Wet concrete has a pH around 12 to 13. That's lye-territory. It will burn skin and it will eat leather over time. The boot a concrete crew wears has to deal with that all day.
The honest answer: a lot of finishers wear rubber boots over their work boots. Tingley Pilot 17-inch rubber boots ($50) are the standard. They go on over your boots when you're walking the slab, come off when you're not. The Tingley Profile boots ($120) are the upgrade — knee-high, reinforced toe, better grip on a wet slab.
If you're wearing a single boot all day on a concrete crew, a Bogs Classic Ultra High or the Muck Edgewater Tall is the rubber-boot answer. Pure rubber, no leather to attack. The Servus 75108 Honeywell Premium Plus is the steel-toe rubber boot that meets ASTM standards.
For prep and form work — before the pour — a regular leather work boot is fine. The Timberland Pro Boondock 6-inch waterproof or the Wolverine Floorhand. But understand that any concrete that splashes on the leather and dries is going to crack the leather, so wipe down at lunch and at end of day with a wet rag.
Bull float operators and screed guys have a specific need: a boot with a flat sole and good grip on the wet slab. A wedge sole is right here. A heavy lug picks up too much concrete.
Pants: most finishers I know wear a heavy-duty rubber knee boot AND knee-high gaiters or rubber overalls when they're walking the slab. The Tingley Magnaprene rubber overall is the move. For pre-pour and form work, Carhartt Rugged Flex Rigby with reinforced knees. Avoid stretchy pants — a calcium chloride splash will burn through synthetic faster than cotton.
Concrete burns on your legs are a real injury. Cement crews who walk through wet pour without rubber boots and gaiters end up with skin chemistry burns by 30. We've seen guys with shin scars from a five-minute walk through a slab.
"Wet concrete has a pH around 12 to 13. That's lye-territory."
Gloves: this is where most concrete guys go wrong. They wear cotton work gloves. Cement burns through cotton in about an hour. The right glove is a chemical-resistant nitrile or neoprene. Showa NSK24 is the standard. Atlas 660 PVC for heavier abuse. Replace them when they start to crack.
For finishers using a power trowel — a Marshalltown Bull Float, a Magic Float, a Kraft Tool fresno — you need a glove with a little dexterity. The Mechanix Original is fine for a few hours of finishing if you keep it out of fresh pour. Finishers usually have a pair of "dry hand" gloves they use only at the troweling stage.
Shirts: long-sleeve. A splash on a forearm is a chemical burn. Carhartt Force long-sleeve, lighter colors so you can see the splash before it sets.
Hat: a wide-brim hard hat. The Pyramex Ridgeline full-brim is the move. A regular cap-style hard hat lets the sun cook the back of your neck while you're staring at a slab for six hours. Brimmed hard hat with a neck shade.
Eye pro: ANSI Z87 sealed goggles. Concrete splash to the eye is a chemical-burn ER trip. Open-side safety glasses are not enough.
Cleanup is gear. A bucket of fresh water, a wire brush, and a shop rag at the end of the day. Concrete that dries on your boot or glove is concrete you're going to chip off forever. Hose it down before it sets.
Concrete is an alkaline trade. Buy gear that doesn't care about pH 13.