Tips For Pouring A 24' X 24' Slab

HJConstruction

normally i just let someone else pour concrete for me, but i need to get better. Any tips on screeding of concrete to make it level. Since they dont make a 24' screed board i always get different heights in my concrete. Any tips on how to get it finished more level. I now there got to be some tips of the trade.

DBCoop

Well HJ it depends on how big of a Brute you are! Perhaps there are a few people out there that take a straight 24' 2x6 and screed it off pretty darned flat..... But for the rest of us !!!!!! Here is a simple old school method.Toe nail a 2x4 @ center at two opposing sides of your square pour and then string line the top of your 2x4's and drive stakes to support.Then nail a wood stake to the top of one end of a straight 12'plus 2x4 screed. As you screed off back cast concrete to make sure any voids will be filled.Then bullfoat to flat.Sreed pins with a moveable overhead are desirable,but this is a start.My advice work with a pro a time or two!

CR2

Best tips are work with a concrete crew, break your b.... and learn the trade, nothing that we'll say here will help you do it right, if you've never done it, you'll struggle and it won't be OK at the end, I don't mean to discourage you,but to help you learn the only possible way.
Good Luck!

send_it_all

Just mix the concrete super duper wet so it levels itself...that's what I do.

Railman

Drive some wooden 3/4" x 1" or so, grade stakes, maybe 8' or so apart. Stretch a grade line & mark each stake. Drive a #4 finish, or brad nail through each mark. When it's time to screed, screed a flat at each stake, & then screed a flat between stakes. Use the flat as your height guide. Then just remove the stakes, or simply snap them off. Be sure to remove them while you can still reach them. The small resulting hole will fill easily when you bull float it. This is the way old timers used to do it, & it still works well.
You can also use rebar, & drive it in so the top is at your grade height, & then screed to top of stake. Then drive bar below the surface a few inches before your out of reach from the bars.

If your not used to doing concrete, I'd be sure to have some extra help around, & maybe do some back excercises before hand. It's no fun having slab get away from you!
Joe

cleveman

two 12' pours

billy d

Hi HJ leveling a pour of 24 ft sq does not seem no big deal but trying to do it with a 24ft tamp isn`t worth thinking about.The best trick I`ve come across is to have a auto set type level with a beeper.You set the auto set level then using the top of you`re form work or the hight of the finished concrete if this is different you set a staff on this mark and move the receiver till it gives a constant tone it helps if you fasten apiece of ply to the bottom
em of the staff say 6"by 6" as this will lay flat on the wet concrete.Use a vibrater to keep the concrete fluid do not have it poured to to wet or you will have problems with the slump.there are a lot of tricks and you can learn it but it would be a lot more easy with a teacher.when you`re moving concrete around all day you certainly know you`ve done a days work.I hope this helps HJ have fun.

KB construction

Just set one grade stake 1x3 or what ever you want to use at 12' in along your form, then go to the opposite side and set one the same distance in. Here is where the screed pipe comes in play. We use a 1 5/8" well pipe for our pours. So drop the stake down 1 5/8" from the top of your form on each end set a nail in one edge of the stake and pull a string across distance. Then drive the rest of your grade stakes at approx 4 feet apart. Set the pipe on top and drive small nails on both sides of the pipe just far enough out of the stake so the pipe won't fall off. Pour your concrete and let your screed run on the pipe, pull your pipe along with your screed and fill in with concrete where the pipe drags, puddle out with your shovel and float it, trowel it and your done.

rbsremodeling

HJ here some pics. We usually just make a screed 1-2 feet longer than the width we are working with up to 14'. So you are working more than have the slab at a time. You scree one side and have a mark or level on the other side so when the screed the other side you use the mark and of course the other side of the screed sets on the leveled side of the concrete. You just go left to right. That and you hire a guy to work with you that has 40 years experience the gentleman with the screed in the picture is 60+ years old

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rbsremodeling

the guy with the come along pulls or pushes the concrete as need to maintain level

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wallmaxx

We do it like this for split pours

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