Idiots guide to concreting

[Flat 10]

Specifically the doorway to a shed. How thick? 150mm? Reinforced with a142? was planning to decide on thickness and then decide area on basis of full load of readymix. Obviously slope down from doorway. Was going to put 6 inches of hardcore in the bottom. Should I bother with DPM? Any hints or tips gratefully received.

 

[Derky]

Poly always under concrete. It helps it dry out slowly. 252 mesh for industrial. Dowels resin bonded into existing.

 

[Nearly]

@dannewhouse

 

[David.]

Get yourself a 5m length of 6x2 aluminium box section for a tamp, hundred times better than wood and will last you forever.

 

[Flat 10]

How wide is realistically the most sensible for a pour if you are going to tamp manually? 6m?

 

[Flat 10]

Poly always under concrete. It helps it dry out slowly. 252 mesh for industrial. Dowels resin bonded into existing.

Thanks. I can use some dpm. Rest of it a bit more technical than I expected....

 

[David.]

How wide is realistically the most sensible for a pour if you are going to tamp manually? 6m?

How strong are you feeling and how particular are you?
Can you muster 4 bodies, so you can have 2 shovelling or raking level out the wagon, and 2 tamping straight behind them? Worse to have to pull concrete off when it is placed than to have to add a bit. Tamping as you go helps avoid this, because you can gauge when the level is correct, constantly as you pour.
I'd rather not go above 4 to 5m manual tamping but I am weak and particular.

 

[br jones]

Place it ,check it with laser ,run magic screed over it , bull float it ,put whatever markings you want on it ,tamp ,brush or groove ,simples

 

[Exfarmer]

First rule is to make. A hard base, vibrating role as hard as you can. Then polythene sheet.
How much weight will go through the door? If under 8 tonne 4inches 100mm plenty
For regular farm use 150mm 6 inches is fine . More than this reinforce with ateel

 

[designanddetail]

No Need to dowel resin bond it to the main floor slab. just leave a 10mm gap (you can put a strip of polystyrene between the slab and the door ramp and fill with the same mastic they use on floor joints

 

[David.]

Those magic screeds look fun to use, not had one; but I am told by somebody that has, that they do not do much levelling like a twin beam tamp, you have to be pretty spot on with placement.

 

[Andrew1983]

Those twin beam vibrating screeds are good, we had 1 near 20 years ago to do a silage clamp floor, the contractors had a squad raking in front of it and pulled it with a 13 ton digger, made fairly light work of the job. To hell with trying to tamp with a manual beam at 6m, 3 bad enough lol I also tried one of those magic screed things but could not get on with it.

 

[Derky]

With a magic screed you laser level it first as pouring then leave a nice finish, we use on house oversites, before power floating and on sites that want something between a power float finish and a tamp finish. For 6 metres we use a roller screed.

 

[Flat 10]

I just want to pour 1 load of readymix in a doorway and make a half decent job.

 

[Lincsman]

I just want to pour 1 load of readymix in a doorway and make a half decent job.

If it is level, you can order a wet type (high slump) concrete so does not really need tamping, talk to the supplier and explain what you want and what it has to do, these mixes cost a little more (extra cement) but makes life easy for the novice.

I had a job done by professionals and it was a revelation, 3 guys just "flooding" the whole floor with a continuous stream of lorries checking with lasers as they went and a magic screed, power floated later, they hardly broke a sweat.

 

[br jones]

I just want to pour 1 load of readymix in a doorway and make a half decent job.

9r talk to a floor screed company who do pumped concrete ,they put it down as smooth as a snooker table

 

[GeorgeK]

Another thumbs up for hiring an easy float, easy to get a smooth, flat finish. Then drag the grain store brush over it for that professional look. The gradient of the slope you want will affect how wet you can have it else it will keep slumping to the bottom every time you tamp it. If you're getting a full load and not experienced (like me) it's nice to have 4 people to make easy work of it. Pay attention to edges and corners when pouring, push it in well to make sure there are no voids. If you want neat edges round the top, go round with a hand float or something when you're finished and scrape off any concrete that is sat on top of the forms and existing floors and tidy the edges up, else it will crack off and take some of the main bit with it. I love concreting but I can never come close to what the pros manage no matter how hard I try, takes a lot of experience to get good
This is an easy float:

 

[Lincsman]

One of these makes nice rounded edges that wont chip
https://www.tradingdepot.co.uk/fait...MI5pPGhfv94gIVypTtCh332wbDEAQYASABEgLZ1_D_BwE

 

[Derky]

Thats called a harris trowel.

 

[Pond digger]

Plastic on top of hardcore. Does the hardcore get blinded off with sand to help prevent puncture, or don’t you bother? I do, on the bits that I’ve laid.