A wide, long-handled tool used to smooth freshly poured concrete right after it's leveled, while the mix is still wet.
A large, flat, rectangular tool on a long handle used to smooth and level freshly poured concrete flatwork immediately after screeding, prior to final finishing. Bull floating closes surface voids, embeds large aggregates slightly below the surface, and produces a relatively flat, open surface for subsequent floating and troweling. It is typically made from aluminum or magnesium.
Bull floating is a timing-critical step in concrete flatwork, and the window between screeding and floating affects crew sizing and labor cost in a concrete bid. While the tool itself is minor, an estimator pricing large slab pours must staff enough finishers to bull float the full area before the concrete sets, especially in hot weather.
When bidding a 10,000-square-foot warehouse slab, the concrete estimator sizes the finishing crew so the placed concrete can be screeded and bull floated within the working window before the surface stiffens in summer heat.
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