On 5/15/12 A friend built a frame for my new sidewalk in my front yard with one step at the front door of house. A cement Truck came delivered the cement. The friend smoothed out the cement. He did not use a trowel to smooth out the surface he used a flat peace of wood, when he was done the surface looked smooth and good. The next day when the frame was removed the frame the sidewalk part that should connect to the step has a gap about 2 in with now cement the surface of the sidewalk has pitting in lots of spots and it is very rough. What can be done to fix both of these problems?
Thank you Scott

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Originally Posted by poochokid

On 5/15/12 A friend built a frame for my new sidewalk in my front yard with one step at the front door of house. A cement Truck came delivered the cement. The friend smoothed out the cement. He did not use a trowel to smooth out the surface he used a flat peace of wood, when he was done the surface looked smooth and good. The next day when the frame was removed the frame the sidewalk part that should connect to the step has a gap about 2 in with now cement the surface of the sidewalk has pitting in lots of spots and it is very rough. What can be done to fix both of these problems?
Thank you Scott

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Bust it up and pour a new one... only have someone properly float the concrete with the right tools. Hopefully someone that has a clue how to work concrete... Your friend obviously knows nothing about it.

Difficult to analyze without photos. You are probably referring to the screed board that he leveled off the top with--a board long enough to ride on top of the forms, then I guess he didn't steel trowel it. There is a chance that some of what you call pitting (which was probably caused by air bubbles left unattended) could possibly be closed by rubbing the surface as discussed in this link, since the concrete is still "young".
The two inch gap was probably left where the bottom of the step face form (riser) met the surface of the new sidewalk due to his doing no finishing and it was an area the screed didn't reach well. If I am picturing this correctly (have to just guess) in order to avoid a safety problem of someone getting a toe in that gap, you would have to do some grinding of the face of the step to try and get a smooth line. If you can't get rid of that gap someone will eventually get a toe in it and fall flat on their nose. Hope you are curing it keeping it wet or the bagging to get rid of the voids probably won't work either.
Smoothy's approach is best I must admit and if you can afford it, starting over and doing it right with the right tools and people is definitely the right way to go. I'm betting that the mix was too wet and he was screeding water instead of concrete in the low spots. The window for even trying to fix the voids is very short (especially if it has been left dry). But if you can't fix that gap (trip point), forget about the bagging of the other surface. Good luck.
Sacking & Parging Mix / Cement / Concrete

On May 15, 2012
I had a friend take out my old busted up Concrete Sidewalk in my yard leading up to the front porch with 1 Step/stair at front of door, then I wanted him to pour me a new concrete Sidewalk. When he building the frame he never once used a level on the frame when building it. He also did not do anything to level the ground inside the frame. I had a concrete company come with a truck to deliver the concrete. The Concrete looked liked it was to dry and looked liked it needed to be mixed with more water my friend told me the concrete was fine and then had it was poured in the frame, he never once used anything to pack down the concrete, he also did not use anything to level the concrete ether. He just put a long 2x4 on the frame and pulled it along the whole frame. Remember he used nothing to pack it down Also used nothing to level it. When he was ready to smooth the surface he told me the concrete was getting dry. When he was ready to smooth the surface he did not use a trowel, he told me he did not need a trowel he said could use a small 2x4 would smooth the surface it would work just as well. He said the concrete was getting dry and splashed some water on top and smoothed it with water and the 2x4. He then said it was done. He told me it would be dry enough to walk on it by the next day. The very next day when the concrete was dry and he took the frame boards off, the whole surface was bumpy, pitted, and uneven. The sidewalk and the step are not connected there is now a space about 2 inches wide the whole width of the sidewalk, also the front vertical part of the step facing out to the sidewalk you can see the concrete looks cracked like it was not mixed well. Can my bad sidewalk job and be fixed and if so what would I use to fix it, and what would be all the correct steps to fixing it?

Thank you Scott

On May 15, 2012
I had a friend take out my old busted up Concrete Sidewalk in my yard leading up to the front porch with 1 Step/stair at front of door, then I wanted him to pour me a new concrete Sidewalk. When he building the frame he never once used a level on the frame when building it. He also did not do anything to level the ground inside the frame. I had a concrete company come with a truck to deliver the concrete. The Concrete looked liked it was to dry and looked liked it needed to be mixed with more water my friend told me the concrete was fine and then had it was poured in the frame, he never once used anything to pack down the concrete, he also did not use anything to level the concrete ether. He just put a long 2x4 on the frame and pulled it along the whole frame. Remember he used nothing to pack it down Also used nothing to level it. When he was ready to smooth the surface he told me the concrete was getting dry. When he was ready to smooth the surface he did not use a trowel, he told me he did not need a trowel he said could use a small 2x4 would smooth the surface it would work just as well. He said the concrete was getting dry and splashed some water on top and smoothed it with water and the 2x4. He then said it was done. He told me it would be dry enough to walk on it by the next day. The very next day when the concrete was dry and he took the frame boards off, the whole surface was bumpy, pitted, and uneven. The sidewalk and the step are not connected there is now a space about 2 inches wide the whole width of the sidewalk, also the front vertical part of the step facing out to the sidewalk you can see the concrete looks cracked like it was not mixed well. Can my bad sidewalk job and be fixed and if so what would I use to fix it, and what would be all the correct steps to fixing it?

Thank you Scott

I gave you comments on your other post on this basically same subject. With benefit of the pictures now, it appears that the concrete was most likely too dry and no attempt was made to consolidate/vibrate.
The area where the form was removed is honeycombing and simply tapping on the forms with a hammer will usually eliminate that in a mix with the right amount of water.
But since you say that the mix was too dry in the first place the rest of the lower portion of the concrete probably looks the same as the area where the form was removed looks. It is probably way late (about one week old now) to try and repair the voids as described in the link I gave you on my first post.
You are obviously not satisfied with the work. Smoothy gave you a recommendation from the getgo in his first post. I tried to give you an option within a quick timeframe. You may be able to dress it up some and put some pre-formed expansion material in that gap--absolutely flush and maintained flush to avoid a trip point--but the concrete will still have a short life. In consideration of all the facts, do what best suits your needs.