Installing a new sidewalk or repairing your current one is a worthwhile home improvement project, boosting your curb appeal and your home’s functionality. If you’re doing it yourself, there are a variety of tools and equipment rentals you’ll need to get the job done. Below are some of the basic items you’ll need.

What Tools Are Needed for Installing a Concrete Sidewalk

1. Protective Gear

You’ll need eye goggles, a breathing mask, and rubber gloves to keep dust, sand, concrete mix, and other irritating components out of vulnerable areas, such as your eyes, mouth, nasal passages, and underneath your fingernails. If you’ll be using loud equipment, you’ll also need earplugs to protect your hearing.

2. Portable Mixer

A portable mixer keeps the concrete agitated so that it doesn’t set before you lay it, and it allows for simple, controlled pouring of the mix. They’re ideal for medium projects–like sidewalks or small patios–where you'll need more concrete than what can fit in a wheelbarrow or bucket. Portable mixers are available in a variety of sizes so that you can choose one that’s suited for your project, and they can be powered by gas or electricity.

3. Screeds

Screeds are long, straightedge tools that are used immediately after pouring the concrete. They’re moved across the surface to level it and scrape off excess concrete, creating a rough but mostly even surface to work with. They can be powered by hand, fuel, or electricity, and they’re available in metal or wooden varieties. 

4. Finishing Trowels, Floats, & Finishing Brooms

Floats and finishing trowels are used after the concrete has been poured and screeded. They create a smoother, more level finish by bringing the liquid concrete up to the surface while compacting it to get the appropriate density. After they’re used, you can use a finishing broom on the surface to give it texture and make it skidproof. 

5. Concrete Edger & Control Jointer

When the concrete is stiff but not fully set, you’ll need an edger and control jointer for the finishing touches. An edger is run down the sides of the concrete against the boards, separating it from them and creating smooth edges. A control jointer is used to make horizontal, indented lines across the width of the concrete every few feet. This is done so that cracks–which happen naturally with concrete–form in the indentations, where they’re less visible than if they formed on the surface.

For all the tools you need to get your concrete home improvement project finished, contact Schulhoff Equipment Rental & Sales in Cincinnati, OH. Since 1935, they’ve provided dependable, competitive equipment rentals and sales. They have everything you need for your concrete project, including screeds, portable mixers, finishing brooms, trowels, and floats. Explore their inventory online, and call (513) 961-1122 for specific requests.