A speed bump is a traffic safety feature that basically creates a higher speed limit on some roads. There are many ways to make a speed bump, or any raised concrete surface, so called. Here is how to make a normal speed bump!
Making a Speed Bump Using Concrete
The most common way to make a speed bump is by using concrete. This can be done in several ways, the most popular being by using an octagon or circle as the base and creating a higher surface with two or four perpendicular edges.
When making a concrete surface, it is important to take your time when cutting the concrete. It takes about an hour to dry thoroughly and set up, so make sure to do some other things during that time.
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Mix your concrete properly
When creating your speed bump, you will want to take some time to make sure it does the job it was designed for. That can be difficult when moving fast!
You can create a speed bump by mixing two or more equal parts of sand, sod, and gravel together to create one working mixture. This concrete must be tested before you use it for safety purposes, but we will discuss that later.
The combination of the grains must match exactly in size, shape, and coloration so that police can see if someone is going too fast and grants them proper protection. The color and texture of the concrete must also match the shape of the speed bump so that police can see if someone is coming or going when they drive over it.
Make thick slabs
If you want your concrete to stay semi-rigid, you must make sure that the stone or gravel you use is thick enough. The greater the thickness of the material, the more powerful your concrete must be!
Running out of rock or gravel will cause your concrete to break down over time, becoming less efficient. This may not be a problem if you have only one speed bump, but for larger projects such as a driveway or garden path, two or three rocks is sufficient.
You can use bigger rocks if you get enough bigger pieces. Try using small stones and a few metres of road stone to create your speed bump!
Make sure to wear protective gloves and eye protection for marble cutting and grinding.
Let dry completely
Once the concrete has completely dried, you can break it. This allows for more flexibility in adding detail or moving on to other things. If you have little handprints or footprints left, you can add those later!
You can also mix some watered-down bleach and water to make it easier to blend into your concrete, or use a paintable liquid glue for additional details.
If you want your child to have some flexibility in how they cross the street or how they get around the house, for example, then you will need to add some bounds of concrete around those areas.
Run over with a car several times
After many attempts at similarly colored concrete, you may find that the red and white patterns developed a dark, heavy texture that stuck to the concrete when it was dry.
This was not a problem during the process, as we did not allow any water to get to the concrete until we were sure it was hard. After that, we let it sit for a day before moving on to the next step.
This texture did not seem like it would stick well, as our previous attempts had all been solids that melted together and dried up. This time, we used glue instead of an ordinary setting agent as our support.
Test the hardness of the concrete
When the concrete is hard, it needs to be tested to see if it will also hold its shape. This can be accomplished by dropping a small piece of wood or a book on it.
If it breaks, then the concrete is not strong enough. If it holds its shape, then you have created enough air space to let water in and out of your pool.
Making a speed bump concrete requires some knowledge of technology, but it is very easy to do. All you need are some old tires, some sand, and a hammer!
You can buy these materials at most hardware stores or pool supply shops. Old tires are great because they are always available.
Add pigment for color
If you want your concrete to look more natural, you can add additional ingredients to make it more vivid. These include adding paint or stain, or using a texture such as sandpaper.
Many concrete manufacturers offer tips and tricks for making your concrete look more natural, so you can try some of these out!
How to Make a Speed Bump Concrete
Once this happens, you will find that the mixture softens and becomes somewhat like sandpaper on your skin.
Use steel wool to create texture
When creating a speed bump concrete, you must use a high-quality steel wool. This can be found at most craft stores or under the paper supplies.
Some steel wool will not work due to being thin and/or having texture on it. When creating the speed bump, these must be used!
We recommend using sharp, tape-like pieces of steel wool as our texture. These can easily be cut with a knife or scissors and placed on top of the concrete to create the bump.
These must be used in conjunction with other materials used to create the speed bump concrete. If there is no other material used, there will not be a difference in how fast the concrete will set and where it will fall where you want it to land.
Use salt to create corrosion effects
When cutting concrete, it is important to use proper equipment. First, there is the chisel or comprehenishe chisel. Then, there are the salt-curing machines. Both of these tools require you to place the concrete in the machine and then remove the machine after completing your project.
The first tool you need is the comprehenishe chisel. This requires you to create a concave area in which to place your concrete. You then need to place a layer of salt on this area and push your chisel through it. Once this process is complete, you can finish carving your speed bump!
The last piece of equipment needed is an edge-cutting disc. Using this allows you to create a smooth edge on which to lay your speed bump.