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

[dirtyb115]

Have a 30X30 metal pole barn. Decent shape, but has a dirt floor (used to be for horses i guess.) I use it for storage mostly, but it is just so dirty, really looking to cut down on the dust etc... I would love to put in a slab but I just can't afford it right now. I got a price on some recycled concrete that i thought might cut down on the dirt, and i could possibly use it for a base for a slab at some point?? Sound reasonable? If so, how thick should i put it down? I will have to dig out and smooth alot of the existing dirt so i can keep the clearance i have on the doors etc... (Boat just barely fits in.).
Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[ovrszd]

I'm not sure about the recycled concrete without seeing it. Has the steel all been extracted?? If not you are going to have small pieces and slivers of re-rod in it.

I'd use whatever base material you intend to use under your concrete when pouring it. For me that is 1" crushed limestone.

Most important issue here is to do some math and figured out where you would want the top of your fill to be when ready to pour concrete. No use putting too much material in there, tromping it solid, then having to dig it back out.

Some people use what is called Waste Lime here. It's waste material that is created when crushing limestone. It's too coarse for AG Lime. Too fine to be left in crushed stone piles. It's 1/8" material and down. It packs pretty solid. Down side is over time it becomes dustier than your existing dirt floor.

My vote is gravel of whatever type is available in 1" to 1 1/4" size.

 

[EddieWalker]

I would just save my money and keep saving until I had enough for concrete. How much is it going to cost to buy gravel? How much effort is involved in getting it into the barn and spreading it? Will it be smooth to walk on or will you have bigger rocks to trip over?

 

[dirtyb115]

Thanks for the replies. The metal has been taken out, from what i have heard, the recycled concrete is processed and prefect for bases, and consistent in size. Here is where i got a quote.
Ernst | Recycled Concrete
I can't remember how thick i was figuring but total cost delivered was something like 300 bucks. Id wait for concrete but that could be 5 years from now....

 

[747driver]

I am with Eddie on waiting until you can afford the concrete. But if it is going to be a few years, then go layout where the slab is going to be and snap chalk lines around the inside perimeter to show top of concrete floor. Figure where you want the slope to be so water can drain out. I would allow 1 inch for a layer of road base ( Illinois ) or crusher run ( Tennessee ) which is 3/4 inch stone mixed with limestone screenings, it packs well. Then allow 4 inch for the concrete to be poured later on. I always put a 6 mil layer of plastic down first to keep moisture from seeping through and getting on top of the concrete.

 

[LD1]

Not enough information in this thread.

$300..........................thats for what? how many yards or tons of material? Seems REALLY high.

Like everything else.....used concrete used to be worthless. Then with crushers being able to crush and extract the metal to recycle and sell the concrete for a little money, it was lots cheaper than limestone. Then grew demand (because it was cheaper), and now it seems it cost as much as limestone

30x30 area with 4" put down is 11 yards. Which is ~15 tons.

I get limestone #8 (3/8-1/2" stuff) and #57's (3/4"-1" stuff) for $18.50/ton delivered. (Its higher cause its popular top coat stuff.

And all other lime stone, big stuff, "crusher run", 304's (1.5" to dust), etc for $15.50/ton delivered.

#57's make good base under concrete. I could get enough to put 4" of fill in there for less than your $300 quote.

So.....were you putting it on really thick? or plan on over-paying for crushed concrete?

Considering gravel is ~$12/ton, I personally wouldnt be paying more than $8-$10/ton delivered for recycled concrete. And for $300 you better be getting 30+tons of the stuff. Which would be 8" of fill in your 30x30 area.

 

[dirtyb115]

Not enough information in this thread.

$300..........................thats for what? how many yards or tons of material? Seems REALLY high.

Like everything else.....used concrete used to be worthless. Then with crushers being able to crush and extract the metal to recycle and sell the concrete for a little money, it was lots cheaper than limestone. Then grew demand (because it was cheaper), and now it seems it cost as much as limestone

30x30 area with 4" put down is 11 yards. Which is ~15 tons.

I get limestone #8 (3/8-1/2" stuff) and #57's (3/4"-1" stuff) for $18.50/ton delivered. (Its higher cause its popular top coat stuff.

And all other lime stone, big stuff, "crusher run", 304's (1.5" to dust), etc for $15.50/ton delivered.

#57's make good base under concrete. I could get enough to put 4" of fill in there for less than your $300 quote.

So.....were you putting it on really thick? or plan on over-paying for crushed concrete?

Considering gravel is ~$12/ton, I personally wouldnt be paying more than $8-$10/ton delivered for recycled concrete. And for $300 you better be getting 30+tons of the stuff. Which would be 8" of fill in your 30x30 area.

Yeah, i think when I got the quote, I was just planning on doing really thick gravel not thinking id ever put concrete in. (4" maybe?) This was last year, and I can't find the quote now, so im just guessing. It was definitely much cheaper than limestone.

 

[CCWKen]

Used concrete certainly isn't going to help the dust problem. It's used for fill or base that's intended to be covered with something else. If you drive over it, it will continue to make powder. And $300 worth doesn't mean anything. How much are you actually getting for 300 bucks? That will buy a lot of gravel or #2base down here--About 10 tons or so. That's two good sized piles with a 5yd dump.

I would simply use gravel or a compacted base. Make it grade-ready for concrete so you don't have to dig it back up except maybe at the entrance(s).

 

[LD1]

Yea, gotta know what that price gets you. 4" thick for $300 is WAY too much for concrete. You can get limestone for that price. May need to call around or ask around. Prices vary alot depending on who trucks it.

 

[4570Man]

I would go ahead and gravel it. If you really only need 15 tons than it wouldn't cost very much to do it right. My Grandpa has a 80x100 building with a 3/4 limestone floor. I don't notice any dust. If sure if you were racing four wheelers it might be a problem, but no noticeable dust with slow vehicle traffic. He put down some crusher run in places because he wanted to use a forklift in the building and it kept getting stuck in the gravel. The crusher run actually worked pretty good to prevent getting stuck, and didn't cause any more dust.