Hot answers tagged slab
11
The first thing that comes to mind is to:
Pick up all of the tiles
Excavate a few inches under where they were
Put some small gravel down and compact
Put some paver sand down and compact
Reinstall the tiles
Another way to go would be to lay a bed of mortar down over some gravel. That would lock them in really nicely as well.
6
Are the walls insulated? If not, do that first. Most of the heat escapes there...especially the part nearest and above the ground level.
With a fully insulated wall, you might not even need to insulate the slab. in MN we insulated our walls and then left the concrete floor as-is (stained it). Only on the coldest winter days did we need to turn on the ...
6
Any place that sells pre-built sheds in your area would likely have advice on site preparation for delivery.
I don't know what the soil's like in your area, but if you're going to hit bedrock before 42", it'd likely be easier to put in a slab; If you're likely to hit lots of tree-roots, the slab might be a better choice (so you don't kill a tree, and have ...
4
You can install an interior weeping system similar to what you would normally do on the outside, but without the waterproofing.
Start by jackhammering out about two feet of floor around the edges of your garage, as close to the walls as you can get. Dig down until you reach dirt, and if that's not at least two feet down, keep going. Now, put down a couple ...
3
If your shower isn't sealed behind the tiles the water can leak past the tile and grout down into the space. Very common as most builders only use green board and put tile up over the top. This is asking for troubles down the road.
The drain could also be leaking as you believe. In that case plug the drain at the surface and take a shower. If you see water ...
3
It's possible the water is getting around your shower, possibly where the tile meets the tub or pan (if you have one), or behind the fixtures, or even around the door (if any).
I would check all of these and recaulk where appropriate before going in for wholesale destruction. Try splashing water by hand/bucket on areas you might suspect and see if that ...
3
The best bet may be to build a frame around the area you want your pool. This can be made from either 4x4 pressure treated timbers or pressure treated landscape ties. These can be attached by drilling and screwing through them into the cedar that is already there or by drilling into the concrete to hold stakes (you can use large galvanized nails) that go ...
2
This is very likely a drainage issue. I would check the following things:
Does water drain away from the house
near this room?
Are plants growing
right up next to the foundation?
You might want to put a buffer of 10" of rock (4-6" deep) next to the house.
Since the house has vinyl siding you need to peek under the siding and see if you have moisture ...
2
If you use a tub with an above floor drain, you can finish the floor flush.
If you use a below floor drain, you should at a minimum put down poly, seal the edges with a sealant and cover with several inches of pea gravel.
If you want to insulate a bit, excavate a couple more inches and put down some XPS foam over the poly and then put the gravel over it.
2
Putting tile over a painted surface can be risky. Sure looks like removing all that paint would be a chore and maybe hazardous (lead based paint if pre 1978). We have put tile over such surfaces by roughing it a bit and putting a scratch coat of "floor patch and leveler" over the entire surface. This is a good bonding agent on stable subfloors.
Another ...
2
If you are not planning to accommodate a 60 tonne Abrams tank in the room, it will be OK. However, do make sure that the water-proofing under the slab where the cut is made is not punctured. If it is punctured, it must be sealed again so that you don't get a wet streak popping up in your new floor. Structurally, the trench in the concrete will not pose ...
2
Concrete will crack naturally on its own unless it is given a place to crack such as control joint or expansion joint. As the concrete is curing it is heating up and expanding. In the summer time, I have seen the slab crack before being able to walk on it.
Regarding footprints, it is tacky. However, the roughness can actually help the concrete and ...
1
This is not going to be the answer you wanted to hear, but here goes.
Although I cannot see the cracks up close, it appears that the cracks were created by the floor flexing in a fairly straight line. The cracks wander in a band about a foot wide with some parallel and joining cracks.
My first plan of attack would be to remove a rectangle of the damaged ...
1
I would be more concerned that your wire looks to be at the very bottom of the concrete, making it useless. Concrete is very strong under compression but very weak under flex. The steel is there to take the flex and should be about center of the concrete. Definitely use a concrete bonding agent and Ditra. The Ditra will provide enough of a barrier that the ...
1
Checking if various lines are straight may help explain why there's an overhang, but the question remains: Is this a huge problem? I don't know if we can fully answer this, as the devil's in the details. Are there additional floors? Is this in snow country, if so what's the snow load? What are the wind and seismic concerns? Is the wall 2" off a bearing wall?
...
1
I would start by evaluating the north wall section in several ways. First of all use a nylon string (such as a masons line or a chalk line). Stretch this along the outside edge of the slab to see of the original slab was poured straight all across the area where the wall overhangs the edge. Secondly repeat this test along the lower edge of the wall (outside) ...
1
You can float wood flooring installs over concrete. Moisture is your primary enemy here, and uneven concrete will also be evident in the finished result.
I would consider painting on a moisture barrier, and then using a moisture/sound/mold/mildew/pad atop that.
You should absolutely glue the joints. Set the first three courses straight and true and let the ...
1
Adding onto RQDQ.
Use dirty shale underneath the paver sand as the base - or pick up a couple bags of paver base from a local hardware store. You can use shale dust instead of the sand as well. You can use Polymeric paver sand to lock the pavers in place instead of messing with mortar also.
You simply dump this sand into the spaces between pavers, sweep ...
1
Cold cement floors in cold climates are a fact of life. As DA01 says, most heat escapes through the walls and ceiling, NOT the floor.
The go-to answer to combat cold floors in well-trafficked areas is a radiant floor heating system; it's basically an electric blanket that goes in as an underlayment to tile, laminate or hardwoods (might not work well with ...
1
Obviously it is a leak where the drain opening and tile meet, the seal is somehow bad. I say this because I just had this happen to myself, after renovation. I realize your situation is resolved, and you don't need input, but those who still Google this problem may benefit.
I discounted a leaky source and drain pipe all in one move. I took the drain ...
1
Improper drainage can cause water to either enter directly into the house (between the slab and cinder block), or build up under the slab.
The water can also be entering the cavity of the cinder block through a small crack, bringing soil and other debris along with it. When the water evaporates it is possible that it is carrying the odor with it, either ...
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