It might be difficult to install a new concrete floor, and hiring someone can be costly. So, you’re probably wondering how to pour a concrete floor in a brand-new garage on your own. This is unquestionably feasible if proper planning is done. However, there are numerous considerations and tools to be made.
To assist you with the procedure, we’ve done extensive research on laying a concrete floor in an existing garage. If you’re not sure whether you should do it yourself or hire a pro, the following instructions on pouring a slab or in-foundation floor will show you the essentials and help you decide.
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Steps To Pour A Concrete Floor For An Existing Garage
Pouring a new concrete floor is a time-consuming and ambitious project, even for an existing garage. It’s not good to pour concrete on top of old concrete. Only work in a clean, well-prepared garage. Although it is preferable to hire specialists, this can still be a do-it-yourself effort.
Clean The Floor
Let’s pretend you’re pouring over an existing cement floor, and your doors aren’t too high. Using a broom, sweep the dirt and debris from your existing floor. The better the bond with the new concrete, the cleaner it is.
To get whatever your broom couldn’t use, a pressure washer. You can easily rent one, and some even own one. If your old floor is discolored, use a heavy-duty cleaner to remove it so that the bonding process is not hampered.
Measure Concrete Slab
Measure your slab’s length, width, and height with your measuring tape and write them down. This figure approximates the amount of concrete you’ll require. Having more than you require is always a good thing.
Make a form out of boards to keep the wet concrete in the slab area when it’s poured. Consider your form as a mould for the concrete that will eventually become your new floor. To provide more strength to the finished product, lay down wire mesh or rebar inside the slab.
Prepare Concrete Bars
Concrete forms are the boards that make up the perimeter of your home. When exposed to wet concrete, plywood retains its toughness and shape. A level should be used to guarantee that the boards and subsequent concrete are levels.
The use of a chalk line may be essential. You can use a chalk line to produce straight, visible chalk powder lines across the garage floor after marking both ends. The shapes must be nailed together after they have been placed. You can also connect the boards with a power drill. When you pour the concrete, these forms will keep it in place.
Prepare or Order Ready-To-Mix Concrete
You should order your ready-mix concrete at least a week before you want to lay your concrete floor. Most ready-mix concrete companies are extremely active, with projects scheduled for days in advance.
If you ask the concrete dispatcher, he can figure out how much concrete you’ll need depending on the dimensions and thickness of your floor.
Pour Concrete
Concrete is traditionally mixed with water in a pail or wheelbarrow with a shovel. However, because this is a physically difficult job, you should utilize a concrete mixing drill instead. Make use of a concrete-mixing power drill. It can help you mix multiple bags of concrete in a huge bucket in a fraction of the time it takes to mix by hand.
After that, you’ll start pouring the mixed concrete into the garage’s far rear corner. Arrange the ingredients in neat horizontal rows. Because the concrete is heavy and dense, you’ll need a square shovel to carry it about.
Tamp Concrete
It is sometimes necessary to tamp poured concrete. This entails pressing the aggregate in the concrete mix to the bottom of the mixture. The aggregate would otherwise merely sit on the surface, which enhances stability.
On the other hand, Tamping is required only for concrete with a low slump. The consistency of the concrete mixture is referred to as slump. Low slumps are less liquid and more difficult to manipulate. Tamping a concrete mix with a larger slump will weaken the aggregate.
This is because a high slump resembles liquid. This permits the supporting aggregate to settle to the bottom without being pushed.
Edge-Cutting Of Concrete Flooring
By pressing your fingers into the concrete, you may double-check that it’s ready for edging. It is soft enough to make clean edges when you can insert your fingers approximately a quarter of an inch into the mix.
The edges will become incredibly tough to carve if you wait too long. After pouring the concrete, this will usually take at least half an hour. Carve clean borders around the slab’s perimeter with an edging tool pressed flat against the surface. Long or short handles are available on edge tools.
Clean The Floor With Broom
A steel trowel is similar to a hand float tool, but the unique substance helps close the surface for long-lasting durability. Troweling the concrete, on the other hand, can make it slicker. It’ll also take longer because you’ll need knee-boards to get close enough to apply extra pressure.
Because of this close closeness, hand troweling produces a smooth, hard surface. Instead, sweeping the concrete surface with a broom is far less expensive and time-consuming.
Conclusion
A concrete floor can be poured right on top of the dirt. Pouring concrete straight on soil is fine if the sub-base is dry and there are no moisture problems. When installing the gravel sub-base, including underground drainage is a good idea.
The drainage pipes will wick out any water that seeps in beneath the slab in the future. Pouring concrete directly on the ground is not suggested if you are concerned about moisture vapor rising through the concrete and potentially ruining your flooring or epoxy finish.
Pouring concrete involves research, several instruments, a significant amount of time, and manual labor. It might also be rather pricey if you don’t have the proper equipment. On the other hand, adding a new concrete floor to your garage may be a fun personal project that doesn’t require hiring a contractor.
