New answers tagged concrete
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There are two grades of pressure treated lumber: 1) Above Ground Use, and 2) Ground Contact.
1) Above Ground Use is used for deck railings, building wall sole plates, etc.
2) Ground Contact lumber can be on the ground or in the ground.
If your concrete piers are within 6” of the ground, they are considered “Ground Contact Use” by the Code. Ground ...
2
If your posts are pressure treated, you can set the concrete level to grade. If the posts are not pressure treated, I would set the top of concrete at 8" above grade. more would not hurt. Also use metal fasteners that hold the post up off the concrete 1" in either case.
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I have used 1-inch-thick flagstones under plastic sheds before; I find the flagstones secondhand at a good price on some neighborhood trading website, I can transport and place them myself with moderate labor, and they fit tightly together and give a pretty good feel under the shed's built-in plastic floor. I rake the ground bare and adjust the dirt for ...
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Personally i would recommend using waterglass. I'm not sure how long the shine would last of such a treatment, but it has proven effects on the durability in the realm of 20-30% longer life.
I suspect that most brand sealers are based on it but with a huge markup.
Link to waterglass: https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Silicate-40-Water-Glass/dp/B00QL4ZV0I
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I did something similar awhile a back but I used concrete piers instead. Since I live in an area where the ground never freezes I didn't have to think about frost lines so I didn't have to very deep. This was kind of a go between the costs. The slab is nice as you'll have your floor already. With a pier system you have to build the floor as well.
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If you are concerned about future floods it could be an idea to look into decking floor tiles. As its generally used for outdoor purposes it should handle a flood without issue.
Another benefit would be that it will leave some air gaps letting the concrete breathe, trapped moisture after a flood can create some real issues.
This is the type of tiles i'm ...
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You could add a few layers of thin glassfiber net when applying the concrete. This should improve the flexural and compressive strength of the concrete substantially. I personally use insect netting that can be found rather cheap.
There should be no real need to seal the wood when applying the concrete. But applying some oil to the ends of the wood before ...
1
One alternative to concrete would be soil cement. The basic principle is that you mix 5-10% of portland cement with the soil, add water then compact it. This reduces both cost and environmental impact.
Depending on the use case and type of soil, you could probably get away with just compacting the soil.
To get around the moisture problem you could use ...
3
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 ...
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concrete's is naturally alkaline washing with water should suffice, but if you want to hit it with quicklime or baking soda that's not going to do any harm.
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I'd find a tile or stone that you would be happy putting as treads/risers on the small concrete steps.
I'd try to find something that is 1" thick (maybe a concrete paver). Then I'd use LFT thinset and tile the riser to get the first riser flush with the interior sub floor(before finish floor), I'd top that riser with your tile finished floor. The seconds ...
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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.
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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
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 ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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.
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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).
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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 ...
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Although you might have worn through the finish if you were aggressive enough or the scouring pad was course enough, try cleaning gently (to remove any residue) and then buffing it out with a microfiber cloth and water. If that doesn't work, you'll have to check with your landlord/super/apartment manager. Scuffing of the finish shouldn't be an uncommon ...
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The fire cracker idea sounds more fun than my idea, but I'd simply dig out the concrete and remove it whole. If you're lucky they only used 40lbs, that's not that bad. Once the concrete is unsupported by the soil, it should crack a bit easier for disposal.
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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.
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mortar is not really structural, I would go with steel, perhaps half-inch plate and some washers
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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.
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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
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 ...
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Note that the quickrete product is a powder you must mix with water, not pre-mixed.
Either product would be appropriate for patching those chipped areas, but in truth this is probably the most mild concrete damage I've ever seen anyone want to correct.
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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).
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