joesauers

Hi guys. I have an interior concrete floor removal project that I would appreciate some input on. While my specialty is exterior flatwork, a good customer of mine has requested some help and a bid on repairing a floor that has settled inside a condo. An engineer has recommended removing the concrete floor and 24'' of stone/soil below the slab, to make room for fresh modified stone that will be properly compacted.

My first thought is using a mini-excavator teamed up with a power buggy to get the material outside. The total area is approximately 300 sq. ft. Only hesitation is worrying about carbon-monoxide poisoning. Have any of you utilized large commercial fans to keep the fumes blowing towards outside, or is that still a danger. I was also thinking of purchasing a few carbon monoxide detectors and mounting them in the work area as a safety.

What am I forgetting safety wise on this job, and any other thoughts that come to your minds? Thanks in advance.

Crock

i wouldn't do it. mexicans and wheel barrows to get it to the outside then bobcat it.

Chris Johnson

That job requires Manuel (Manual) labor, charge accordingly.

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naptown CR

They will probably be faster than the alternative

MattK

Ive used a bobcat in a raised ranch basement that had the garage underneath. It was right after frame so no door yet.
Anyway the fumes were toxic immediately. Youre fans arent going to do much with tremendous fumes from heavy equipment. Dont forget about the smoke in a confined space. Few of those diesel motors run clean.

Be careful with this job.

DJ9222

Rent a conveyor belt to get materials out and then you can use it to put stone back in.....

RandyB1986

Why not drill and jack the slab....probably be cheaper than taking out and replacing. I had a slab that settled about 4 inches in an entire home(due to a pipe break washing out fill) we had a company come in and raise the slab. It worked nice.

JonM

I hope you forgot a zero...but if it is 300 sf carry it out in a bucket..

master of none

the fastest and easiest way I have ever removed concrete is to saw it into
3' x 3' chucks. Using a chain and some redheads lift them out with a backhoe or mini. Cleanest and fastest why ever. you can rent a big saw just make sure you cut it all the way through. If the money is in it I would sub this part out.

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Darwin

Sounds like a lot of furkin' hard labor

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Inner10

Monoxide detectors are usless, the will go off constantly and drive you nuts; if you feel tired have a headache and sick get fresh air. Or rig your mini ex up with an exhaust hose.

Not a bad idea, tuck point blade in a quick cut should go through like butter; the last concrete floor I helped rip up we did with 2 jack hammers an conveyor belt and 2 guys carrying the pieces to the conveyor. I've had mixed success with hammers though, if its on a really solid surface then they work great, if its on a jello like dirt then the ground absorbs all the impact.

firemike

I agree with Randy, have you and the engineer considered slabjacking? Did they core sample the soil underneath to see if that much work is really needed or are they just guessing? It's gonna be a lot of work no doubt.
We did one once in a commercial building, did like Master of None except cut it into 2 foot sections and hand trucked them out to the loader. Took more time to cut than remove, but it did work great.


If it gets to this point, you're most likely too late, you already have CO poisoning. Expect to be puking shortly, and be sick for a couple days or so.

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-Mike-

greg24k

My buddy had Concrete Slab Lifting System, I will try reach him tomorrow and see if he still has the equipment and doing this work. If he does I will post here and let you know Yes or No.

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cc321

I think you should use the mini- excavator for the job. You must do some sort of dust control though in order to get this done. I just had a similar job that required me to worry about fumes and dust. I hired people from Midwest Industrial Supply. It was worth it. It ended up saving me money compared to what I would have spent to sublet this job. Good Luck.

cbfx3

I know a mexican named Tarzan that makes minced meat out ouf concrete with a 20 lb sledge.. Not a joke either! I've seen him take out a walkway with the sledge and a crowbar faster than his helper could load it in the wheelbarrow! As for cutting I know a guy that died cutting indoors. the whole crew passed out and If I remember right he wasnt the only one that died

72chevy4x4

ditto on slab-jacking.

is that approximately a 20x15 room? I'm sure the engineer considered load bearing walls and the effect they would have on the upper units-what are the 'rules' when you disturb load bearing walls in a condo? Sounds as if this is a ground floor unit-if it's not a weight bearing issue, has a lightweight addition of grout been considered to bring up the floor?

balacbe11

Better prefer skilled manual labour

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jovani

How you doing buddy, For this job you should sub it out to a expierenced company dont get caught up in something that will cost you more money than you make email me to discuss some options jovaniverre@aol.com

Edsollen

Had a similar project also, used a good company from Philadelphia, PM me for the name,
Joel