Concrete Forms (help soon concrete setting!)

KAGY

Does anyone know when I should start finishing concrete. Currently I have a garage floor and two steps setting, the pour finished at 6. It's tamped off and floated now but it still seems a bit soft (9:45pm) I'm just wondering when I should remove the forms from the concrete and do the finishing touches (edges, texturing etc) I though I would be able to judge when, but now I'm not too sure. I've also read that I should float it again, any thoughts on that.
So if anyone has any help and you are looking at this tonight (Fri 13th) please let me know.
Thanks

Qwerty?

are you refering to finishing the edges of steps, i.e. with a special trowel? if do, do it straight away when still soft. But you dont take the formwork off ril it's set

KAGY

Yep, that would be it. Thanks, off to do it now...
The second floating seems like a waste of time really.

Qwerty?

just make sure theres a decent nap on the steps, so in icy weather they won't be slippy. Then trowel the edges to bullnose them.

KAGY

All done now, the steps where just about right, I was able to work up a bit of paste to get a smooth edge, the brush was able to give a good nap. I think I know now why people do a second float, it's for a surface finish.

For anyone who come across this thread looking for tips see below, I hope it's not too brief, but I've just come in from finishing off and I've a chilled can calling me...
Job
We were doing a 5x7.5m garage floor at 115mm depth and 150deepx400out steps at our back and patio door. This took about 4.5m^3, we used 30Nm concrete, with fine (10mm) aggregate. cost €350
We used the rising walls as the form / box for the floor (making sure they were level first) and simple forms for the steps. I put a 150mmx45deg chamfer on the corner, just because it looks nice
Nail a 2x2 batton to the wall either side of the forms, and nail the forms to these. I found out that blocks don't keep them in place when you dump the concrete in!
tools
Bull float; large wooden float, large round edge metal float, edging tool
lots of shovels and rakes and a wheelbarrow.
we used a 5.8m 9x2 board as a tamp
3 men (or big women!)
step by step (no pun intended)

1. From delivery of concrete... most poured into floor, remainder poured onto spare damp proof. (about 25 min)
2. drag a board across to roughly level the concrete, have someone pull the excess away from the board with a rake to make it easier, and to fill in any hollows that appear.
3. tamp the board on the concrete to compact it then see-saw the board to give a final level (work on about 1m at a time) (we took about an hour)
4. Move the rest of the concrete into the step forms, use a similar method scaled down to level it
5. run the bull float back and forth to even out the ridges the board made (10 min)
6. run a trowel around the inside of the forms in a sawing motion, this makes it easier later on
7. leave it to set a bit before finishing, it should resist hand pressure, I left it for about 4 1/2 hours after the pour, this was probably too long
8. run a soft brush over the surface for grip then do the edges with the edging too, work towards the corners so you don't drag the conc away from them

tedser

i wonder could any1 help ,im pouring a concrete floor for a cladding shed 20 ft x13ft.do i need 2 use damp proof and how high can i go with shed without planning permission,how deep should the concrete be,tnx