6
mortar is not really structural, I would go with steel, perhaps half-inch plate and some washers
4
Looks like an epoxy floor coating. Quikrete, Drylock, and Rust-Oleum have products, probably many other specialist coating and concrete manufacturers do as well (I have a can of Quikrete's version kicking around somewhere that I got from a friend who overbought it, but I haven't gotten around to putting it down yet. Can't really help beyond identification).
2
Your profile says Seattle. The weathering of the wood says that you get a fair amount of water.
That slab is too high relative to your siding and probably the threshold of your door. Modern code says 4" from top of slab to top of impermeable layer.
If you are keeping the house for more than 10 years, I'd ditch the slab, set the grade to the correct ...
2
A bunch of pieces of concrete will always be a bunch of pieces of concrete, any jointing compound that's weaker than the reinforcing bars in the concrete is at best temporary.
Pavers can hide a multitude of sins.
2
I’ve been working with cement and concrete the past 2 days. I was using my bare hands to mix it and while it was irritating after a while my hands were fine. They did get somewhat dried out. My boyfriend was using it to fill in parts of our cellar floor and he received chemical burns on his finger tips and they are oozing. My suggestion if your going to ...
2
Do not cut the rebar in the concrete ceiling slab.
Rebar is placed in concrete slabs (and beams) for tension. Cutting the rebar eliminates the resistance to tensile stress and could cause immediate failure (collapse of the slab).
1
Using some wet room type silicone should work just fine for that joint under the conditions you mention. You can usually find transparent variants of it as well, leaving the design intact.
And it takes no real time to apply.
1
I've used this Loctite Premium for many types of concrete. It's waterproof and should work well with your pavers. Good luck
1
I have rinsed with clear water and a large rubber squeegee 3 times. On the inside basements I cleaned I made a u shaped dam slightly wider than my squeegee, I set my shop vac to suck the water as I pushed it in, it really worked better than I thought it would, I used some scrap angle iron but I bet some 2x4 scraps would work.
On the basement I may have ...
1
Concrete is impervious to insects and other critters, it is very clean once fully cured, and will not warp or buckle if installed correctly. Of course, concrete is also very expensive and can be upwards of $10 a sqft and should normally be professionally installed unless you're a pretty advanced DIY'er.
Gravel bases and gravel filled plastic can be a good ...
1
The end of that wooden beam will move slightly with humidity and temperature changes, attempts to fill that shallow void with concrete may end in dissappointment.
I'd cut a small rebate using a oscillating tool or grinder and place a piece of fibre-cement sheet over the opening, glue it in-place with builder's filler. then render over it to match the ...
1
I have used the thin little "fake bricks" (brick veneer) for this very purpose. It looks like it was supposed to be that way. The only trouble I had was when my kids were younger, they tended to "bang" their boot toes on those bricks a lot going in and eventually one cracked. But it was easy to replace.
1
In a variety of materials, you have two different things happening on two separate tracks.
Drying, reducer (e.g. Water) evaporating, soaking into the substrate or being consumed by curing, and
Curing, the chemical reaction turning it from materials X and Y, into material Z.
Wetness of concrete does need to be carefully managed during the curing process, ...
1
One thing to consider is that concrete doesn't really "dry" like mud. The water is part of a chemical reaction that hardens the mixture over time. Once the concrete starts to get thick and lumpy, that chemical reaction is well under way.
Adding more water and mixing will possibly make it smooth again, but all those bonds that have started to form will be ...
1
Depends on what it will be used for as the reaction has already started. If it is for fence posts it will be fine, if it is for a smooth drive then not.
1
The tool of choice here is a jackhammer. Today's electric ones will do the job nicely. You should be able to rent one and a portable generator to power it from a local tool rental shop. They should be able to fix you up with the correct tool for the job.
1
You could fill the gap with gravel and then just cement over it. This will be less durable than properly mixed concrete, but probably hold up better than just filling it up with cement on its own.
1
Portland cement mixed alone (called "slurry") will result in a brittle and soft compound. It may fill the void you're seeking to eliminate, but not with ideal results. It may break up and wear away faster than actual concrete. A 6" channel is more than "just a gap". It's a substantial structure in the end. I wouldn't pour less than 3" thick for strength or ...
1
If [the concrete] has set, soaking the concrete with a strong
detergent solution helps loosen its adhesion so you can scrub or
scrape it off. Georgia-Pacific recommends mixing the following
ingredients to make a strong cleaning solution for vinyl siding:
1/3 cup detergent
2/3 cup trisodium phosphate
1 gallon water
Scrub with a soft-...
1
It would definitely be an improvement. Get some knee pads because you'll be down there for awhile. They have all sort of epoxy concrete fillers that do a great job on cracks,,, just need a clean, dry surface. Get a good concrete paint to finish off the job. That post in the back looks like it's in need of repair too. Good luck.
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