I am repouring the apron in front of my garage. It will be about 3 feet x 20 feet, same as the one I removed.
What do I place between the apron and the existing garage floor?
How long do I let the concrete harden before I use one of those texturing broom things? (I don’t want the surface too smooth)
Thanks,
Bill
Replies
If you go to a concret yard or Home depot they have a material that you put between the two cocrete slabs. It is a fiber sheet 5" tall and about 1/2" thick and 4' ? long.
I used 1" concrete nails to hold it on.
Here is a website that is for exposed agregate concrete.
http://www.exposedaggregateconcrete.com/menu.htm
I may be wrong but I think you float the cocrete. Then wait a bit before you broom it.
Here's another website. I just googled "broom finish". http://www.concretenetwork.com/slip-resistant-coatings/broom-finish.html
Broom finish is easy to do and is well suited to slooped concrete, like your apron. It looks much better when it's framed with an edging trowel.
After the concrete has been floated, begin gently testing the surface with your broom to see when you can get the result your looking for. A folding chair and a shady spot nearby are very useful.
The edging will take more time than the broom and can become difficult if the concrete sets up too much so it's a good idea to test the concrete with the edging trowel too.
This size job is good for learning, plenty of time to try different techniques and you're almost certain to get a good looking job...assuming you know how to screed and float.
You do not need an expansion board between the apron and slab. The apron is only 3'-0" wide so it's not necessary. Hudson Valley carpenter answered the rest .
mike
"What do I place between the apron and the existing garage floor?"
http://www.reflectixinc.com/literature/HVAC/F12%20Expansion%20Joint%20Promo%2010%2005.pdf
or similar - tear off top trip and seal with low-modulus pourable urethane sealant for traffic applications. You might be able to get away with sprinkling some sand on top before cure to help it blend in better.
It's not a question of expansion, per se, but rather cracking from differential settlement. So you make the crack in advance and put a flexible material in it.
I've had good luck recently with using non-shrink grout in a condition like this - (concrete-to-concrete and bluestone-to-concrete) without any cracks. It's a little grayer than regular mortar.
I can't stand rough broom finishes and I've never had a problem with relatively-smooth concrete in this application.
Jeff
Edited 7/10/2008 10:47 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke