[bd]

I am a man of many questions....

I want to pour a concrete slab in my back yard. It's going to be 12'x16'.

I'm not going to be parking on it, it will be like a detached patio kind of thing. Picnic table, grill, & etc.

How thick do I need to pour the concrete and how many yards will it take?

Does it need rebar or mesh?

Thanks for your help.

bd

 

[ajamesp51]

Check out the do it your self section.

http://www.quikrete.com/diy/diy.html

 

[bd]

Check out the do it your self section.

http://www.quikrete.com/diy/diy.html

That's 143 60# bags for a 4" slab 12'x16' :shock:

I don't think I could talk my wife into mixing over 2 ...maybe 3 bags.

I think I need to get a truck to deliver some readi-mix!!!!

Thanks for the link :wink: .

bd

 

[ajamesp51]

Thats a lot of bags for a porch. Maybe you can do sections.

 

[So Flo]

Call the local ready mix, they will help you on your calcs.
I am not sure where you are, but be sure you do a good job with your expansion joints...cracking, spalling, and heaving can be problems if you are in a cold state.
Whether to use rebar or mesh, I would suggest a fibermesh that the ready mix people put into the mix, it is a bunch of short fibers that bond throughout the pour, not just where the wire would be.
Oh yeah, and this should probably be in the non-hs2k section... :wink:

 

[Halo_Ranger]

About 2.5 cubic yards

 

[one-eyed-fatman]

So my neighbor finished his driveway and it looked good. He offered to do mine for $1000.00. I said screw that! I can do it for $225.00. He's the one who was shooting out the (double pane gas filled) windows of the new house they were building across the street with a pellet gun because he didn't like the location of their driveway. I have such nice neighbors...

 

[XD BACKUP GUN]

So my neighbor finished his driveway and it looked good. He offered to do mine for $1000.00. I said screw that! I can do it for $225.00. He's the one who was shooting out the (double pane gas filled) windows of the new house they were building across the street with a pellet gun because he didn't like the location of their driveway. I have such nice neighbors...

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
I would call a Cement Comapany and have them bring out a truck and pour the slabs...I do not think that you would need rebar or mesh!
Bags would be way too much work!

 

[HokieMS]

Concrete companies don't do pours. Maybe some of them do in certain areas, but around here they only make concrete. You will need to hire a contractor to do the pour. Let the contractor choose the concrete company, and the specifications for the concrete. Any contractor that does this kind of work will know what is best for your needs (air entrained, wire vs. fiber, etc).

HokieMS, your friendly almost-ACI-certified Concrete Technician. (I take the test next week.)

 

[Dwweeb_5150]

Have a truck come out.Don`t waste your time mixing by hand.
Try to draft some buddies for wheel barrow monkeys. I would
at very least put mesh in the slab.If the ground is sandy
or clay you may want to have a professional do the work for you.
Here is a concrete calculator
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/howmuch/calculator.htm

 

[HokieMS]

Just wanted to add: If you do the pour yourself, make sure you order an air mix. Otherwise, the slab won't last for ****. It will crack and crumble after a few freeze/thaws. Also, if doing the work yourself, go ahead and get the fiber added to the mix as well so you don't have to worry about tying the wire up. Soil type shouldn't matter on a patio slab so long as you put down a good layer of course gravel. Brace your forms extra strong, and rent or buy a decent concrete float (sometimes called a skreeter). It will give a much better finish than you can ever get with a 2x4. Oh, and be prepared for the truck to tear up your lawn a bit :shock:

 

[one-eyed-fatman]

So my neighbor finished his driveway and it looked good. He offered to do mine for $1000.00. I said screw that! I can do it for $225.00. He's the one who was shooting out the (double pane gas filled) windows of the new house they were building across the street with a pellet gun because he didn't like the location of their driveway. I have such nice neighbors...

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
I would call a Cement Comapany and have them bring out a truck and pour the slabs...I do not think that you would need rebar or mesh!
Bags would be way too much work!

I'm a guy who can sit at my computer, turn his head, sneeze and get a hernia. I've spilled my guts five times over the years now. I wouldn't think of carrying a single bag of concrete. I get paranoid carying a case of beer into the house. :shock: Can't wait for my next hernia... they will keep happening until I die. Arn't I so lucky. :?

 

[JJG]

4" slabe = approx. 80 sf/ cu. yard

If you do it yourself, make sure to run a v-groover through it or saw it. Concrete will crack, this way your deciding where.

 

[bd]

Oh yeah, and this should probably be in the non-hs2k section... :wink:

Somebody must have moved it! :shock:

bd

 

[bd]

What I've got is the remains of a cement block building that's been torn down. I had the demo guys leave 1 course of block standing to use as a form. I'm going to use cap blocks to cover the open ends of the cement blocks, then add some sand or gravel fill to get my level for a 4" slab. That should leave me with a raised slab with about a 8" step up on the low side.

I might be able to find an old concrete man that will help me for an afternoon who has the right tools to finish it with.

I can then put up the Tiki torches and be ready to "par-tay" :shock: :lol:

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

bd

 

[cekxd40]

Make sure you "tamp" the aggregate down...less chipping in the surface...easier to finish...yada yada yada

 

[Ribbler]

You don't need a contractor for something that small. I would suggest that you hire a good finisher (the old man might just do the trick) to make sure the finish is just right and to make sure the expansion paper is in the right places. You might get a couple of friends to help with placing the mud where it needs to be.

 

[tec]

So my neighbor finished his driveway and it looked good. He offered to do mine for $1000.00. I said screw that! I can do it for $225.00. He's the one who was shooting out the (double pane gas filled) windows of the new house they were building across the street with a pellet gun because he didn't like the location of their driveway. I have such nice neighbors...

My neighbor owns a oriental restaurant, he works days , she works nights. They have two LOUD rice eater cars that freeking shake my house 4 times a day. yea 4. Two warm ups and 2 cool downs. 15 minutes each.

I don'twant to shoot out HIS windows. But I do want to take my tiger claw saw over there and cut their supposed mufflers off, or jamb 10 pounds of potatoes up the exhausts.

My 91 dodge van has a rusted out muffler and converter, it is not 1/4 as loud as those things.

I hates neighbors.

He and his parents walk up to MY fence and tease my dogs by barking at them, then he complains that they bark at him!! Then he speakada english good. When he scalps my yard when he mows his, no no speakada english.

aarrgghhhhh!

sorry, had to vent.
yea I know wrong forum, off topic.

 

[one-eyed-fatman]

tec, Let's move our neighbors next door to each other and see if they kill each other! :twisted:

 

[Dwweeb_5150]

I hates neighbors.

I used to have some neighbors who would com sit under
a big shade tree in my front yard ....and pick lice out of
each others hair.I asked them to kindly go pick the lice
over in their yard.No speak english.So I would just turn
on the sprinklers every time I saw them in my yard.
Didn`t take them long to figure it out.