Exposed Aggregate Stairs

aapex james

How do you get the stones to show through after you remove the forms on the risers and sides of the stairs? How long do you leave the forms on after the pour.

deco-art

We use a brown sugar water mixture and pour in the evening. When the surface gets firm roll the mixture onto the surface and cover with poly. Go home and return the next morning at 7 am and remove forms. Wash with pressure washer.

genecarp

grind, thats the way to really show aggregate, now if you planned it and really wanted to show alot of stone, you could have glued stone to the form before you poured. acid will also reveal some aggregate. that is what we do for some counters, exterior work probably has some diff techniques.

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themudman

I hope your buying your concrete with the rock allready in the mud and not seeding it like in the old days. if so just strip your risers as soon as you can and wash the faces right along with the top. I don't use any type of retarder, timing is everything.

jumbocactar

boy thats my least favorite time of the day, i use rugasol, just cause, i screw my stair forms together, make sure you know where they are!! also keep them clean!!! but as far as removal... use form release, fill and sand any knots in the form, i also put a 45 on the bottom outside face of the stair kicker form so you can finish easier and roll it down when you remove. so i let it get as hard as i can, LOL, just enough that it can still be retarded, its still stressful but go slow and pay attention, be ready to put screws back in fast! been thinking bout stripping the next day and hitting w/a steel brush? but i seem to almost always have problems, w/pockets that i have to trowel in, only happens w/exposed? luck i suppose. i just overlayd a old set of stairs w 2" of exposed, that was fun, even better then exposed stairs is stamped steps, finding the best time to strip those... whew!

bland24

Like Mudman, pour, strip them when ready, hit em 1 time, sugar water with trombone sprayer, wash with hose when ready.

CaseyJones

It takes some practice to get it right.
Sugar water or molasses works but control can be difficult. There are retarders on the market (Grace, Sika, etc) that are a bit more uniform. Paint on form, let dry, pour concrete. The next day the cement will wash off.
If I dont need a deep exposure, I usually just use acid. Dampen the concrete first!, apply acid, rinse. (use protection).
I would not use a steel brush. A steel brush can dull the aggregate and leave bits of steel behind to later rust and stain the steps.
Do a sample first.
Use a clear coat later if you want a "wet" look.