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Am I ready to pour some concrete?

529 views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Needles  
#1 ·
Concrete is outside the scope of my normal work.

Slab will be about 16ft x 6ft and roughly 4 inch deep.

Placed several 3/8" rebar dowels into the existing adjacent slab and 2 into the sidewalk. Rebar goes about 9" deep into the existing slab and I used epoxy to anchor them.

No isolation material but I should be okay without that, right? I figure we'll do one control joint width wise in the middle which will match the existing driveway control joint. I'm still not certain the best way to do this since I won't be able to reach all the way across with a hand tool while its wet.

The 2x4 form is actually two separate pieces butted up against each other where it ever so slightly changes slope.

Did my best to keep all the metal an inch or more from the edges and in the middle as far as height goes.

There's a spot where the old walkway has sunk over the years that I'll probably redo later. I'm not sure how to handle this edge of my slab. I'm thinking I might temporarily glue a 2x4 to the top of the walkway to create a form and pour my slab level with where the walkway should be. This would create a small trip hazard for the time being until that part of the walkway is redone. Not sure what the best course of action here is.

Any suggestions?
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#3 ·
Concrete is outside the scope of my normal work.

Slab will be about 16ft x 6ft and roughly 4 inch deep.

Placed several 3/8" rebar dowels into the existing adjacent slab and 2 into the sidewalk. Rebar goes about 9" deep into the existing slab and I used epoxy to anchor them.

No isolation material but I should be okay without that, right? I figure we'll do one control joint width wise in the middle which will match the existing driveway control joint. I'm still not certain the best way to do this since I won't be able to reach all the way across with a hand tool while its wet.

The 2x4 form is actually two separate pieces butted up against each other where it ever so slightly changes slope.

Did my best to keep all the metal an inch or more from the edges and in the middle as far as height goes.

There's a spot where the old walkway has sunk over the years that I'll probably redo later. I'm not sure how to handle this edge of my slab. I'm thinking I might temporarily glue a 2x4 to the top of the walkway to create a form and pour my slab level with where the walkway should be. This would create a small trip hazard for the time being until that part of the walkway is redone. Not sure what the best course of action here is.

Any suggestions?
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#5 ·
Concrete is outside the scope of my normal work.

Slab will be about 16ft x 6ft and roughly 4 inch deep.

Placed several 3/8" rebar dowels into the existing adjacent slab and 2 into the sidewalk. Rebar goes about 9" deep into the existing slab and I used epoxy to anchor them.

No isolation material but I should be okay without that, right? I figure we'll do one control joint width wise in the middle which will match the existing driveway control joint. I'm still not certain the best way to do this since I won't be able to reach all the way across with a hand tool while its wet.

The 2x4 form is actually two separate pieces butted up against each other where it ever so slightly changes slope.

Did my best to keep all the metal an inch or more from the edges and in the middle as far as height goes.

There's a spot where the old walkway has sunk over the years that I'll probably redo later. I'm not sure how to handle this edge of my slab. I'm thinking I might temporarily glue a 2x4 to the top of the walkway to create a form and pour my slab level with where the walkway should be. This would create a small trip hazard for the time being until that part of the walkway is redone. Not sure what the best course of action here is.

Any suggestions?
View attachment 583909 View attachment 583908


View attachment 583906 View attachment 583907
As you can see by the red line, unless you designed it that way, or is a camera distortion, your form is warped.... so be sure to check your measurements before you pour...

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#7 ·
Your wire looks a little too close to the surface, particularly in the first photo, far right in the background. Don’t be afraid to step on it and force it down, or dig the dobie down a little if you need. Personally, I’d kick your forms more as well. It’ll spread away where it meets the old walkway, and get out of line further down. Did you string the face of your form?
I agree with the others; you’ll be much happier if you take out the old walkway and do a new sidewalk continuously. Otherwise, you’ll get a worse finish, and it’ll always be two different colors and finishes.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the replies!

I went ahead and added a few more dobie supports. Also if you didn't notice, there are dowels into our existing driveway and a couple into the sidewalk and those dowels are also holding the metal mesh off the ground.

I have the mesh centered in the middle of the slab as far as height goes as best it can get. Only at like one point in the middle does it come to within 1 to 1.5 inch of the surface.

The form is not warped. It is following our side yard walkway perfectly, except for the very end part of it that you can see in the photo. That part is cracked and sunk a little, so it sticks out slightly.

I would have liked to re-pour the walkway as well, but it's not in the cards for now.

Thanks again for all the tips and info!