How big of a slab could I do by myself?

[paulsharvey]

You can also set grade pins with a 1x1 wooden stake and screed from that, and then hammer down or pull them out as you go

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I broke the wood handle on it a decade ago and now it has 3/4 copper pipe for a handle because that’s what I had laying around.

That handle is probably worth ten times what you paid for it now.

 

[bigtiller]

I do like Eddie and snap a chalk line on the wall but I also like to spray it with hairspray. The hairspray will help it stay visible during the pour.

I also like to build a screed form with concrete. Just level off about a strip of concrete beside the wall and at the chalk line, and extend the concrete out from the wall about 8 inches and level it off with a float and trowel or magnesium float.

I prefer to use a float and trowel against the wall. When screeding the rest of the section I trowel off any marks from the screed board before stepping back during screeding. This way, the bull float doesn't have to bump against the wall leaving a ripple.

Now I can screed the rest of the section from the top if that strip I just laid.

 

[MossRoad]

You can also set grade pins with a 1x1 wooden stake and screed from that, and then hammer down or pull them out as you go

That's what we did. Works fine.

 

[MossRoad]

I got a pulling tool like this as well. It has a hook on the back for lifting that wire mesh we aren't ever gonna use.

But it was very handy for moving the concrete.

 

[Runner]

Some (what I consider to be) good advice I got from the guy that poured the slab in my shop was to keep the concrete wet for 30 days while it's curing. I just walked through with a garden hose and wetted it down every day after work.

Also did this on the floor I poured in the little pole barn and have no cracks in either one after 10 and 8 years, respectively.

 

[paulsharvey]

Some (what I consider to be) good advice I got from the guy that poured the slab in my shop was to keep the concrete wet for 30 days while it's curing. I just walked through with a garden hose and wetted it down every day after work.

Also did this on the floor I poured in the little pole barn and have no cracks in either one after 10 and 8 years, respectively.

This is fine, so is wet blankets, or curing compound. It's not really necessary for our OPs work, but it doesn't hurt, and it does help get a bit more PSI

 

[tradosaurus]

That sounds about my speed, which means all the more reason to buy a mixer rather than renting.

How do you join the pours? Just wet against dry or do you put in an expansion strip.

If it was me, with little experience, I would hire someone, not necessary a contractor, who has done it before and volunteer to be the helper.

 

[bigtiller]

Some (what I consider to be) good advice I got from the guy that poured the slab in my shop was to keep the concrete wet for 30 days while it's curing. I just walked through with a garden hose and wetted it down every day after work.

Also did this on the floor I poured in the little pole barn and have no cracks in either one after 10 and 8 years, respectively.

Back in the 70's my neighbor poured a garage floor using forms that were about 2" taller than the finished floor would be.

He used a plastic ground cover that was bigger than needed. When the pour was finished, he covered it with burlap and filled it with water.

Remember, the forms were 2" to tall and covered with plastic. So now he has a 2" deep pool of water covering his floor. He kept it that way for 28 days.

Some water would evaporate everyday and he would top it off as needed.

All that, to increase the psi strength.

 

[Dryland Farmer]

I think Trad is right. The thing about concrete is if you mess it up you can't fix it anymore.

 

[paulsharvey]

I think Trad is right. The thing about concrete is if you mess it up you can't fix it anymore.

Well, you can grind imperfections after things are cured, you can rub bad areas with a brick for about 12-24 hours. You can mix up some Portland and water and use a sponge to fix surface problems. Don't be intimidated by concrete, just chose a good day, have everything ready, and do a section small enough to get it done.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Well, you can grind imperfections after things are cured, you can rub bad areas with a brick for about 12-24 hours. You can mix up some Portland and water and use a sponge to fix surface problems. Don't be intimidated by concrete, just chose a good day, have everything ready, and do a section small enough to get it done.

Or start with a small enough section that you can bust it out if you have to.

I do own a gas-powered jackhammer.

 

[Runner]

Or start with a small enough section that you can bust it out if you have to.

I do own a gas-powered jackhammer.

I did several smaller slabs for stair and door landings and small drive additions that were broom finished before I tried the troweled floor slab. Helps to get your confidence up.

Also, I was glad my first finished slab was inside a storage building so I didn't have to worry about perfection.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I also like to build a screed form with concrete. Just level off about a strip of concrete beside the wall and at the chalk line, and extend the concrete out from the wall about 8 inches and level it off with a float and trowel or magnesium float.

So this is an interesting idea. As I understand it, do 8" or so around all the edges first, which is small enough that you can get it reasonably level by eye. Then as you do the rest you always have three finished side and a form on just one.

 

[Dryland Farmer]

Well, you can grind imperfections after things are cured, you can rub bad areas with a brick for about 12-24 hours. You can mix up some Portland and water and use a sponge to fix surface problems. Don't be intimidated by concrete, just chose a good day, have everything ready, and do a section small enough to get it done.

I have done enough concrete work to not be intimated by it. You can't make a fouled up job look like a good job in mine experience.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, does our OP want a slick floor, or is he ok with bullfloat and broom, or is he wanting a trowel, and then a very fine, light broom finish?

Slick is slick, and went it gets wet or spill oil on it, it is definitely slippery, but it is easily swept, and a creeper rolls well.

A bullfloat and broom is what your typical production sidewalk looks like. Good traction, even when wet, easier to blow off with a leaf blower than really sweep, can be a bit of a pain on a creeper.

A trowel and light broom is kinda in the middle.

Bullfloat a broom is definitely the least labor intense.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

So, does our OP want a slick floor, or is he ok with bullfloat and broom, or is he wanting a trowel, and then a very fine, light broom finish?

Bullfloat and broom is fine.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, tools.
You going to want/need a
steel edger tool,
kumalong (the hoe discussed above)
a float, this can be a mag, or a wooden float, (I prefer a mag), about 16" long
I dont think it's worth beying a bull float, but you can screw a 2x6 (about 30" long), to a handle at about a 30 degree angle or so, and simulate a bull float.
a 2x4 about 6" longer than the width of your pour as a screed board
a broom head, and handle, but you can use a old kitchen broom,

optional;
knee pads,
rubber gloves
rubber boats

Misc stuff to have on hand;
hose and sprayer nozzle
hammer, nails, screws, screw gun, a 5 gal bucket
spare stakes

 

[JRG1223]

I keep my tractor in a one-car garage in the winter. It's about 13'x18' on the outside, so 12x17 on the inside give or take. The floor is gravel, which is a pain because if I drop anything it's easy to lose. So I've been thinking about pouring a concrete floor. I spent some time calling around to concrete contractors in my area, but I guess it's a small job for them because when I say it's a one-car garage they lose interest.

So I'm thinking of pouring it myself. I've done a little bit of concrete work, the biggest pour I've done was 70 60lb bags, but I had my sons to help with that. For that I rented an electric mixer. This would probably be around twice that. I'm not afraid of the physical work, but what I'm afraid of is not being fast enough and ending up with an enormous mess when the concrete starts to set up before I'm ready.

So I'm looking for tips. It seems like one approach would be to do it in sections. Would it make sense to add a retarder? Since it's under roof I wouldn't have to worry about the weather, but would that invite other issues? Other thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

OK, I finally got around to doing this.

I decided to divide it into six strips, each strip was 33" wide and 10'6" long.

I ripped 4" pieces of treated plywood and Tapconned them to the walls, I figured that would give me a level and also a bit of an expansion joint. The building had a concrete apron that was even with the bottom of the doors and then a gravel floor for the rest of the interior, so the first step was to remove enough gravel to make room for the concrete.

This ended up being a pretty big job, I hand shoveled about 4,000 pounds of gravel out. To get the level right I built a box out of 2x4's, got it level with the plywood at each end and then scooped out the gravel in the middle. Then slide the box over and repeat. I sloped the floor somewhat toward the door, partly so that it would drain but mostly so I didn't have to remove so much gravel.

Next I put down sheeting and forms. The form was just two pieces of 2x4 screwed together at a right angle. I cut slots for the rebar in the vertical piece, and then cobbled together a few scraps of 2x4 at each end to hold the form to the plywood. I did a form at each end so I could do two pours at a time. This worked really well, the forms were really solid, they never moved and they gave me a good place to stand.

The first pour:

The final pour:

It ended up being 105 60-pound bags, about 18 bags per section. I mixed them with a Kobalt electric mixer I bought at Lowes. I did two sections per day for the first two days, and then one a day on the next two. The quickest section was under 90 minutes, the slowest was over two and a half hours. I raked the concrete out with a garden rake, screeded with a 2x4 and then touched up with an 18" float. For the sections by the door I could pour straight out of the mixer, but for the back sections I had to dump the mixer into 5-gallon buckets and carry it to the back. Overall I felt that was a manageable quantity for me to handle by myself.

Overall verdict: I'm pleased but not proud. I got exactly what I wanted, a solid floor that I can work on. The appearance is pretty mediocre but I can live with it. Total cost was about $550 for the concrete and about $100 for the rebar.