Concrete Floor

[CurlyDave]

If you have never busted out slabs before, it really helps to pry it up a little, then break off the pieces with it in the air. When it's flat on the ground, it takes allot of beating. In the air, it breaks off real easy with a sledge hammer.

My neighbor & I took out a concrete floor in an entire house this way.

We dug a small trench so we could get a hydraulic floor jack under the concrete as a lifting means.

We found that an electric jackhammer worked pretty well when the slab was in the air.

 

[SPIKER]

Not sure where you are at but you stated a new furnace was in order and this was part prior to the furnace or in conjunction with.

anyhow I second the poly & also add some foam insulation boards under there too. it will add some height to the pour but will also Help those high heating bills.

just my 2 cents worth
\
\mark M

 

[DaveRR]

Thanks again for the advice, everyone. I've been side tracked on some other things around the house, and I'm finally getting back to the basement floor.

I just finished breaking up and removing the old floor (what fun!), and the new floor is scheduled to be poured at the end of the month. I have one more question, though.

I have four boulders that I need to deal with. The tops of each boulder are 3-4" above the dirt floor, which would put them at or just below the level of the new floor. I was hoping to remove them from the basement completely, but I've dug around them and they're pretty big. I can probably carry two of them out with some help, but I'd have to come up with another method to remove the other two.

What do you think about burying the boulders right in the basement? The soil is sand, and it would be pretty easy to dig a hole next to each boulder and roll the boulder into the hole. Would this cause cracking or other problems with the new floor? How far below the ground surface would I need to bury them?

I appreciate the advice!

 

[Egon]

Have you considered splitting the boulders?

 

[bugstruck]

Easier splitting if you freeze them first.

 

[Paddy]

I agree the ele jack hammer is not as effective as the Air hammer BUT, they are far better than swinging a sledge all day. They are cheep to rent and easy to throw in a trunk of a car if need be. This job can't need to full blown air hammer

 

[texasjohn]

I haven't used it but this sounds like a perfect opportunity to use CRACKAMITE. At their site, crackamite.com , they say:

CRACKAMITE®, a Non-Explosive Expansive Silent Cracking Agent, is a highly expansive powder composition for stone breaking, granite and marble quarrying, concrete cutting and demolition. CRACKAMITE® is safe, environment friendly and a good and viable alternative to explosives and other traditional methods of quarrying and demolition. CRACKAMITE® is mixed with clean water and poured into pre-drilled holes on rock and concrete. The diluted CRACKAMITE® swells and exerts significant expansive thrust on the hole-wall, fracturing the wall and splitting the rock across the line of the drill holes.

Granite Cutting

Marble Quarrying

Limestone Mining

Concrete Demolition

Rock Breaking

Might give it a try... they say that there is a way to get a free sample... might be just enough to do the few rocks you have... an idea anyway!

 

[PineRidge]

Some years back the home that I owned had a large set of steps that was poured with concrete and it was thick in construction. I needed to eliminate the steps so we rented an electric jack hammer for a day. It made short work of the project and I'm confident that it will make your job easier too.

 

[DaveRR]

I'll have to look into that product some more, texasjohn. I'm not sure how I'd split these boulders without using something like that.

These rocks are very hard and very smooth; there are no obvious cracks or seams where I could try to split them. I did rent an electric jackhammer to break up the floor, btw (it worked great!), but it barely scratched these boulders.

 

[toy]

I'm looking to pour a concrete floor in my basement, and just got my second cost estimate. I've never had any concrete work done before, so I thought maybe some of you could tell me how reasonable this estimate is.

The basement area is 430 sq ft. Part of the floor is already concrete (170 sq ft), and the rest is very coarse sand (native soil). I have already removed enough dirt to (more or less) level the unfinished floor a few inches lower than the finished floor. The foundation walls are dry stacked stone, and entrance to the basement is such that the concrete truck can back right up to the basement stairs. I'm not looking for anything fancy; just a concrete floor with a sump in the corner. Concrete prices here are $90-100 per yard.

The first estimate was $2,200, and the contractor planned on keying the new floor into the old floor. His price is based on 3 full days labor, which doesn't sound right to me. In any case, this is much more than I'm willing to spend.

The second estimate was $1,200, and the contractor plans on pouring a completely new floor, 4" thick with wire mesh. He thinks it will turn out best if the old concrete is removed first. Removal of the old floor is not included in the estimate, because I would do the work myself. I can afford this, but it's still a bit more than I expected.

What do you guys think of this second estimate? Is it reasonable?

Thanks for your help!

Make sure that material is included in both estimates because if the one for 1200 didn't include material then in the end both estimates would be about the same. Also how deep a pour is it going to be according to each estimate. In the area where we live the last concrete I had poured there was three grade levels of cement a 5 bag mix a 5 1/2 bag mix and a 6 bag mix. I paid about $80 a cubic yard for the 5 1/2 mix but you had to order 7 yards or more or there would have been an additional charge I paid $35 a yard to have it poured and dressed down with a machine. It is slick as glass practically[ if it is wet it is dangerous] that price didn't include having releif cuts in it and I never got releif cuts but it hasn't cracked anywhere yet and that has been about 3 years ago. The man that poured mine gave me a price per yard for labor only and I ordered the concret from the plant myself. I hope this gives you some kind of idea good luck with your project.