How to Prep, Form & Pour a Concrete Slab for beginners--Start to Finish

In this video I show from start to finish how to prep , form and pour a 6" thick concrete slab thats reinforced with 1/2" rebar.
Video Shortcuts:
@0:45 Prep work begins
@6:55 Form work begins
@13:18 Rebar Installation
@16:34 Pouring the concrete begins

I ended up using this concrete slab for a Gazebo. See video here: https://youtu.be/wI99TvdxRhg

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Various tools in video were used from Home depot and Menards.

Concrete tools at Menards: https://www.menards.com/main/tools/hand-tools/concrete-masonry-tools/c-8954.htm

Concrete tools at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Concrete-Cement-Masonry-Concrete-Tools/N-5yc1vZarh8

Common Tools / Materials for finishing concrete:
This info is provided from wagnermeters.com

Mixers:
Whether you’re mixing in a truck, a portable mixer or a wheelbarrow, you want to be sure your concrete is thoroughly mixed for maximum strength and durability.

Wheelbarrows
Ideal for transporting (or even mixing) small batches of concrete or tools on the job site.

Rubber Boots or Work Boots
Concrete is stiff stuff, and wearing waterproof boots is the best way to get through it and prevent contact with your skin. It’s also easy to rinse your footwear after the concrete is down.

Compactors
If the site of the concrete slab is to be prepped with a sub-base of any type, a compactor helps settle the stone or aggregate into position.

Levels
Both the sub-base and slab surface must be level. A standard long-line level, or a laser level, will let you verify that the slab is completely according to spec before pouring and after.

Tape Measures
Concrete forms and slab depth need the same “measure twice, pour once” verification as any other material on the job site.

Saws
Reciprocating saws, circular saws or grinders can be necessary to cut rebar or forms on the job site. They can also be necessary if a problem develops under the slab and a portion of the concrete has to be removed after it has set and dried.

Shovels
Shovels help distribute concrete around the job site to fill in gaps left during the pouring process or for smaller applications. Square-ended shovels generally work better for concrete; rounded ones spread concrete unevenly.

Rakes and Come-Along Rakes
Using a rake is the quickest way to begin getting the freshly-poured concrete spread more uniformly into place. Garden rakes work but concrete rakes, also called come-along rakes, have a more scooped blade for more easily pre-leveling new concrete. Concrete rakes also have a tine on the back of the blade to help lift rebar or mesh into position before the concrete begins to harden.

Vibrators
Concrete vibrators help release trapped air pockets and excess water from the concrete mix to prevent possibly compromising problems in medium to high slump concrete.

Screeds
Screeds come in a variety of sizes and can be a specific tool (also called straight edges or bump cutters), or can be simple flat pieces of dimensional lumber. The purpose of a screed is to smooth concrete after it has been moved into place by scraping away any excess from the slab surface.

Bull Floats
Bull floats are wide-bladed tools on a long (possibly telescoping handle) that provide the first pass for leveling ridges and filling voids in the concrete after the screed work has been done.

Magnesium Floats
Magnesium floats (or mag floats) are smaller handheld floats typically used to float slab edges or to use for finish work on smaller slabs.
Kneeling Boards
For hand troweling work especially, kneeling boards provide a smooth way to support your weight on the wet concrete while moving easily along the slab surface.

Leveling Concrete Trowels
Trowels also help smooth concrete surfaces for their finish coats before being left to dry. Hand-troweling is common for smaller slabs, or power trowels are often preferred for large slabs. There are varying types of trowels for specific concrete work.

Float Blades and Troweling Blades
A variety of blade types is available for floats and power trowels, each designed to accomplish different finishes. Some care must be taken during the troweling stage not to burnish the surface and prolong drying time.

Groove Cutter/Jointer Tool
For certain job types, grooving the surface also helps prevent cracking or excess damage from shrinkage as the concrete dries or during use.

Edger
An edger is a tool designed to round exposed concrete edges for a smooth finish.

Rhodesia by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Rauchus by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/