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A Few Concrete Product Recommendations

Whether you’re in the market for new tools or not, it’s always good to know what is available in the industry to meet your needs. Maybe you haven’t purchased a tool in a particular category in a while or maybe you’re entirely new to the category. Either way, I have provided you with a few product recommendations to help guide your search.

Concrete and Masonry Saws. This may be one of the hardest categories to buy in because there are so many options. Before buying, consider the size and scope of the projects you will be completing with this tool. For small to mid sized jobs, handheld concrete and masonry saws are probably sufficient. Walk-behind saws (either propelled or push), are meant for larger cutting jobs and have deeper cutting capabilities.

For small to mid-sized jobs check out the Husqvarna K 750. This saw features a 14” blade capacity and a 5” max cutting depth. With a 74cc gasoline engine, the K 750 can accommodate most mid-level applications.

For your bigger jobs, consider the RGC S24 HydraSaw. A 1455 rpm maximum operating speed, along with a 24” blade capacity, gives this saw the ability to cut through concrete, brick, block, and even steel with ease.

Core Drill Equipment. Core drills come in a variety of styles and can be either handheld or mountable. Depending on the size and frequency of your jobs, one or the other may be more suitable. Large drilling jobs where mobility isn’t a huge concern will see the most benefits while using a drill rig. Smaller indoor jobs are best for handheld drills. Keep in mind, no matter which you decide to go with, individual models from different manufacturers have differing features and capabilities to choose from.

For your smaller, indoor contract work consider the MK-130/3. This handheld wet core drill from MK Diamond has a built-in water swivel to facilitate cooling in the most demanding situations. This drill is perfect for jobs where speed and mobility are key and accuracy is a must.

A large industrial job will require a little more power, which means less mobility. Check out the Kor-it K-90 Electric drill for these larger projects. This drill features a narrow drilling column to accommodate heavy duty drilling in small working environments.

Concrete Floor Grinders. Your floor grinder is designed to prepare or remove surfaces for resurfacing. This may include grinding, scarifying, or shot blasting adhesives, paint, and other materials to finish your job. There are a number of styles and features available in this category from walk-behind push or propelled to ride-on machines. The grinder you choose will greatly depend on the amount of surface preparation you will be completing and how often you’ll be preparing.

For smaller less frequent jobs, a walk-behind floor grinder will be best. Walk-behind floor grinders come with one or more grinding heads and are available in various grinding widths, from under 12” to almost 3’. For indoor and less frequent applications, a single-head grinder is most likely sufficient. Check out the EDCO TG-10 electric turbo grinder. This grinder can cover up to 750 square feet an hour.

For your larger grinding applications, a multiple head or ride-on grinder will be best. For very large jobs, consider the BW Manufacturing SCB-1200. The SCB-1200 is ideal for roads, bridges, and parking lots because of its ability to cover an impressive 1000 square feet per hour.

Hopefully these recommendations were helpful. If you have any specific questions about product recommendations in other construction tool categories, leave a question below!

Are You Ready to Pour Concrete in Colder Temps?

As summer fades and we move into fall and winter, steps should be taken by contractors to ensure your cold weather projects are of the same quality as your spring and summer projects. Because of the colder temperatures and increased chance of precipitation, concrete may not set as quickly as you are used to. This in itself may be a problem, but there are tools available to help you manage your fall and winter projects.

Consider purchasing a concrete blanket to thaw ground before pouring and to protect concrete after the pour while it cures. Also, concrete blankets will allow you to avoid cracking and peeling in the winter by keeping the surface warm. They come in various sizes that can be utilized in a number of ways: to thaw sand, construction equipment, the ground, and walls.

Equipment intended for use during the entire year can also help cure concrete more evenly and efficiently. For instance, the use of a hot air lance can greatly reduce the time needed to cure cracks or seems in concrete. In winter particularly, the hot air lance can give the weakest places in your pour the strength they need to cure consistently. Take a look at our buying guides for more info and check out this video of a hot air lance in action:

Tips for Saving Time on Your Next Tile Project

Laying tile can be time consuming, so developing methods to eliminate timely steps is key to making tile projects more reasonable. A lot of time management comes from doing a number of projects and seeing where you can multitask or cut out procedures. However, there are several tools and accessories that can greatly reduce time for your next tile project. I have put together a list of a few items that you may want to consider:

Tile Floor Stripper. Tile floor strippers make it easy to clean/scrape floors to prepare them for tile. These tools are capable of removing ceramic, vinyl, and other flooring materials from cement or wood floors. Ride-on and walk-behind models are available with different scraping capabilities. Ride-on models typically cost more, but have higher scraping capabilities and more features. Walk-behind models strip less floor per pass, but are cheaper and more accessible to small and mid-size contractors. A large floor stripper can be capable of removing flooring at approximately 500+ ft. per min.

Tile Saw Enclosure. For wet tile saws, an enclosure can save loads of time on cleanup, especially for jobs that require a lot of cutting. These plastic tent enclosures are reasonably priced and are a great addition to any contractor’s equipment. Because of their design, tile saw enclosures block water and debris from being omitted outside the structure, making it possible to operate the wet saw anywhere on your job site.

Grout Cleaning Kit. If you’ve ever applied grout, you know that wiping and rinsing sponges used to clean grout off of your tile can take ages. Using a grout cleaning kit can help reduce this time by automating the sponge/float cleaning process. Instead of wringing out a sponge, squeeze it through rollers that drop into a buck of water, cleaning your sponge instantly. If you use more than one sponge at a time, you can move even more quickly. The use of a grout cleaning kit will allow you to lay more grout at once and remove it more quickly than before. Check out the Squeeze-ESE Electric sponge cleaner that automatically runs sponges through the rollers when you feed them into the bucket.

Perfect Hole Kit. For those areas where piping or other fixtures come directly out of an surface covered in tile, a perfect hole kit can help you make precision cuts and save time. Instead of perforating the tile and breaking out the circular cut with the chance of ruining the tile, use the perfect hole kit and never second guess your work again.

These four tools can significantly cut down your project time and allow you to do more work or be more intricate while laying the tile. For more Tile Equipment hints, tips, and information take a look at CC's buying guides If you have any other suggestions to cut down work time during a tile project, let us know!