When is it necessary to use rebar when doing concrete jobs ?
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It increases tensile strength, It helps keep a wall, floor or other loaded item straight and resisiting force applied by loads.
If you are pouring a side walk in Florida on sand, it might be OK to skip it.
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Do you need it for walkways, city sidewalks?and what about water proof tarps that are put down before the concrete is poured is that necessary ? Thanks for answering my questions.
Like BB said, when ever theere is a load A sidewalk that might be subjected to the load of tree roots or freezing soils cuasaing upthrust loads should have steel alsoPlatic? I use vaporstop sometimes. Plain plastic would be likely torn and shredded by time the concrete was laid and not do much good.
But this complicates a slab pour. It is necessary where a basement slab is subject to radon or a high ground water table, but using plastic under the slab also means that any excess water will not bleed out into the soil under it but will instead bleed to the surface and complicate the time for finishing and increase the odds of scaling if your finishers are not experienced .
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any excess water will not bleed out into the soil under it but will instead bleed to
That means that the driver or the pour foreman put too much water in it in the first place.SamT
You think this OP knows the right amt of water to begin with?
i've neer seen a perfect mix yet.
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I have, but the truck arrived dry and the CE monitored the water and stood next to it with a stopwatch to time the mixing and pumping. He also took dry and wet samples from each truck.
In the summer, he checked dry mix temp and water temp, then computed how much ice to add to the mix.
If we didn't get it placed in time, the rest of the truck was discarded.
He also watched vibration techniques and no vibrator mud moving was allowed.
Oh yeah, no cracks.SamT
Do you mean that they would need more time to remove the excess water to prevent scaling?
They can't "remove" the excess water. They have to aad the right amt to begin with, and if it is too much, wait for it too evaporate.Are you doing this yourself and is it your first concrete project?Flat work is not for green novices
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I have someone doing a small walkway,and would like to get some info. on the correct procedure.Concrete is not something you can do over.
It's almost an art, rather than a science...
A whole lot of variables...the mix, the weather (both the day you pour, and the local climate in general), the transit time (how long it's in the truck), the underlying grade(type of soil, trees nearby, drainage, etc.), the prep work (how much gravel, how well compacted, what kind of re-bar & how well done, good formwork), the skill of the finishers....
Any one of these goes wrong, and the job won't be the "best".....
The good news is, mixes have gotten better, and most of the work is common sense....
From what I'm seeing, though, I'd stay away from all the stamped & colored guys....to many quick buck artists there
For a small walkway, its easier to handle. After the cement guy sets up forms, compact the dirt with a 4 X 4 post or old sledgehammer. Don't place sand under the slab, it would give an easy pathway for tree roots, especially in clayey soil.
Good joints will stop most unwanted cracking. Rebar is not need for most walkways. Hopefully the cement finisher has a screed board that is crowned up, so that there won't be any dips to hold water.
The color of the concrete will vary depending on whether hand mixed, machine mix, truck/plant.
Best to get someone who you just watched do a similar size job as yours. A different size job may get you different workers and cement source.
"Concrete is not something you can do over."Certainly, concrete can be done over. It's just that it usually requires jackhammers, dump trucks, dollars, and lots of profanity...
the last item being the most prevalent.
So is this 'someone' an experienced crete finisher?Or do they know wless than you do?I'm trying to help here, but I ain't gonna write you a whole book. Gotta know where you are coming from and where going to. So far this is a game of twenty questions
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whenever there is a load factor
Edited 6/18/2006 7:24 pm by brownbagg