Hello everyone, i am finishing my basement. we had to bust up some concrete to get access to a drain for a bath tub. the slab we busted out is approx. 1' x 2'. i have NO experience w/ any kind of concrete work.
i need advice on replacing the concrete. i know i need to replace the dirt and tamp it. then next i assume i need to mix up enough concrete, fill the hole and level/smooth out the concrete. since its winter and cold right now where i live (NC) i plan on using a 5 gallon bucket or my old wheelbarrow to mix the concrete inside my garage, so it will be warmer.
so can anyone point me in the right direction or give me some pointers on what i am getting myself into?
Its not rocket scince you'll be fine. After the concrete sets alltle you start troweling it smooth. I assume your putting something over it so you don have to get it to smooth.
FWIW - I like to through down a layer of stone over the dirt, then add the concrete. As stated, it's pretty simple after that. Trowel smooth, feather the edges of the new area flat to blend into the existing concrete floor.
Very simple stuff.
Excellent, thanks guys. I forgot to put in the original post, part of it will be covered by the tub and the rest will be covered by some type of flooring (laminate or carpet) down the road.
i hate to be such an amature , but on mixing the cement, i assume i put the cement in the bucket and slowly start adding water and mix to a workable consistency? is that correct?
When you put the dirt back in the hole, put in some water, a layer of dirt, some water and so on. That way the dirt won't settle, and a little tamping is much more effective.
No!! it has to be a 5 gal plastic bucket and a non treated 2x2 29" long, any deviation will cause the concrete to become confused and not harden properly... just kidding, a bucket, a stick, and add water slowly it easy to add too much.
Mix until the consistency you need as well as the quantity. If you need to add more, then add a little water to make it soupy and then concrete to thicken it up.
http://www.cement.org/basics/concretebasics_faqs.asp: "...The factor that most predominantly influences concrete strength is the ratio of water to cement in the cement paste that binds the aggregates together. The higher this ratio is, the weaker the concrete will be and vice versa. Every desirable physical property that you can measure will be adversely effected by adding more water."
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=17698: " MIXING IT JUST RIGHT: Mixing bags of concrete isn’t complicated. You add some water, stir it up and pour it out. But to get the most strength from the concrete, you have to recognize when it has just the rightamount of water mixed in. Too little water and the particles in the mix won’t stick together. Too much water weakens the concrete...."
nice one photo, I'm sure he has been sitting there waiting these past 13 days for the next post LOL Thanks for the post Atlantic
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