Cement Cost

noob question but can't you just stake it down or something? Still a PITA though even if you can.

 

Yes , rebar hoops work , but flat panels is 100% easier

Or skip the mesh and have the plant add fibre mesh into the mix .

 

Ah I see.

 

No, you never want to stake anything down, especially with a steel (rebar) stake.
You have to run around putting "counter bends" into the mesh to get it to lay flat. The weight of the mud helps a lot but with those fuggin rolls you still end up chasing high mesh. No rolls.

Out in the world an inspector would make you pull it because in theory the stake will rot/rust and wick moisture into the other reinforcement.
Steel or rebar always has to be completely encased in concrete to protect it from rust. When you demo ancient, reinforced concrete often the rebar will look brand new inside.

Homeowners and handymen break this rule every day.

 

WTF, hoops ?

Pleez no fiber if you want a nice, hard trowel finish
That stuff is definitely out of fashion down here.

One time on a school job we used fiber per plan. The slab got rained on.
What a friggin mess !
You could have shaved that slab !

 

Yes , hoops

Make U shapes out of 10mm or 12mm bar scraps on the bender , it takes about 10 seconds , then pound them into the ground

Tiger torch , goodbye hairs

 

OZ, I'm at a loss for words.

I need to send a letter to the Queen.

 

wut

 

You'll be notified.

 

wut

 

Sorry, I didn't know you fear the Queen.
I won't write the letter.


JF
Who plans on playing the Queen card from time to time.

 

Thickness is a pretty small factor when it comes to a slab on grade. A 4" slab is plenty sufficient for light vehicle traffic as long as the base you're pouring on is solid and well compacted. If the base is soft or has soft spots, more reinforcing or additional slab thickness can help 'bridge' soft spots. If you do the 4" slab, it comes out to almost 7 cubic yards exactly, order 8 yards. Forms have some give and some concrete may ooze out the bottom plus your base won't be 100% level. You don't want to cut it close and have a tiny area of the floor left that you can't pour because you're 1/4 yard short.

As far as the wire mesh, flat mesh is easier to work with. As you pour, you should pull the mesh up so it sets about 1/3 of the way up the slab (4" slab, the mesh should be 1-1/3" from the ground). Technically you don't want the mesh on the ground because it can rust and cause the concrete to fail although realistically its not a huge deal. Commercially, we use concrete bricks to hold the mesh off the ground while we pour but that would be overkill for residential in my opinion.

 

Oh

I didn't take you as one of those morons

Oh well , ignore list for you

 

Thats pretty much how we did it & oh I was the mesh puller on pours, what a back breaking,hand killing fucked up job it was, i'd rather be behind the shovel instead of in front of 10 guys shoveling like madmen standing on the mesh I had to pull up into the mud.....

 

Jeez you have a thin skin.





Now I'm hurt and you're just prolly messin' with me.

 

Agree with everything except for reinforcement location.
Our engineers always want reinforcement to occur in the top 1/3 of the slab.
They explain that its benefit is greater when it's in the top portion of the slab.

 

There is a bunch of good information here, but it is a pole barn floor not a showroom floor. Come on guy's get together on this, 4 or 6 inches of cement have some kind of wire or rebar, be sure to wet the ground, cover it wih plastic, and have someone who knows how to work a float for a good finished product right? Just don't plan on driving an Abrams Tank on it.

 

Ya , I was just joking

 

And forget wetting the subgrade , just install a 6mil poly vapour barrier .