How To Lay A Concrete Floor

Let the finished slab harden overnight before you carefully remove the form boards.

How to lay a concrete floor.

To help prevent rapid drying you can lay polythene sheeting over your concrete. We go over all the necessary steps for your concrete slab to come out perfect. Subsurface water can cause the ground the flex creating stress cracks in the cement. Before laying a concrete floor you must consult your local building control department as changing a floor can affect the ventilation in other parts of the building and it is possible that insulation will also be required.

To lay new concrete sweep and clean the old concrete and saturate the old concrete with water. More complex decorative concrete floor projects involving multiple stain or dye colors an overlay decorative sawcuts and. Larger extensions often benefit from a suspended concrete floor almost all new builds are now built using this system as it is quicker you can walk on it sooner and it reduces any risk of damp coming up through the floor. Properly preparing the subsurface helps to limit the potential for cracks in the finished concrete slab.

Laying a concrete floor is major construction. Specialist spray can be applied or curing membranes can also be used. For a concrete subfloor you should install the plank with the sight lines of the floor. A concrete floor is usually laid during renovation work to replace a rotting timber floor.

The timeline and steps involved to install a decorative concrete floor can vary greatly from job to job. Measure and mark the center of all four walls at floor level. Make sure the braces are level and lay down a barrier of wire mesh over the existing concrete inside of the barrier. You can lay plastic over the concrete instead although this can lead to discoloration of the surface.

Big areas that need to be cemented are prep big time before the pouring of the concrete. On a small project such as a basement floor the timeline can range anywhere from two days to five or six days. For big areas that need to be cemented ready mixed concrete from batching plants are preferred because this type of concrete is precise. Typical sight lines run parallel to the longest wall but each home is different.

Concrete is porous so you need to erect a concrete slab where drainage is not an issue. Preparation is the most important aspect of pouring a concrete slab. Then build a perimeter or a wood brace that is the same height as you want the concrete to be. In this video we show you how to pour your basic 16 x 12 concrete slab.

Pull the duplex nails from the corners and kickers and pry up on the stakes with a shovel to loosen and remove the forms. Concrete joists with lips on either side about halfway up are placed on the floor.