How to Pour a Small Concrete Slab
If you want to do a quick home addition, you will first need to build a concrete slab. If your room is going to be big, you will need a large amount of concrete. The best way to mix the amount of concrete you need is in a drum mixer. Once you have obtained the mixer, building the slab is a piece of cake. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Four 2-by-4 inch boards to run the perimeter of the slab for a frame
- Pencil
- Saw
- Carpenter's square
- Hammer
- 3-inch nails
- Level
- Shovel
- Eight wooden stakes
- Cement mix
- Water
- #3 rebar
- Concrete trowel
Instructions
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1
Measure the area where the frame will be to determine what length of 2-by-4 you will need for the concrete frame. Cut your 2-by-4s to match these measurements.
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2
Square the frame using the carpenter's square and measuring the diagonals. If the diagonals are the same length, the frame is square. Nail the frame together using the hammer and nails.
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3
Lay the framework on the ground where you will be building the slab. Make sure the ground is level before you place the frame down. If need be, use the shovel to level out any high or low points in your ground.
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4
Hammer stakes into the ground all around the frame, two per side. Nail the stakes into the wooden frame to attach the frame to the ground.
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5
Dig an 8-inch wide, 4-inch deep trench around the perimeter in the inside of the frame with the shovel. his will provide a thicker area around the sides of the slab which will give it more support,
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6
Mix the dry concrete with water to form your concrete solution. It should be the consistency of thick, wet mud.
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7
Fill the frame with the concrete until it is 3 inches from the top. lace the rebar into the concrete around the perimeter of the frame for added concrete support. Fill the rest of the frame with concrete. When the frame is full, tap each side a few times with a hammer to settle the concrete and smooth it out.
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8
Smooth out the concrete top with the trowel. et it dry for a bit and reevaluate the smoothness. Re-trowel if the surface is nit smooth enough. Once the slab is completely dry, remove the frame.
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Tips & Warnings
To make it easier for the frame to be removed from the slab, you may want to use a construction lubricant on the frame before you pour the concrete
Make sure the slab is as smooth and level as possible on all sides. This will add to the stability of the slab.
