Concrete is composed of cement, aggregate (including crushed rock and sand) and water. In homes, it's frequently seen in the foundation, driveway, sidewalk, patio, and stone walls. Note that bricks use mortar in the joints, not concrete.
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How to add on to a concrete patio?
I would like to add on to my existing concrete patio with more concrete. I will about double the size of the patio.
My question is, should I have the new patio free floating from the existing or ...
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5answers
489 views
Why do builders say that wet concrete/mortar is not as strong?
I have been watching a few videos demonstrating the mixing of mortar and cement and a constant theme is that you must not have the mix too runny.
I cannot fathom the reason... Does anyone care to ...
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1answer
315 views
Is it OK to pave without mixing?
Going upon the advice of a reputable builder, I used Quikrete fast-drying concrete for a small slab outside my house. Not load bearing.
His recommendation was to dry-pour the whole thing. Framed, ...
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7answers
350 views
How can I pour a concrete pad with a circular hole in it?
Essentially, I'd like to put down a concrete pad for a patio, but leave a couple of circular areas within that patio unpaved (for planting shrubs).
I'm familiar with the techniques for using ...
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6answers
633 views
re-using wood from a concrete form?
I strive to not waste materials wherever possible, and "use once then discard" methods are particularily irksome. So with this mind, what suggestions do you have for enabling re-use of lumber used for ...
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2answers
515 views
How do I fill in around waste pipes?
Broke the concrete in my basement to run new pipes for the basement bathroom. The plumber put sand under the pipes to support them at the correct angle. I asked him not to glue the vertical sections ...
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3answers
2k views
Driveway expansion joints are rotting wood: What to replace the wood?
My driveway was poured in sections with lengths of 2x4 which remained between the slabs as expansion joints. Due to heaving and moisture many of these are in poor shape. I replaced one once by ...
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2answers
5k views
How can I level my basement floor, which has a 4-inch dip?
I googled today on how to level a basement floor. Most people recommend using SLC (self leveling concrete)... I don't think I can just use that because of the pitch of my floor (and from what I hear, ...
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4answers
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Do I have to remove the old thinset before installing new tile?
I will be installing some new 12x12 tiles in two bathrooms approx 25 sq/ft each. When I pulled up the old tiles, there was no thin set that had made contact with them so the removal was very easy. ...
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4answers
8k views
How do you secure wood framing to a concrete basement floor?
I'm using Pressure treated lumber for the bottom plate in a basement finishing project.
What should I use to seperate the wood from the concrete?
What are ways to secure the bottom plate to the ...
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3answers
285 views
How can I color concrete?
I'm going to be using a mold to pour a concrete pathway and I was wondering about coloring options. I've done this previously with this quikrete product. It worked and turned out okay, but one bottle ...
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2answers
265 views
Can old concrete fragments be cleaned and used as crushed stone?
Suppose I need to replace old concrete on a driveway or in any similar scenario.
The usual way is to just gather all the old concrete and dispose it to a landfill, then buy cement, sand and crushed ...
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783 views
Should gloves be worn when working with concrete to prevent it from coming in contact with skin?
I was told recently that concrete is slightly corrosive.
Should gloves be worn when using concrete or is it fine to handle concrete as long as its not done on a regular basis?
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3answers
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How can I hang a large but light poster on a concrete pillar?
I have a large (est. 5'x7') sheet of plastic foam with a poster printed on it. It weighs maybe 3 lb and is reasonably stiff.
I'd like to hang it on a solid rectangular concrete pillar about 2' wide. ...
7
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1answer
355 views
How do I build a form and pour a concrete pad?
I have a new safe that I want to put out in the garage. I'd like for it to be in a specific corner, but that corner has a few quirks.
First, the slab is pretensioned. No cutting, drilling, coring, ...
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1answer
151 views
What are “concretors' nippers” for?
I came across this tool called "concretors' nippers"
I guess they are for some operations with concrete reinforcement, but can't find any details.
What operations is this tool for specifically? ...
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2answers
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Does 100 yr old concrete floor need replacing?
Our house was built in 1905 and the concrete floor is uneven and gets a lot of moisture at times. We replaced the gutters which helped a little. We'd like to finish the basement, maybe use stained ...
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1answer
150 views
How do I know when concrete needs replacing rather than just mud-jacking?
I have a concrete driveway and path to my front door. Much of it has become unlevel and I'm contemplating having it mud-jacked. However, before I do, I wanted to know how I could easily tell when a ...
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2answers
1k views
Is it safe to drill small holes in load-bearing concrete beams for expansion bolts?
It seems to be very common to drill small holes in any kind of structural concrete for mounting fixtures without worrying too much about any kind of reduction in strength of the structure, but I ...
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1answer
740 views
What drainage should I install under concrete slab in garage?
I have a concrete garage which is halfway inside the hill. Essentially the surface behind the garage is at garage's roof level. Garage's floor is concrete slab 3"-4" thick (at least it's best I could ...
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0answers
135 views
What should I consider when cutting/making window in concrete foundation?
I am thinking about putting in another window for my basement apartment.
I would like to know what do I need to consider before trying to find a contractor to do this.
I have uploaded a picture of ...
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6answers
5k views
Do I really need to use primer when painting an unfinished concrete floor?
I'm turning a one car garage into an office and want to paint the floor. I bought some Behr concrete paint, and the guy at Home Depot insisted that I have to put down a layer of primer first.
Do I ...
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4answers
583 views
Is it possible to patch concrete stairs?
At my church, there is an old set of stairs made of concrete. They've begun to crumble on the top to the point where the treads are no longer flat and smooth.
I've not seen any material that has ...
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5answers
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Would wrapping a wood fence post in plastic help protect it?
I'm geting ready to install a couple new wooden privacy fence gates on the sides of our house. One of my co-workers suggested to wrap the 4"x4" with plastic stretch wrap around the 2' part that will ...
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5answers
1k views
Do they make a non-liquid concrete/mortar color additive?
I've been trying to find a cement additive to change the color of some mortar, but only seem to be able to find it in liquid form at my local big-box hardware store.
I'm looking for a similar ...
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3answers
953 views
How can I make these concrete columns?
I want to make a narrow concrete, decorative column like the ones found in this garden..
What is used as a mold for these types of columns?
What gives the concrete those subtle color changes (the ...
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3answers
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How to finish room with protruding concrete ledge/foundation?
I am finishing a basement room and have a concrete ledge which is part of the foundation. It protrudes into the room about 2.5 inches and is about 6 inches high. This ledge is the result of a ...
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2answers
543 views
Best way to tear up half a concrete parking pad?
I have a concrete parking pad in my back yard (butts up to an alley) that is substantially larger than I need, and I'd like to reclaim some of that space for my yard. To that end I'd like to tear up ...
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3answers
4k views
Can I build a deck this low to the ground?
I want to build a deck off the back of my house. The door is near grade level, about 1' above. The grade doesn't have very large slope, so that means that the beam at the far end would be below grade:
...
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1answer
636 views
Drilling holes in concrete
I'm not what you'd call a handy guy, and now wife wants me to put up curtains. This task is reduced primarily to getting a bit of metal stuck to the ceiling.
I bought screws and anchors. The anchors ...
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6answers
3k views
How do I hang shelves on poor quality brick/concrete walls?
I'm trying to install some shelves in my apartment (brick/concrete) but when I drill holes the walls almost seem like they're made of sand. I'm not able to securely fix the screws (I'm using wall ...
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1answer
232 views
How can I stop mortar plugs from popping out of slab holes?
Our termite people plugged their dozens of chemical insertion holes using a regular grout. Needless to say the plugs are popping out left and right. (They tell me that is normal, the plugs pop out in ...
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How do I seal a large gap between slabs to avoid freeze/thaw heaving?
I have a very large slab patio on the back of my home in Southern MN that has pulled away from the house about 6-8" due to freeze/thaw heaving. The previous owners have filled the gap with river ...
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2answers
3k views
How do I fill a hole under a sidewalk?
The sidewalk leading up to my front door developed what looked like a sink hole under it about a year ago. Since then, an animal of some kind has made the hole even bigger and it now runs as a tunnel ...
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1answer
631 views
How do I prepare an interior cement floor for painting?
I have an enclosed carport that serves as 4th bedroom/den in a 30 year old house. This room has long been used as storage, etc, and is in fairly bad shape. I'm rehabbing it to serve as a home office, ...
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2answers
392 views
What can I do about this gap between my driveway and the street?
I have a low car and the ditch between my driveway and the street is pretty big. I usually enter my car in reverse at a very steep angle as to not have it scrape the lower front. My neighbors park ...
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2answers
122 views
How can I strip and repaint a concrete porch?
My porch is concrete and has been painted over several times, the last time by the previous owner using paint that is obviously not appropriate (it's very slick when it rains/snows).
It needs to be ...
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2answers
5k views
Pouring a concrete slab against my house: how to frame it up against the outside wall?
I have a concrete front stoop that drains some water into the basement, so I am going to knock it out and pour a new slab with better grading. The slab will be about 4 feet square, and fits into a ...
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1answer
2k views
How to stop outside rainwater from coming in under the wall and through the concrete floor of my garage conversion?
I have got a problem with an attached garage converted den in a 1978 built brick home.
The heavy spring rains are redirected to the two year old perforated drain system on the side of the house ...
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8answers
581 views
How do I secure a canvas garage?
I picked up one of those cheap canvas garages from Costco, to keep a few things out of the weather. It's 10' wide, 20' long, and maybe 11' high at the peak.
Our area is a bit prone to windstorms. I'm ...
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4answers
332 views
Would upgrading my basement with sandstone blocks be worthwhile?
Having a look at an old farmhouse that is for sale in the area, and as with most houses in the area of this age the foundation is built on red sandstone blocks, around five feet deep, with a dirt ...
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4answers
603 views
Will running a dehumidifier near new concrete cause it to cure poorly?
I have a new house with high humidity in the basement. Will running a dehumidifier constantly cause the new concrete to cure poorly?
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3answers
1k views
Can a cheap angle grinder be used to cut concrete and ceramic tiles?
I am interested in the Black & Decker KG100 600W Angle Grinder because it is cheap enough. I will only use it occasionally for small scale do-it-yourself home improvement works. But, I really ...
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2answers
626 views
What is the best way to fill a 3 inch gap under my concrete front porch?
I'm in need of some help with my concrete foundation. As I was leaving the house this morning I discovered two or three skunks crawling into a gap under my porch. The hole is on the bottom of the ...
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4answers
250 views
What are these holes in my concrete wall and how can I mount things to them?
I have several 2.3" holes in my concrete walls. I think they were likely used as part of the construction or assembly process. They're maybe an inch to an inch and a half deep, and they look like ...
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5answers
716 views
Can I hang a heavy weight from a concrete ceiling if I reinforce it with fiberglass?
I'm investigating the possibility of hanging a pull-up bar/ rock-climbing training board from the concrete ceiling in my apartment. The slab is 180mm (7inches) thick and the (static) weight which I ...
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2answers
177 views
How do I drywall over a partial cement wall?
I have 9' walls and the bottom foot or so is cement on one wall. What's the best method to drywall over this wall so no moisture seeps in?
As you can see, there was moisture seeping in down at the ...
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3answers
6k views
How to mount hooks into concrete ceiling that must be able to support several times bodyweight?
I am on the top floor of a loft apartment that used to be a factory. I want to install several hooks or some other fixture into my concrete ceiling from which I can hang gymnastic rings, a punching ...
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4answers
2k views
Water coming in through the walls of an old concrete garage
I recent bought a house with a detached garage, made of old concrete (high aggregate content) reinforced with steel rods and set into a hill. Built in 1938 or so; no waterproofing.
Now that Boston ...
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2answers
128 views
Should I use self-leveling concrete or mortar to level a patched area of concrete prior to tiling it?
I had to repair cast iron pipe in the basement. This left me with a 2ft x 3ft hole in my tiled basement floor. We cut along the grout lines, so I just need to replace the tile and concrete.
Well, ...
