Dirt Barn Floor, Eventually putting in slab but gravel in mean time?

[ttriff]

Don't plan on pouring concrete over gravel or crusher run. The base for a concrete pour needs to be on top of tightly compacted material unless the pour itself is going to be very deep.

Also a thick layer of gravel is not only a pain to walk on it's a drag to drive on. Just did a 2000 sq ft building with a 1200 sq ft shed roof (aka car port). In an attempt to save a few bucks I used gravel instead of concrete in the shed roof area.

Not my brightest idea.

It's a nightmare to walk across as it shifts under foot. Driving on it instantly makes hills and valleys that are a pain to deal with. If I want to work under a vehicle it's mandatory to put down a pad because creepers or anything else with small wheels (welders, portable upright power tools, etc) just dig into the gravel and won't move. Trying to sit on a stool or chair is laughable, they just dig deeper and deeper holes if the user moves around

As soon as the budget permits I'm going to dig out the gravel, put it on the road, then pour concrete for the shed roof floor....

 

[LD1]

gravel is used as a base for concrete all the time

 

[Trials]

Something else to consider, read this: Soil-Cement

 

[TractorGuy]

Crushed concrete is going to provide plenty of abrasive dust. Around here they sell washout which is left over concrete washed out of the trucks. I used it in a parking lot once and swore never again.

I have a little open metal carport at home that used to stay a mess. I put down a layer of roll roofing and went over it with cypress mulch. That was several years ago and the mulch surface is holding up fine. Stuff still gets dirty as heck due to the open sides. Hoping to build a closed barn sometime. Like you I would prefer a concrete floor but I don't see it happening any time soon.

 

[ovrszd]

gravel is used as a base for concrete all the time

Sure is. Will actually add a little thickness to the concrete deck as it seeps into the crevices and bonds the top layer of gravel to the concrete.

I totally understand the budget angle of the OP.

As I said earlier, I'd put down whatever I was going to use as a base for my concrete, at the height required when pouring the concrete. Then all you have to do is level it to grade when you are ready to pour. And best of all you didn't waste any material.

 

[jack707]

Do the concrete yourself and ask a few buddy to help out a 30x30 is not to big just 900 sq. feet.

 

[LD1]

Do the concrete yourself and ask a few buddy to help out a 30x30 is not to big just 900 sq. feet.

thats what I was thinking too.

4" thick is 11yds. So around me that would be $1100
+$45 for a day rental on a power screed
+$65 day rental on power trowel
+$20 day rental on bull float

 

[ovrszd]

Heheheheheheh..... Have you guys forgotten the days when you didn't have the money to do a project??? I certainly haven't. I totally understand baby steps in improving this building.

No insult to the OP at all.

 

[jfh28]

the main purpose for a base layer under a concrete slab is to provide a compacted stable base to pour on so there won't be any settlement under the concrete which would then crack..........side benefit of a properly installed base is that the base will be leveled properly without any dips so your slab will be a uniform thickness throughout when you pour it.......stone is cheaper than concrete.........if you have decent soil underneath a 4" base layer is generally standard........for a product now to make the barn usable I'd go with 3/4" stone quarry blend.....thats 3/4 inch stone with a mix of stone dust and small fines mixed in that compacts really well and doesn't move around when walking or driving on it.......I've used it on driveways as a finished surface.......Jack

 

[skipmarcy]

Anything you're going to spread inside a 30x30 is pretty much going to be done by hand - my tractor with FEL and a boxblade is right at 20' long, can't do too much work like that. Same thing with packing whatever you use - you'll have to rent a plate compacter to cover much of the area, driving any kind of vehicle around inside that 30x30 for packing purposes will be problematic unless it's all open on one side or more.

The crushed concrete would work just fine - I sold & spread hundreds of tons of it in Florida doing driveway work and actually did inside a large barn with it too once. One problem though is the crusher/screener doesn't get all of the reinforcing wire out and you have to go over it and pick it out. This concrete was crushed to 57's size and did very well staying in place once it was just slightly packed. For inside a building it wouldn't need to be very deep just to walk on or drive in to park on, just 2" would be good for awhile. When you got ready to pour concrete, just spread a load of coarse sand to fill in around the chunks and level-off the surface, then a layer of 6 mil plastic would do you.