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Pouring the slab;
Page two

Here is page two of three of photos showing the slab being poured.

In this photo the footers have been poured and the slab is now started.  Note the two guys bending over, one on the far left, another in a pink shirt at the rear -- they are holding a long 2X4 that is used to level the wet concrete with the top of the form -- the 2X4 is called a "screed board" and they are "screeding" the concrete by sawing the screed board back and forth all the while moving it along toward the crew standing with their backs to the camera.  Note two small brown stakes sticking up out of the concrete -- these are marked at the same height as the form -- the two guys with the screed board level the concrete off to the top of the form and the mark on the grade stakes.  The rest of the crew pushes and pulls concrete toward or away from the screed board.  This whole operation moves slowly toward the camera, stopping only to pour more concrete from the pump truck.

As the concrete is screeded so it's level with the form, the surface is still very rough and needs to be smoothed.  This is what's happening here -- the guy in the red shirt is working with a long trowel -- actually, a "float" -- to smooth the edges of the slab.  The guy in the rear in the blue shirt and white trousers is holding a "bull float" -- a long aluminum float, smooth on the bottom, with a very long handle.  He slowly pulls this over the concrete, smoothing the surface.

Another shot of the bull float at work -- he makes several passes over the concrete, each making the slab smoother.

Now please go to page 3 of pouring the slab.