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Concrete Tools

Written for Canada. Plans are metric, but many crews and suppliers work in feet and inches, so this site gives both: millimetres and metres, with feet and inches beside them. Codes are the National Building Code of Canada 2020 (NBC 2020) Part 9 as your province adopts it. A number marked Confirm has not been checked against every province, so check it with your own authority before you act on it.

Reviewed by a working tradesman with 17+ years in the field.

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Concrete tools place and finish the pour. Protect your skin and lungs, and clean up before it hardens.

I am a:

Tap your level and the boxes below open to the advice for you. Remembered on this device.

What it isThe tools that mix, move, place, level, finish, cut, cure and protect concrete.
Your jobPick tools for the pour and the weather, protect your skin and lungs, and clean up before the concrete hardens.
The hard ruleKeep wet concrete off skin. Never cut or grind cured concrete dry.
The checkDelivery ticket, placement, curing, joints and weather protection.

By the end you can

  • Name the tools for mixing, placing, levelling, finishing, cutting and curing.
  • Explain why wet concrete burns and how to protect yourself.
  • Name the silica hazard and the main controls.
  • Clean up and dispose of washout properly.
Stop and read

Wet concrete burns. It is alkaline. Wear waterproof boots high enough to keep concrete out, alkali-resistant gloves, long sleeves and trousers, and never kneel in it. If concrete gets into a boot or glove, take it off quickly and wash with large amounts of clean cool water. For eyes, flush with cold clean water for at least 15 minutes and get medical care. That guidance is from a Construction Safety Association of Ontario guide (2001).

Cutting or grinding cured concrete makes silica dust, which can cause a disabling and often fatal lung disease. Use wet cutting or dust extraction and a respirator suited to the job, and check your provincial OHS regulator's silica rules.

Pump hoses whip, and booms and chutes must stay well clear of overhead power lines. Confirm the clearance rule with your provincial OHS regulator.

The big idea

Most residential foundations use ready-mix, so the key tools are the ones that move, place and finish it. Concrete damages tools and skin quickly, so protection and cleanup are part of the job.

Mixing, placing and levelling

  • Ready-mix truck delivers concrete batched to your order (see Concrete Delivery and Slump). Pump truck moves it by hose and boom to walls, basements and hard-to-reach areas.
  • Barrel or towable mixer, hoe, mixing rake and drill paddle for small batches, patching and bagged mixes. Do not add water on site to make it flow unless the supplier's rules allow it.
  • Concrete rake, come-along, square shovel, wheelbarrow, buggy and chute spread and move concrete.
  • Vibrators (internal and external) consolidate the concrete and remove air pockets (see Vibration).
  • Screed board and aluminum straightedge strike off to grade. Bull float levels and closes the surface. Magnesium float and darby open and level it. A laser screed levels big slabs automatically.

Finishing, cutting and curing

  • Steel hand trowel and power trowel smooth and harden the surface. Edger and groover round edges and cut control joints. Broom gives a non-slip finish.
  • Cut-off saw with diamond blade, joint cutter and early-entry saw cut joints and cured concrete. Cutting makes silica dust, so cut wet or use dust extraction.
  • Curing compound sprayer, poly sheeting and curing blankets hold moisture and temperature. Thermometers and IR guns monitor concrete and air temperature.

Example (numbers made up). A slab 6 m × 4 m (19 ft 8 in × 13 ft 1 in) and 0.1 m (4 in) thick is 6 × 4 × 0.1 = 2.4 m³ (about 3.1 yd³) before waste. See Concrete Math.

Cleanup and washout

  • Clean tools and forms right away, before the concrete hardens. Scrape floats and trowels, and wash saws to remove slurry.
  • Do not wash your hands in water from buckets used for cleaning tools (CSAO guide).
  • Rinse mixers and hoppers where the rinse water can be contained. Dispose of washout and slurry as the supplier and local rules require, and never wash it into storm drains or watercourses. Confirm your municipal and provincial rules.

Power sources and weather

  • Corded electric: use GFCI protection on the supply and extension cords, especially when wet. Confirm your provincial OHS electrical rules.
  • Battery: loses power in cold and can overheat in hot sun.
  • Gas and diesel: give off carbon monoxide, so never run them in an enclosure or low area without ventilation.
  • Hydraulic (pumps and machines): never check for leaks with your hand.

Weather: heat needs shade, misting and fast curing protection; cold needs curing blankets or heated, ventilated enclosures (see Hot and Cold Weather Adjustments); rain needs tarps and anti-slip boots; snow and ice mean clearing the base and forms; wind needs windbreaks and early curing protection.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong timing with finishing tools
  • Over-troweling
  • Under-vibration
  • Wrong blade
  • Poor curing
  • Not cleaning tools
Pro note

Concrete work is timing, technique and tool choice. Pros know when to screed, float, trowel, edge and cut joints, and they judge it by the surface, not the clock.

Weather note

Heat speeds the set, cold slows it, rain damages the surface and wind dries it out. Adjust your tools, timing and protection to the day.

What the inspector or safety officer looks at

Delivery tickets, test results, placement, curing, joint layout and the weather protection used. Confirm what your authority checks.

✅ Check yourselfTap a question
Why does wet concrete burn skin?
It is alkaline. A Construction Safety Association of Ontario guide says continuous contact between skin and wet concrete lets alkaline compounds penetrate and burn the skin, and injuries are often worst when concrete is trapped inside boots or gloves.
Wet concrete gets into a boot. What do you do?
Take the boot off quickly and wash the skin right away with large amounts of cool clean water (same guide).
Why not wash your hands in a bucket used for cleaning tools?
That water carries cement, so it can burn skin or irritate it (same guide).
What should you do before cutting cured concrete?
Plan wet cutting or dust extraction and a suitable respirator. Cutting, grinding or sanding concrete releases crystalline silica dust, which can cause disabling and often fatal lung disease.
A slab 6 m × 4 m (19 ft 8 in × 13 ft 1 in) is 0.1 m (4 in) thick. How much concrete before waste?
6 × 4 × 0.1 = 2.4 m³ (about 3.1 yd³). Sizes are made up; add waste using Concrete Math.
Can you add water on site to make the concrete flow?
Only if the supplier's rules allow it. Extra water weakens concrete (see Concrete Delivery and Slump).
🧰 Gear for this stepMust-haveRent itNice to have
  • Rent itMixing and delivery:
  • Must-havePlacement:
  • Rent itConsolidation: internal and external vibrators (see Vibration)
  • Must-haveScreeding and floating:
  • Must-haveFinishing:
  • Rent itCutting: cut-off saw with diamond blade or joint cutter, with wet cutting or dust extraction
  • Must-haveCuring and protection:
  • Must-haveCleanup:
  • Must-havePPE: hard hat (CSA Z94.1), safety glasses (CSA Z94.3), waterproof green-triangle boots (CSA Z195) high enough to keep concrete out, alkali-resistant gloves, long sleeves and trousers, knee pads, hearing protection, hi-vis; respirator (CSA Z94.4) when cutting
🛒 Buy, rent or borrow?Tap your level
Home DIY
Rent a mixer, screed or floats as needed, and a saw only with wet cutting or dust extraction. Buy gloves, boots and a fit-tested respirator you will use. Order ready-mix for anything big. Do not place structural or engineered concrete (footings, walls, suspended slabs) without the design and inspection the code requires.
Laborer or helper
Shovel, rake, haul and clean up under direction. Wear gloves and boots, keep wet concrete off your skin and keep clear of the pump hose and truck. Never cut or grind concrete without dust control, and speak up if the setup looks unsafe.
1st-year apprentice
Place, screed and float under supervision, and learn the timing of each tool. Buy your own PPE and finishing hand tools; the crew supplies vibrators, screeds, trowels and saws.
Apprentice, 2nd to 4th year
Place, consolidate, screed, float and edge as directed, and learn to judge timing by the surface, not the clock. Wash and care for your tools. Never cut dry.
Journeyperson
You choose tools and timing for the day, run the placement and finishing, and decide when to stop. Check pump, truck and power line clearances before the pour.
Lead hand or foreman
Plan tools, crew and protection for the pour, check delivery tickets and tests, and make sure silica and washout rules are followed.
Contractor or business owner
Price rentals, own tools, finishing crew, cutting and curing materials and washout as separate lines. Keep delivery tickets and test results on file, and ask your insurer who carries the cost of a bad pour.
Starting a new business
Learn your province's silica, pump and power line rules and your municipality's washout rules before you quote. Keep tickets, tests and photos for every pour, and confirm insurance and workers' compensation coverage.
By Province:

Silica limits, power line clearances for pumps and booms, and washout rules are set by each province and municipality. I dropped the old per-province section numbers because I could not verify them. Confirm with your OHS regulator and municipality.

See Canada by Province for the full comparison.

Sources:

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not engineering or legal advice.

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