred for swimming pools area.
8. Sandblasted Concrete Finish
This method is used after hardening the concrete, the sandblasting technique is done by using a pressurized blow of mix and air. So that it makes a rough texture of concrete.
9. Rosette Concrete Finish or Swirl Concrete Finish
In any type of concrete finish, the surface is well leveled and finished but in this type of concrete made a surface is undulating by the intersection of any semi-circular arcs.
This concrete surface is made undulating by applying a suitable method using a trowel over the fresh slump concrete and pressure.
The semi-circular arcs give the look like rose petals are arranged on the ground surface. So that it is also known as Rosette Concrete finishes also gives a very unique appearance to the floor or ground surface.
10. Color Concrete Finish
In this type of concrete, pigmentation of colors is used either in the stage of fresh concrete or sprayed over the top surface of the concrete and then smoothen the surface using by trowel. All pigment colors are available in powder form.
For making it more attractive use concrete stains and concrete dyes to create a vibrant artistic look and shades over the concrete surface. It is normal concrete but additionally adds colors.
How To Get A Sand Finish On Concrete?
It is an easy process of getting sand wash finish concrete for the swimming pool decks and patios. You cannot get a washed finished surface by using a common sand mortar and a mixture of cement.
You can achieve finishes, using concrete sand. It has unlike mortar sand, which is used with water and cement to get the sand to finish the textured surface.
Concrete sand is generally extracted from the earth’s depth and stone grits and it’s a sub-type of sand wash. After extraction, the washes sand to remove clay, Sand, Dust, Salt, etc.
For sand wash finish concrete used M20 grade proportion means (1:1.5) or stronger concrete M-grade. For making concrete according to M20 grade then first mix all dry ingredients and mix well mix adding gradually water with the help of a trowel, and then washing it off using water pressure, to remove the cement paste from the top of it.
For making concrete according to M20 grade then first mix all dry ingredients and mix well and then add gradually water and again mix with the help of a trowel.
After pouring the concrete, let it set properly, and wait a minimum of 2 hours to 24 hours. When the temperature is low then of course it will take a maximum time to set the concrete.
When concrete is set out then clean it with water pressure, which removes the cement paste from the top of its surface and gives the sand finish texture.
After washing off the surface, let it dry for 3 to 7 days which is depending upon the weather condition. Then apply concrete sealer on the top surface with the help of a roller.
The cost of sand finish concrete it is depending upon various factors such as the intensity of sand, the color of sand, labor charge, surface area, transportation charge, etc.
Generally, the thumb rule of sand finish concrete is that more types of sand finish concrete are used than directly it will be more expensive.
For example, two-tone sand finish or multi-tone sand finish concrete is more expensive as compared to single-tone sand-washed concrete
A sealer is used for enhancing the actual color, preventing staining, and close the pores on the surface, and preventing entering the inside water.
Read More: What Is Concrete Grinder | Types of Concrete Grinders | Walk Behind Concrete Grinder
Cost of Sand Finish Concrete
The cost of sand finish concrete it is depending upon various factors such as the intensity of sand, the color of sand, labor charge, surface area, transportation charge, etc.
Generally, the thumb rule of sand finish concrete is that more types of sand finish concrete are used than directly it will be more expensive.
For example, two-tone sand finish or multi-tone sand finish concrete is more expensive as compared to single-tone sand-washed concrete.
FAQs:
What is sand finish concrete?
Sand finish concrete is similar to traditional concrete, but it is giving more smooth and classy finish. Sand finish concrete is made using 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand, and 3 parts of gravel by volume. These all dry ingredients are mixed well and then gradually add water.
What are the Types of Sand Finished Concrete?
• Smooth Trowel Concrete Finish.
• Normal Concrete Finish.
• Stamped Concrete Finish.
• Broom Concrete Finish or Scratched Concrete Finish.
• Terrazzo Concrete Finish.
• Aggregate Appearance Concrete Finish.
• Salt Finish Concrete.
• Sandblasted Concrete Finish.
• Rosette Concrete Finish or Swirl Concrete Finish.
• Colour Finish Concrete.
How to get sand finish on concrete?
It is an easy process of getting sand wash finish concrete for the swimming pool decks and patios. You cannot get a washed finished surface by using a common sand mortar and a mixture of cement.
You can achieve finishes, using concrete sand. It has unlike mortar sand, which is used with water and cement to get the sand to finish the textured surface.
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