Maine | iseedit - 4/27/2012 08:27
Sounds like rebar or mesh wouldn't help your FIL's floor .. . . the base is key.
As someone points out, a guy can get by with no metal - but the key is base preperation, for the concrete to sit on..
This is true...lots of clay on the lot and they cut corners back in the day when it came to fill.....BUT at the same time, with Re-Rod, the concrete wants to stay together and actually lay flush even if cracked...so you could roll a toolbox from one side to the other. We have a storage garage built in a swampy area with alot of frost action...one spring I saw an entire corner of the garage 4" above grade (plain floating slab)...that slab is still nice, but its loaded with Re-Bar. I doubt it would be as nice as it is without the Re-Bar.
The way I see it...Re-Bar gives you some additional help and fudge factor you can use to compensate for all the other variables in pouring the slab like Correct Base, Concrete Mix, Curing, etc... If Re-Bar were priced like gold, I'd certinaly change my position, but with being as cheap as it is, IMO i cant see why you wouldnt want to use it. In a perfect world as mentioned...perfect base, perfect pour, perfect curing & finishing, you guys are absouletly right..probably dont need any. When was the last time you saw everything being perfect? |
Wire mesh or re-rod for concrete?
