Concrete project: will this work?

[FTG-05]

I'm still lost. Are you going to put a table and chair on top of those pieces of rebar? and sit on it?


How are you going to keep it from wobbling around?

Eddie

No offense, but if you can't figure what this means, I can't help you:

"Look to the right of the third/halfway done pic. Those are some of the concrete blocks I'll use for the columns to hold the tabletop. I welded the column rebar to the pad rebar frame so it would be precisely placed and be fully embedded once the pad was done. The wood blocks are nothing more than a safety pad to prevent a fall or trip from turning into an impalement injury.

Today, I placed and filled the concrete block columns."

 

[FTG-05]

Looks like you did a pretty good job. Make sure you seal the concrete though.

I've never heard of sealing concrete before, except for the stamped concrete that we had done last September for our porch and deck.

Why do I want to seal it and what do I use to seal it with? I've never done it before.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks Bruce. I knew I was missing something there. Now it makes perfect sense to me!!!!!

Eddie

 

[kneedeep]

And I am not happy with the way the top of the tabletop turned out!!! I had made a concerted effort to ensure the tabletop concrete form was a smooth as possible, using a visqueen/plastic sheet between some (formerly) very smooth plywood surface. Not Happy!

[/QUOTE]

Perhaps you could rent or buy a commercial concrete sander (hand held) and smooth the top up, apply concrete stain and seal it. It is going to be outside anyway and a good sealer will keep it smooth.

Amazon.com: DEWALT DW4774 4-1/2-Inch Double-Row Diamond-Cup Grinding-Wheel: Home Improvement

 

[Hiltz]

Looking at the photos of your form did you mean to put quarter round in the pattern? This will leave two small sharp edges in your casting as the above photo shows. If you install a full cove in the form this will make a half round edge on all edges. Maybe more comfortable. Just a thought.

 

[Ford850]

To improve the top, this is what I would do...
Clean up the sharp edges and corners with a 4" grinder. Then get some good concrete patch from a HD, Lowes, Menards, etc. It usually comes in a plastic bucket, and look for the better quality stuff. I've used this several times and it has never let me down, creating a nice strong bond. Anyway, mix the concrete patch and float it on the bench top to fill the wrinkles. I think the top is fairly smooth, and all the wrinkles from the plastic left grooves and no ridges. Floating the patch into those grooves will give you a good surface.

 

[FTG-05]

Looking at the photos of your form did you mean to put quarter round in the pattern? This will leave two small sharp edges in your casting as the above photo shows. If you install a full cove in the form this will make a half round edge on all edges. Maybe more comfortable. Just a thought.

I used something to make that corner, I guess it's a quarter round.

The edges have already been sanded/smoothed down with a granite block tool I bought at HD. It didn't take long at all.

I plan to keep the form in case someone else in the shooting community would like to use it to make their own. I'll have to take up the existing quarter round to get rid of the plastic.

What should I use in place of the quarter round? Please use small words, I don't do wood beyond 2x4's, 4x4's etc.

Thanks,

 

[FTG-05]

To improve the top, this is what I would do...
Clean up the sharp edges and corners with a 4" grinder. Then get some good concrete patch from a HD, Lowes, Menards, etc. It usually comes in a plastic bucket, and look for the better quality stuff. I've used this several times and it has never let me down, creating a nice strong bond. Anyway, mix the concrete patch and float it on the bench top to fill the wrinkles. I think the top is fairly smooth, and all the wrinkles from the plastic left grooves and no ridges. Floating the patch into those grooves will give you a good surface.

To me, it's a cosmetic issue. I had always planned to put some indoor/outdoor carpet on it anyway; guns and concrete don't mix. The only concern I would have is if it's causes excess cracking of the tabletop. With the rebar frame in there, I don't *think* it would crack and break.

Thanks,

 

[Hiltz]

I used something to make that corner, I guess it's a quarter round.


What should I use in place of the quarter round? Please use small words, I don't do wood beyond 2x4's, 4x4's etc.


You need a cove molding instead of the quarter round. Its the opposite shape of quarter round. Think backwards when making a pattern. This will make a nice roundover on your edges. Any box lumber yard will have it right next to the quarter round you bought. You will have to plane down both edges of the cove to make a full cove. A hand plane would work fine. Good luck with your project.

 

[Indygunworks]

How do you know what he "needs"? Perhaps he is going for a concave look where you are saying he "needs" a convex look? Doesn't really matter what he puts in there as long as the final product has the shape he wanted it to have.

 

[Ford850]

To me, it's a cosmetic issue. I had always planned to put some indoor/outdoor carpet on it anyway; guns and concrete don't mix. The only concern I would have is if it's causes excess cracking of the tabletop. With the rebar frame in there, I don't *think* it would crack and break.

Thanks,

Carpet sounds good. Or maybe a removable carpet mat so it is always dry when you use it. Those wrinkles won't cause cracks. How long will your range be for this?

 

[Hiltz]

How do you know what he "needs"? Perhaps he is going for a concave look where you are saying he "needs" a convex look? Doesn't really matter what he puts in there as long as the final product has the shape he wanted it to have.

He asked is why I replied with my answer. It appears to me from his photos he was trying to have his finished product with a rounded edge not an edge with 2 sharp corners. It matters only if he wants his final table to have rounded corners.

 

[CurlyDave]

It actually matters more than you might think. Properly rounded edges will resist chipping. It looks obvious to me that the original intent was to provided a rounded edge for exactly this purpose, but the wrong kind of molding was used.

 

[FTG-05]

I used something to make that corner, I guess it's a quarter round.


What should I use in place of the quarter round? Please use small words, I don't do wood beyond 2x4's, 4x4's etc.


You need a cove molding instead of the quarter round. Its the opposite shape of quarter round. Think backwards when making a pattern. This will make a nice roundover on your edges. Any box lumber yard will have it right next to the quarter round you bought. You will have to plane down both edges of the cove to make a full cove. A hand plane would work fine. Good luck with your project.

Great, five words in and you busted the "small words" rule all to heck!

Simple version: I went to HD, I looked in the crown molding/I forget what I called it/I forget what I asked for, got to the right place and picked out some stuff that was cheap.

Was it the "right" stuff? I have no clue. All I wanted was to break the 90 degree/crack inducing right edge. The granite rub brick (this thing: Marshalltown 6 in. x 3 in. 20-Grit Concrete Rub Brick-840-HD - The Home Depot) did what the crown molding (or whatever it is I got) didn't do.

Yea yea, I know exactly what you're thinking: I shoulda used smaller words in talking to this guy.......

 

[FTG-05]

Carpet sounds good. Or maybe a removable carpet mat so it is always dry when you use it. Those wrinkles won't cause cracks. How long will your range be for this?

Yes, exactly: a removable carpet piece that I cut to fit that will be stored in my shop/former orgy bar/Skeeter Pee Production Center/MEC/Reloading room when not being used.

Range is right at 110 yards right now as measured by GE and a laser range finder. It might grow though since the range is also my "borrow" pit. See the second pic in post #29.

Thanks,

 

[FTG-05]

Ok, I think we're all up to speed (even the "lost" ones, but I digress....) and so pics of yesterday's and today's progress:

Concrete blocks used as columns - anyone "lost" yet? - filled with concrete (and yes 1/2" rebar), solid as a rock and not at all "wobbly"! That was yesterday's work - no pics because of the downpour we had just as I was getting done.

Today, I added 4" solid blocks because most shooting benches are sized for 5'8" midgets (no offense to the 5'8" types out there), I'm 6'4", it sucks trying to shoot accurately while bent over in some torture device - but I digress again.

I had put the 4" concrete blocks on yesterday as a cap just to keep the rain off the freshly poured concrete in the concrete blocks cavities. One of them stuck and one of them sorta stuck, but I broke them all loose. Cleaned the tops, then used a concrete/construction adhesive to lay the 4" blocks on top.

Pics might help:

The concrete blocks on top that are sideways are just there to add weight and keep the 4" solid blocks in place while the adhesive cures. Since its in the high '40s' here, I plan to let this sit until tomorrow, then use my forks to final-lift my tabletop into place, then use the adhesive to tie them into place.

In the first pic, you can see the level I used to check the blocks: The blocks have exactly the same levelness as the pad itself. Which is close to what someone recommended above about having a slight incline to let the water drain off. It rained a crapload last night - there is no standing water on my pad! Thanks to whoever recommended that! [insert beer icon here!]


Now, several people have mentioned "sealing" the concrete, both the pad and the tabletop. As stated earlier, I've never heard of sealing concrete except for my just emplaced stamped concrete.

No one has responded with any "why" I should seal a simple concrete pad. I *might* probably could see it for the tabletop. So, for those that recommended sealing this concrete, speak up!

As always: Thanks!

 

[SPIKER]

Essentially sealing the concrete (top mostly) as it is fully exposed to weather worse than the pad. TN does freeze often enough to get water into the concrete and freeze cracking it. Leave the BOTTOM un coated so moisture can be repelled on top and off the sides, while dry out what little may bet into it from the bottom. That will protect the table for years to come and maintain the integrity of it.

mark

 

[wmonroe]

Nice project! As far as sealer goes I had my sidewalks, patio, garage floor all sealed after they were finished and just reapplied the sealer to my garage floor this summer. Think of polyurethane on wood and that is the same basic effect this sealer has on concrete. Water beads up on it instead of soaking in and oil or whatever is easily wiped up without a mark on the floor. Is it needed for your project, that's up to you. Here is a picture of my garage floor partially done this summer, the old sealer was wearing off from a few years of road dirt, salt, etc.

 

[Ford850]

Sealer is applied to fresh concrete to slow the cure. The slower the cure, the stronger the concrete. After that, it protects it as stated above. You can get a small 1 gallon bucket of sealer and spray, brush, or roll it on.

 

[Hiltz]

Have you considered paint. A good quality oil or water based porch enamel (paint formulated for foot traffic) would last as long or longer than a sealer. The plus side is you could paint it in any color you wanted. Very nice bench.