Concrete Slab Construction

Concrete slab construction requires great deal of preparations prior to the actual pouring concrete
slabwhich should be part of slab on grade design as well as concrete slab insulation if extreme hot and
cold is to be considered in your area. At this stage, it is good practice to revisit the concrete slab cost
estimate used during planning and budgeting
stage.
Concrete slab floor preparation usually comes
after the footings and foundations are poured
and back filling are done.
The equipment needed to complete the concrete
slab construction preparation depends such
factors as the size of the project, type of soil,
quantity of material to be brought in or haul
away, etc.The procedures outlined here are
based on the footing and foundation plan shown
below and it can be
applied to any slab construction. Detail 4 is a typical cut at the perimeter of
the footing and it has the information needed to construct the slab.
Prior to excavating footings, it is very important to remove the grass and
topsoil from the areas of the slab. If this is not done prior to footing
excavations these materials will be covered up and likely to be buried below
slab.
These materials can cover up to 4 inches thick which will become void spaces
after they all decayed.
This has potentials to cause slab settlement which can be catastrophic to the
floor finishes and everything else that the slabs support.

For concrete slab construction that are not supported by the ground refer tosuspended concrete
slab or suspended slab supported by metal deck.

Here are the steps for concrete slab construction cast on grade:
Step 1: Determine Backfill Material - concrete slab construction
The dimension for the slab is 25-2x24-3, approximately 610 square feet. Per detail 4 after removing the
landscape and top soil, we have about 1-6 of structural fill to bring in. The best fill material is gravel
about 1 inch diameter which can be bought from gravel supplier.
You can get fill material for free from excavation companies, construction companies, or concrete
contractors. If you see excavation in progress for basement or footing, ask for the dirt to be taken to your
site, the excavator will save dumping fee while you get free material for fill.
Free fill materials sometimes are mixed with trash or bio degradable material, so be careful. Big pieces of
old concrete and rock 6 inches diameter or more are not good fill material because they will leave big
voids between them when compacted.
The amount of fill needed can be calculated by using this formula: L x w x h (L=length, w=width,
h=height). Using the slab info above, total fill needed: 25.17'x24.25'x1.5' = 916 cubic feet, divide by 27
to convert to cubic yard yields 34 cubic yards. Since structural fill are sold in tonnage, total cubic yardage
will be required by gravel supplier in order to determine the
total tonnage.
Step 2: Backfill - concrete slab construction
The equipment and tools needed for backfilling: compactor,
wheelbarrow, level, and shovel. The backfilling for the slab in
the example project will take 2 hours max if a bobcat is used.
If done by hand with wheelbarrows, it may take two days or
more.
The first thing to fill and compacted are the voids left from
footing excavation followed by the gap between the foundation
walls and existing ground. This step will bring everything to the
same level leaving 18 inches at the top to fill.
An 18 inches fill needs to be done in two lifts, 9 inches per lift.
Before spreading the fill, mark the first lift 9 inches above the
existing ground at several locations of the foundation walls.
These marks will guide spreading of the fill material. Spread the fill about 2 inches above the 9 inch mark.
Run the compactor at the entire surface. Repeat the process for the final lift making sure to leave at least
4 inches for the slab.
Step 3: Install plumbing & utilities
At this stage, install all underground utilities such as floor drains, hookup for toilets, water lines, electrical
& mechanical that required to be underground.
Step 4: Request for inspection
After all utilities are installed, request inspections by the city building department.
Step 5: Re-backfill if necessary

If any of the fill was disturbed during the installation of utilities, refill and re-compact. Do not run the
compactor on top of buried pipes
Step 6: Request footings inspection
If there are interior footings to be poured monolithic with floor slabs request inspection by building
department. This step can be done in step 4 as well but make sure to notify the building department and
the inspector. There need to be a separate inspection report specifically for interior footing.
Step 7: Once you pass inspections, you are ready to pour the slab

Pouring Concrete Slab

Pouring concrete slab whether it is concrete slab floor, concrete patio slab, ormonolithic slabrequires very
careful planning.
The concrete pour usually takes a day but the process
leading up to the pour can take weeks to prepare.
This page is about the necessary procudures required
for a successful concrete slab construction.

To illustrate the procedure, let's consider the footing &

foundation plan shown here.
The list of things to do below contains the steps to be
followed as you prepare for pouring your cement
floors:
Step 1: Calculate yardage
Before pouring concrete slab, you must know how much concrete to order. The formula for calculating the
concrete quantity is L x w x h(L=length, w=width, h=height or thickness). Substituting the numbers into
the formula we have: 25.17 x 24.25 x 0.33 = 201.4 cubic feet, divide by 27 to convert to cubic yards,
the result is 7.5 cubic yards.
All the dimensions are in feet, 4 inch thick slab is the equivalent of 0.33 feet or 4 inches divide by 12
inches per foot (4/12)
Since the two interior footings will be poured monolithic with the slab, we need to add the amount of
concrete to the 7.5 cubic yards calculated above.

Per detail 2, the total thickness is 10 inches. Four of the 10 is

already included in the slab calculation, we need to add 6
inches. The two interior footings: one is 23'-6" long, the other
is 6'-4" long. Both are 16 inches
wide.
Combining the two footings we have
a total length of 29'-10". Using the
same formula used above we have
29.83'x1.33'x0.5' = 19.84 cubic
feet.
Note detail 5 show 1'-8" but for this
calculation we are using 1'-4" because that is the footing width per plan.
From detail 2 we need to add a little for the part of the footing that is flared,
let's assume a 4 inches wide and 6 inches high.
Combining the two triangle make a 6"x4" rectangle. Using the same formula: 29.83x0.33x0.5 = 4.92
cubic feet.
Total concrete for the interior footings are 19.84+4.92 = 24.76 divide by 27 to convert to yardage equal
0.92 cubic yard.
Adding the 0.92 to 7.5 for slab yields
8.42 cubic yards.
Concrete is sold in quarter yardage so
in this case we will be ordering 8.5
yard of concrete.
When you call to order, you will be
asked what mix you need. Since this
is interior floor slab, your mix will be
3000 psi.

Pouring a Concrete Slab

If you are pouring a concrete slab for cement floors or concrete patio slab it is extremely important to
make sure everything is ready prior to the cement truck pull up to your project.
You dont want to be caught short-handed in the middle of the pour especially for diy concrete slab.
Should this happen the cost concrete slab to fix can be very high.

This page is continuation of the discussion from pouring slab

Step 2: Concrete Finisher

Pouring a concrete slab requires a concrete finisher with experience to properly finish your floor or patio. A
poor job in finishing your floor slab or patio can cause hundreds if not thousands in repair, worse still you
might have to replace the slab.
Once the cement truck is at your project, you have one shot at finishing the slab correctly. I suggest
instead of buying concrete finish tools, invest in hiring a concrete finisher that already has tools.

Try calling a few concrete contractors on the yellow pages or search on the internet for local concrete
contractors and ask for a bid just to pour and finish 600 square feet concrete.
This should be 4 to 5 hours job for one good finisher and you as a helper, cost around $150-$200+/-.
If he brings a helper it will cost more but up front tell him you will be there to help. If he insists on
bringing a helper, he may not be up for the job. If his bid is reasonable, check out his work. Ask if he has
a pour for you to see his work.

Step 3: Order Concrete and Schedule Pour Date & Time

Contractors that do business with ready-mix concrete companies get their concrete at discount anywhere
from $15 to $20 per cubic yard less than a homeowner.
If you dont have contractor connection, call up all the ready-mix companies in town and shop for prices.
It is extremely important to watch the weather, the biggest enemy for concrete slab is rain, never pour
concrete slab in the rain. Footings and foundations at rain are not too bad, slab is a different story.
I have done it too many times and every incident is worse than the previous it is not worth it.

You need to coordinate the pour with your finisher. If he is only available after work or weekend, schedule
the pour accordingly.
Concrete for Saturdays pour is $5+ per yard extra. You must include this in your budget. Step 4:
Concrete Salesman
This is important, if you are new to concrete work, this step is a must.
After placing the order, ask the dispatch to send someone to your
project site to check if his truck can reach the slab pour without
damaging private properties.
Low power lines, narrow streets, tight turns are some of the reasons
concrete trucks can't get to your project.
If for some reason your concrete can't get to your pour, you need a plan B. Pouring a concrete slab for
those with less experience is hard work. Believe me, you don't want to start your plan B when your
concrete is at your driveway. Yes I have had those surprises too and it is not a good situation.
If it takes you too long to unload the concrete i.e. using wheelbarrows to unload or concrete finisher lack
of experience, you will be charged extra.
When ordering the concrete ask how much time you have to unload the 8.5 yards before they charge you
extra. Planning a head makes all the difference for a more successful project.
Back to pouring a concrete slab