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concrete driveway
Anyone build a concrete driveway or do concrete for a living? I'm looking at adding some concrete pads in my area between my garage and shop. I hate the mess that is made during the spring thaw. I was figuring 4" thick concrete (properly sloped). Do I need a rock base and what would I use and how much?
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Good drainage under the slab is a must. The sub-base will determine how well your slab performs and how long it would last. For foot traffic and light equipment, 4" with WWF reinforcing over 6" of rolled stone would suffice. If you will be moving heavy equipment over the slab, I would recommend a 6" slab with #4 bars on 12" centers over 8-12" of rolled compacted stone.
The soil you are paving over makes a big difference in the sub-grade design. If you have cohesive and expansive soil ( clay and/or clay loams ), you want more stone for good drainage. If you have granualar soils ( sand and /or sandy gravel ) you can get away with less stone. If you have clay or silty sand, I would also recommend a fabric under the stone base.
The sub-base is more important than the slab design. Without a good base, you will be dissapointed with the slab. Frost heave and cracking will destroy the slab before it's useful life. Make sure the concrete is placed with the right slump. Too many paving contractors like to add too much water to the mix to increase the yield and make it easier to screed. A wet mix will cause too much shrinkage stress and lead to excessive cracking, along with spalling of the finished surface. Place the concrete with about 4" of slump and saw cut after 48 hrs of cure.
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Thanks Beagle. A couple of more questions for you.
1. what is WWF reinforcing? Wire mesh or the thick rebar?
2. what is "slump"?
I'm planing on using surveying equipment to make sure I've got the slope right to drain the rain off. Also useful for checking the base.
What size stone for the base?
As for the use, it will get the tractor (4310), my F250 and the wife's SUV. I've got an agreement to purchase a D4 Cat dozer from my wife's uncle, but I was planning on keeping that off the concrete.
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WWF is welded wire fabric. You should be looking at 9 gaae wire for your reinforcing if you were to go with the 4" slab. For parking vehicles on the slab that you mentioned, you should go with a 6" slab, with the WWF 12 x 12 W4.5/W4.5 reinforcing. If you plan on anything heavier, go with the #4 bars (1/2" at 12" centers. The size of the stone depends on your soil and water conditions. A well graded A-1 gravel, or AA-1-a will povide good drainage under the slab.
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Ho, sorry, slump is field test for the stiffness of the concrete. It shouldn't slump more than 4" when the cone is removed. You probably wont have a slump cone, have the contractor drop a shovel full of concrete onto the ground. It shouldn't slump into a disk, it should form a pyramid shaped pile off the shovel. If it runs, it's too wet.
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Thanks Beagle. That helps out. I've got a neighbor that volunteered to help. He did concrete in the military.
Don't think I'll get it done before the baby pops out, but I wanna get it done this summer.
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My dad used to tell me that concrete could be too wet. Somewhere in the past, and after working with him on stuff, I knew that the dryer that it was and remain workable, then the better it was; one never wanted it too wet. Only now do I understand on how to test it. Thanks!
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