Garage slab

jwill · Post: # 116619Post **jwill** Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:45 pm

I've just built a 6x3m garage. Has a 150mm sub base which has been twin rollered then wacked today. Walls are off footings and I've set the levels for a 5" slab.
Going with an rc35 mix as not much more than gen3.

Do i need mesh do you think? I'd rather not and keep the Â£80 in my pocket!

Post: # 116620Post **seanandruby** Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:34 pm

Yes definitely and DPM.
look here

jwill · Post: # 116621Post **jwill** Thu Jan 17, 2019 7:50 pm

Reluctantly going to put some in. Was already planning the dpm

Post: # 116622Post **Tony McC** Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:39 am

Did you get a price from the readymix supplier to add polyfibres as an alternative to mesh/rebar?

jwill · Post: # 116625Post **jwill** Sat Jan 19, 2019 4:06 pm

No my man says sometimes can show when finishing. Although the ones in Agilia are tiny. Got the a142 for Â£15exc per sheet. Only needed 3 not so bad.
Gone for a cem1 rc35 mix. Apparently cem1 goes off better I this weather

jwill · Post: # 116626Post **jwill** Sat Jan 19, 2019 4:08 pm

On another note I rang at least 5 different suppliers nationals and independent. Not 5 quid between them. Is that a cartel or what?!

Post: # 116627Post **seanandruby** Sat Jan 19, 2019 6:36 pm

...I remember a few years back they all got done for monopolizing the market :;):

Post: # 116632Post **Tony McC** Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:32 am

The cartel thing was big in the 1970s, but the industry has been clean (ish) since then. My ex father-in-law was a readymix driver back in those days, and everyone down their road had a poured concrete drive - amazing, eh!?

Nowadays, competition is so keen, and everyone knows what everyone else is charging that it can see that a price fix could be in place.....but there isn't.

You *do* get fibres showing at the surface when they're added as reinforcement, but a simple blow torch burns them off in no time at all. They can be a problem with polished concrete floor slabs, but for a garage base, I wouldn't worry in the slightest.

jwill · Post: # 116636Post **jwill** Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:00 pm

Well had it this morning at 8am. Still not gone off now. I've come away and we are hoping we can finish it in the morning but it's just not gone off at all at the minute. Can still lift the polly up. It is cold and damp here so there is hope I suppose. Anyone managed to trowel up next morning before?

Post: # 116637Post **seanandruby** Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:14 pm

Powerfloated next morning but not hand trowel. You should try and get some sort of finish on it. A very light tamp maybe.

jwill · Post: # 116638Post **jwill** Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:42 pm

We have flattened it off and given it a light trowel but its just not gone enough yet to get any kind of decent finish on it now. Forecast is wet and damp here so hopefully comes up trumps. Had the extra pure cement rather than blended as well. Must have been snake oil!

Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:45 am

I have the exact same spec tomorrow
due to the weather issues we will be knocking it up ourselves,so that I can level tamp and trowel the edges as we go

readmix is great but you dont get any time with it

how has yours finished up Jwill?

cheers LLL

jwill · Post: # 116641Post **jwill** Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:51 pm

Luckily was ok. Bit of water flicked on and brushed up the fat then my mate trowled up

jwill · Post: # 116642Post **jwill** Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:56 pm

Rubbed up should of said

Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:30 pm

we did ours today 2.4m3 of ballast and 24 bags of cement were used
so material cost Â£260 +mesh Â£50 +Â£310
took 2 of us 5 hours
happy with the finish
but have asked everybody to stay off it for 48 hours
happy days
LLL