My shop build

[STx]

3 yards extra is better than 3 yards short. That is a good looking pour. Will you be sealing it, polishing it or epoxying the floor at all?

No, I had them finish it to this level so that it would still have some texture/traction. I just want it slick enough to drag stuff around on but, not so slick that if I spill something on it it becomes slippery. I'll be doing some maintenance on equipment and vehicles in here but, primarily it'll be a welding/fabrication shop.

 

[STx]

Did the same thing with a shed pour, made an 8x8 apron in front of the doors with some loose 2x's, no wire or rebar or anything. It has since had a 20 yard dump and a concrete truck roll across and break it...but all it has to do is keep the weeds down and give me a flat spot to work on my mower, and it still does that even broken so I am still happy with it.

I had about 20 extra pieces of rebar from the slab, we cut those in 1/2 and dropped them into the concrete for that patio after it was poured. It's not the right way to do it but, better than no steel. I agree with you though, it was a bonus so if it cracks, I'm not going to be too upset about it.

 

[lilranch2001]

I am surprised the whole country has not gone to front unload mixers
They are sooo much more user friendly

 

[ovrszd]

Nice project!!!

I have a tremendous amount of respect for "Concrete Guys". Their willingness to work always amazes me. I enjoy watching a good crew. Then the icing on the cake is the finish work. A casual glance at the pour by the right person determines the start of finishing. I DO NOT have that talent.

 

[STx]

Nice project!!!

I have a tremendous amount of respect for "Concrete Guys". Their willingness to work always amazes me. I enjoy watching a good crew. Then the icing on the cake is the finish work. A casual glance at the pour by the right person determines the start of finishing. I DO NOT have that talent.

I absolutely agree with you on all of that, especially not having the concrete finishing talent. I did a couple of patios in our last house, none of it turned out the way I wanted it to because I missed that finishing window. Concrete is definitely a highly skilled trade.

 

[ovrszd]

I absolutely agree with you on all of that, especially not having the concrete finishing talent. I did a couple of patios in our last house, none of it turned out the way I wanted it to because I missed that finishing window. Concrete is definitely a highly skilled trade.

And my expectations ALWAYS exceed my ability.......

 

[fried1765]

Congrats on the pour. I've never waited more then a day or two to start framing and always take off the forms the day after the pour. Nothing wrong with waiting longer, but if I remember correctly, you are somewhere at 90 percent cured in a couple of days, 95 percent after a month, and 98 percent after a year. While I'm sure that's not completely accurate, it's close enough for understanding how quickly the slab is ready for working on.

Concrete gets 75% of it's strength in the first 24 hours.
Full cure is achieved at 28 days.
Easy to remember! That 28 days has some other meaning as well!

 

[lilranch2001]

In actuality concrete continues to cure for around 100 years, granted at a very slow rate but it cures for a very long time.
They say that the Hoover dam is still in its cure phase

 

[ovrszd]

In actuality concrete continues to cure for around 100 years, granted at a very slow rate but it cures for a very long time.
They say that the Hoover dam is still in its cure phase

Well that's because of all those bodies embedded in there.....

Sorry, couldn't help it.

I agree concrete cures very slowly. In the first 30 days you better refrain from dropping heavy sharp objects on your shop floor.

My shop is 7 years old. I work on it almost daily. I haven't noticed a distinct difference in a couple years. The first five I did.

 

[STx]

The charts I've seen seem to agree that 7 days is the spot where things start to level off. I've left the forms on and they added some chemical agents to slow curing a little. I've also been wetting the surface a couple of times a day to reduce the heat and increase strength.