How To Lay A Concrete Floor

To help prevent rapid drying you can lay polythene sheeting over your concrete.

How to lay a concrete floor. Big areas that need to be cemented are prep big time before the pouring of the concrete. Do this once the concrete has stiffened enough not to be disturbed by the act of laying the sheeting. On a small project such as a basement floor the timeline can range anywhere from two days to five or six days. Make sure the braces are level and lay down a barrier of wire mesh over the existing concrete inside of the barrier.

In this video we show you how to pour your basic 16 x 12 concrete slab. Laying a concrete floor is major construction. Pull the duplex nails from the corners and kickers and pry up on the stakes with a shovel to loosen and remove the forms. Concrete is porous so you need to erect a concrete slab where drainage is not an issue.

A concrete floor is usually laid during renovation work to replace a rotting timber floor. Typical sight lines run parallel to the longest wall but each home is different. To lay new concrete sweep and clean the old concrete and saturate the old concrete with water. For big areas that need to be cemented ready mixed concrete from batching plants are preferred because this type of concrete is precise.

Properly preparing the subsurface helps to limit the potential for cracks in the finished concrete slab. Measure and mark the center of all four walls at floor level. Larger extensions often benefit from a suspended concrete floor almost all new builds are now built using this system as it is quicker you can walk on it sooner and it reduces any risk of damp coming up through the floor. Before laying a concrete floor you must consult your local building control department as changing a floor can affect the ventilation in other parts of the building and it is possible that insulation will also be required.

Let the finished slab harden overnight before you carefully remove the form boards. Concrete joists with lips on either side about halfway up are placed on the floor. If concrete dries out too quickly it can crack this is more evident in warmer drier weather. Specialist spray can be applied or curing membranes can also be used.

The timeline and steps involved to install a decorative concrete floor can vary greatly from job to job. Then build a perimeter or a wood brace that is the same height as you want the concrete to be. Beam and block floors. Preparation is the most important aspect of pouring a concrete slab.

You can lay plastic over the concrete instead although this can lead to discoloration of the surface. More complex decorative concrete floor projects involving multiple stain or dye colors an overlay decorative sawcuts and.