Garage floor

[ovrszd]

You will likely be fine Deezler. You protected it during the most critical time with the water. Especially if it was not in the direct sun on a clear 95 degree day. The mixture water content will likely be what dictates the ultimate strength. A super wet 7 sack mix will never be as strong as a 7 sack minimal water mix.

When i poured my shop floor I dug out two 24" square by 20" deep holes where my lift would g and then did a monopour of a 4" slab over the entire shop floor. I also used 12" bolts in the concrete for the lift. I figured an extra 1/3 yd of concrete was cheap insurance... I was not comfortable with the directions stating that the lift would be fine on a 4" (which is frequently more like 3.5" with 2x4 forms).

Yep. I'd be a bit concerned on 4". Although I know of several that have stood the test of time. I wouldn't have any concerns on a 6" floor.

I think the important thing is to properly load the lift. Failures come from too much weight forward/rearward of center and tipping the lift over one of those directions.

 

[repete]

Yep. I'd be a bit concerned on 4". Although I know of several that have stood the test of time. I wouldn't have any concerns on a 6" floor.

I think the important thing is to properly load the lift. Failures come from too much weight forward/rearward of center and tipping the lift over one of those directions.

My lift is asymmetrical so it recognizes it will potentially be an "unbalanced" load.

The concrete guys that said they would / could just drive a bolt through if it failed and put a new one in kind of miss the point of the bolt. If the bolt failed to hold the lift, the least of my concerns as the vehicle fell would be how to put a new bolt in... But hey, that is just me. I had my teenage boys working on cars. I wanted a little more of the safety margin.

 

[ovrszd]

My lift is asymmetrical so it recognizes it will potentially be an "unbalanced" load.

The concrete guys that said they would / could just drive a bolt through if it failed and put a new one in kind of miss the point of the bolt. If the bolt failed to hold the lift, the least of my concerns as the vehicle fell would be how to put a new bolt in... But hey, that is just me. I had my teenage boys working on cars. I wanted a little more of the safety margin.

Show me a pic your lift that recognizes being improperly loaded?

Sorry, but you missed the point regarding the bolt being driven thru. It's not unknown for a wedge bolt to fail to wedge. The more you tighten the nut, the more the bolt slides upward. Pretty soon the wedge is in the upper 2" of concrete and still won't wedge.

Now what do you do? If you drilled clear thru the concrete you simply drive it down and insert another on top of it.

Has nothing to do with the lift falling over.

 

[bigtiller]

Edit to add: I put sika flex in the control joints on day 3, and mopped the heck out of it and did my acrylic sealer on day 4, I think.

I've never heard of this stuff and I am also curious as to why put it, or anything in the control joints.

 

[deezler]

I've never heard of this stuff and I am also curious as to why put it, or anything in the control joints.

Just for long term convenience, basically. If you leave open saw cuts, they fill with whatever wants to fall into them. Dirt, sawdust, bugs, grime. But sometimes more importantly, water and other fluids. My garage is still unheated and freezes up in the depths of winter - I don't want any water freezing in those saw cuts. Plus rolling tool cabinets or dollies, anything that rolls over those gaps (About a 1/4" wide) - little less of a bump when you have the gap filled. The concrete can also crack and break up around the cuts if unsupported. So I guess - lots of good reasons!

To be more clear, first I shoved foam backer rod (basically round foam weatherstripping) into the ~1.5" deep saw cuts, then the sika flex. Without the backer rod, it takes a LOT of sika flex to fill the cuts. Then I laid my clear acrylic sealer over the whole slab, with the control joints already filled.

 

[FOP]

I would suggest that you speak with the professionals at Euclid Chemical and consider a penetrating hardener like their
SS57 Euco Diamond Hard before using a topical adhesive coating like epoxy.

It's only sold through contractor supply companies (they will sell to you too)

Euco Diamond Hard

EUCO DIAMOND HARD is a unique blend of silicate and siliconate polymers that penetrate concrete surfaces and chemically react to provide an increase in surface density, durability, and abrasion resistance. Concrete treated with EUCO DIAMOND HARD is dust-proofed, resists tire marks, and is easier...

www.euclidchemical.com

EUCO DIAMOND HARD - Euco Diamond Hard

eucodiamondhard.com

 

[ovrszd]

I've never heard of this stuff and I am also curious as to why put it, or anything in the control joints.

I used a caulk that my lumber yard recommended. I am not happy with it at all. It shrank too much as it dried.

The concept of putting something in the control joints is to make clean up easier. My joints don't fill up with small material that I can't sweep out. It would drive me crazy to have unfilled joints.

 

[LD1]

Lol. I'm (so far) firmly in this category though, I knew I'd want radiant heat eventually, so I did all the work to put my PEX in. 5 years later and I still don't have insulation in my garage roof, so there is no reason to proceed with actually heating it yet.

The PEX and manifold kit only cost me $350 for my 30x36' slab. Probably took about an extra day of prep work for me to lay out the PEX at the same time as my rebar on chairs (I have the PEX tied to the bottom side of my rebar). I wasn't sure how soon I would get heating going, but it was a no brainer to do it while I had the chance.

Having PEX under the rebar didn't change the way the concrete was poured one bit. They brought the chute in through a man door in the back of the building, and were able to get concrete to all corners of the building easily. I was at work so I didn't see exactly how it went down, but they said no problem.

You didn't insulate under the slab?

 

[bigtiller]

I used a caulk that my lumber yard recommended. I am not happy with it at all. It shrank too much as it dried.

The concept of putting something in the control joints is to make clean up easier. My joints don't fill up with small material that I can't sweep out. It would drive me crazy to have unfilled joints.

I bought something from Home Depot years ago for the joints in my driveway and got the same results. I think it was a calk from a brand called Dap.

I never thought about putting it inside a building, but that is a clever idea.

My cut joints are 7.5 ft. apart and about 90% of them are still filled with the dust from the saw blade.

 

[Torvy]

Thanks for the heads-up. New garage/shop is about 95% complete. Just needs power hooked up and some door hardware. Filling joints is one of those things I would forget until after I messed them up.

I am closely watching this thread. I would like a good floor sealer/coating, but I don't have a fortune to spend. Moat of the problem is timing. We have so many purchases to make as we move back to rural life, that some have to be delayed.

Considering the idea of staining it a dark color, so any oil stains would be less noticeable. Doesn't really solve other problems with oils on the surface.