Pouring a floor in a pole barn

[TAB]

Andy, at 14'x 24' 3 people should have no problem hand troweling it since it's protected from wind and sun. Save the money from the rental for pop or beer for the volunteer help. The one tool that I would recommend (if you want to use a fun tool) would be a power screed. I like to work the concrete with the scread and people that haven't hand screaded very much can wear out pretty quickly. You won't use it very long so pour when someone can take it back to the rental store. It does a nice job consolidating the concrete and gets you a nice flat surface thats easy to bullfloat and trowel.

I would definately use the 6 mil poly to keep moisture in the concrete while it cures and moisture out of it from the ground below later on. If you think you may want to maintain a warmer temp in the future, consider putting an inch or two of foam under and around the slab instead of 6 mil.

The fibermesh is fine in the concrete, but I can't keep myself from adding 6x6 wwm or rebar when used in a garage or barn. You can't get quite as smooth of finish with the fibermesh which in most cases is better in a barn as smoothand wet usually means slippery. If a very smooth finish is desired lose the fibermesh and add 6x6 or bar.

If you want to isolate the posts you can nail 4" expansion joint material and pour right to that instead of working to chaulklines.

A thicker slab with rebar at the opening won't hurt anything.

Sealing the surface with not only make it cure better, it makes clean-up easier. Apply the sealer the way the manufacturer specs. More sealer using an alternate method may not be better. The sealer I use I get from the concrete supplier. Good product for a better price than the box stores.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The simplest and easiest way is to wrap the post with 2 layers of the bubble wrap stuff used for packaging.
A slightly more labor intensive way is to use 2 layers of homosote type material that can compress, or 1" of styrofoam all around the pole.
If the barn hasn't been backfilled yet, and you're in frost territory, 2" of styrofoam all around the barn floor running down into the erath 2 to 3 feet will prevent frost from coming under the floor, and make the room a lot easier to heat too. Frost travels horizontally, and developes from the top down. Frost has tremendous force, it can easily push basement walls in, my neighbor will testify.

 

[KYFARMER]

Andyf, I'm wondering why you are not pouring the whole barn. I have a 42x64 pole barn built in 1993. I poured concrete on 12x64 when I built. After fighting dust, i finally poured it all this summer. Man it is nice,
My contractor did not isolate the post. He drilled a hole in them, ran a 20' rebar half way through and bent both ends to extent out into the concrete to hold the post and floor on same plane. He then used the 6" wire on the complete floor. He drilled the existing floor every 8-10" and inserted rerod to hold the old and new together.