Concrete

Tie your own steel or bring in rodbusters? Curious what most of you do

Been debating this on my last couple of jobs and figured I'd throw it out here. For the smaller pours, a footing run or...

4 comments posted 3d

posted by lmorrison_1951

4 comments posted 3d posted by lmorrison_1951

Why do some slabs have cables running through them?

Grew up around job sites my whole life but never once saw a slab with tensioned cables in it untill I started watching...

4 comments posted 4d

posted by StormBear980

4 comments posted 4d posted by StormBear980

Do you guys prefer doing overlays on cracked slabs or tearing out and pouring fresh?

Just wrapped a patio overlay job today and it's prolly the last one we've got on the schedule for the season depending...

6 comments posted 4d

posted by frost_knot_1980

6 comments posted 4d posted by frost_knot_1980

First slab with the fiber mix done, here's how it went

Poured my 12x16 shed slab Saturday using the fiber blend from my local redi-mix yard instead of doing the wire mesh lik...

4 comments posted 5d

posted by tony.sutton

4 comments posted 5d posted by tony.sutton

Why do metallic fibers keep poking through my new shop slab?

Poured a 6 inch slab for a workshop build last month and the contractor talked me into steel fiber mix instead of wire...

4 comments posted 6d

posted by thistle_keeper

4 comments posted 6d posted by thistle_keeper

Tear out tips I wish I'd known on my first slab job

Been doing demo on and off for about 15 years, and the chunk size debate comes up every single time. My take: big chunk...

3 comments posted 1w

posted by PlumbMaker_1988

3 comments posted 1w posted by PlumbMaker_1988

Thoughts on tearing out vs riding it out after an accidental calcium chloride pour?

Messed up on an interior trench pour yesterday and trying to figure out where the line is between an immediate tear-out...

6 comments posted 1w

posted by Mike_Forge

6 comments posted 1w posted by Mike_Forge

Spent the weekend laying CMU and finally got the mortar spread down

Watching seasoned masons string out mortar makes you think you can just scoop and flick without a second thougth. Spent...

5 comments posted 1w

posted by torque_finder

5 comments posted 1w posted by torque_finder

How do I blend this curb transition into the sidewalk without ponding water?

Looking over the revised grading notes for our pour tomorrow and scratching my head a bit. The top of curb drops from 1...

6 comments posted 1w

posted by cobalt_fixer

6 comments posted 1w posted by cobalt_fixer

Best way to practice hand floating at home without pouring actual slabs?

I’m in my first year with the local union, and while I get to touch the tools here and there, the pace on commercial po...

7 comments posted 1w

posted by ArrowHawk

7 comments posted 1w posted by ArrowHawk

Is it normal to see hairline cracks at the corners after cutting a window opening?

We finally had a crew come in with a concrete saw last week to cut out openings for two new egress windows in our 8-inc...

6 comments posted 1w

posted by StormFinder

6 comments posted 1w posted by StormFinder

Can I leave raw carved concrete walls unsealed through winter?

We're building a massive tiered retaining wall system with integrated steps on a steep slope out back. Between two majo...

4 comments posted 2w

posted by HeronSlate_1957

4 comments posted 2w posted by HeronSlate_1957

Thoughts on ready-mix pricing vs contractor margins today?

Looking through some old family records from an outfit down in Southwest Florida from the early 60s. Ready-mix was bill...

6 comments posted 2w

posted by Walt_Cobalt_1951

6 comments posted 2w posted by Walt_Cobalt_1951

Is it normal for fresh concrete to be this much darker than the old slab?

Had a local crew finish repouring my driveway yesterday up to the garage. They did a clean broom finish and cut in all...

5 comments posted 2w

posted by Tom_Forge

5 comments posted 2w posted by Tom_Forge

Should I run my PEX loops into the thickened edge of an Alaskan slab?

Setting up forms for a 28x40 heated floating slab out in cold country, and I'm second-guessing my tubing layout before...

5 comments posted 2w

posted by CobaltEcho_1974

5 comments posted 2w posted by CobaltEcho_1974