The area shown in these steps is a small section of concrete adjoining a crossover
First determine the area of concrete you want to extend and mark for excavation. For concrete crossover extension you must prepare for min 150 mm thickness.
Now that the excavation is completed the next step is to drill holes in the existing concrete to hold the new concrete tight into the old concrete. The holes should be
drilled at a min of M12 to M16 diameter holes because this area is taking the wait of a car it needs to be stronger than normal concrete.
Now the holes a drilled the reio bar (reinforcement bar), a 16 mm Dow at a approximately 250 mm long. Fit the Dow into the drilled holes in your concrete and hit them firmly into position
Next get your mesh that you have it should be a size of F72 (that means a 7 mm bar at 200 mm square sections ) cut to the size needed with you bolt cutters
Lay the mesh in to position and tie the mesh to the Dow bars in the concrete with a recommended wire that you can get from your hardware store
Tie in a few places to keep it tight
Now let's put the boxing in to place to separate the new concreted area to the non concreted area as shown in pic 6 cut the timber to length between the curb and Chanel and the concrete path and fix with star pickets as seen below.
Let's work out how much concrete we need for the concreted area
First measure the length of the concreted area and the width and then multiply the 2 measurements together and the figure then needs to be multiplyed by the thickness of the concreted area as discussed earlier witch is 150 mm
This will give you the concrete volume needed .The concrete should be 25 mpa 80 slump
Tools required to complete this concrete project are;
a shovel,
a screed to help level the concrete mass
a mag trowel is to help push a level the surfaces
a 75 mm edger to form the perimeter of your concrete and leave a nice round edge
a Fuker joint trowel witch centers the expansion joint so if your concrete cracks, it will follow this line,
last but not least a pair of gumboots to protect from the chemicals in the concrete.
Let's finish the concrete with a broom finish nice and simple.
How to rectify uneven concrete
If you have an area of concrete that is holding water and is leaving marks or staining on you concrete it's very easy proses to repair
Using Hydracloric acid at a ratio of 20 to 1 That's 20 parts water and1 part acid spray areas that need repairing (Leveling) and scrub with a heavy brush and leave for 10 minutes
Concrete is veery hardy so leaving it for a bit longer want hurt especially if it's stained Seriously
Than when it's time to wash your concrete use a high pressure hose or a high pressure washer and give it a good rinse
Once the concrete is dried you can apply your leveling agent to your concreted areas that are afected
The concrete agent that I use is called Ardit it's formulated for concrete floors only and will level it self out if you follow instructions properly
Once you have mixed the required amount for your concrete you can apply as directed on to your troubled concreted areas
Allow to Settle but not Hardened and screed of the remaining Ardit repairer and remove from concreted areas
Once concreted areas that is being repaired is level to your requirements then leave and let the Ardit harden to your concrete
Read directions on cure times for the concreted areas that will calculate near to directions given on the packaging
Once concrete is completely covered to your requirements then the concrete is ready for sealing or colouring
If your thinking of concreting an area you have to prepare that area as follows
Step1 Mark out the area with a paint marker to show the out lined areas
Remove all grass and top soil Ect from that area as concrete and grass don't mix and can cause voids under your slab
Step 2 make sure the level that you want your concret finished at and the level after cleaning away grasses that you have a depth of more than 75 mm it might be more depending on the type of concrete you are using and the areas you are concreting
For drive ways a min of 125 mm is required
For general paths a min of75 mm is required so make sure you have the clearance for the type of concrete you are installing
A 20 mm crush rock is required for the base of you concrete to help with bonding and compaction of the ground beneath to give a level and firm area a compactor or water wheel is used to get a firm base
Do you require drainage for you concreted area seek advice on this
Step 3 A mesh sheat is required to. Hold your concrete together a size of f 72 is the normal size I use on most of my jobs
Cut the sheet to fit inside the area you want concreted
Box a a perimeter around the area you want concreted out of timber and fix into place with pickets
Step 4To find the volume of concrete you need To Measure the length by the width and multiply It and This will give you the volume of concrete you need
Eg 1200 mm x1200 mm X.100 mm =.25 mtrs of concrete
You will have sorce out your local concrete plant for delivery
Tools required for your concrete job
It doesn't matter the size of the job there are a small requIre ment on tools to get the job done
A shovel to help with spreading the mix and also preparing for the concrete
A spirit level to help with getting your concrete level or to the required levels
A trowel to smooth out the Concrete
An edger for the sides or boundary of your concrete so the edge is round and smooth
A long timber or screed to level the intier area if the area is large enough
If a stipple finish is required a spinner board trowel is needed
If your not confident in finishing you can hire a concrete finishare to do the job Depending on the size most will charge $300.00 per day
Sealing the surface of plain concrete with a plain sealer
The process is the same with all surfaces but using a plain sealer on a plain finish is quite a hard job especially if the area you want to seal is dirty with grime and oils
Step 1 using hydrochloric acid mixed at strong ratio of 10 to 2 is required to get deep down into the affected areas and to bring the concrete up like new
Step 2 be carefully of were the over spray is going because it will damage the items it becomes in contact with (cars)(plants )(the family Pet ).
Step 3 jet wash the area extremity good if not sure do it twice
If the area has come up to requirement proceed on to the next step
Step 6 with a roller apply as required to required areas
Note that there is a few types of sealer that have additives in them
One brand has a mold block in it for around wet areas
Seek professional help when choosing you sealer
Expansion joints in concrete
Nearly all concrete should have a type of joint ex specially paths and drive ways as they are prone to excessive movement
The types of expansion joint can differ from job to job or person to person
Most common joint is the "old fooker joint" witch is troweled into the concrete in designated areas Witch leaves a small indentation in the finished surface
The now used expansion join is the saw cut mostly done by demo saw that has a blade used only for cutting concrete
It leaves a neat 3 mm wide cut in the surface that is more productive for cracking if a cures and is a lot neater For the eye to look at and in many instances you can make patterns to resemble paving but is a bit costly to do so
Drainage For around concrete areas
Depending on the area you have will determand the amount of drainage if any required at all
If an area is of 30 sqr mtrs and bigger I would tend toPoint out for a drain exspecaly close to the house
If an intertaining Area is to be roofed and you require a dry area it's a good idea to have drainage of some sought
Types of drainage used is the all common aggy drain That is generally black in colour and made of plastic and has a hundred of holes through out
Other types is the 300x300 mm sqr drain with a grated lid and looks like a pan and comes with a plastic and steel lids
The storm pit witch is used for aggy drains witch are connected to storm water
Sizes range from 300x300 sqr to 400 mm deep
Also come in steel and plastic lidsProtecting concrete surfaces
Plain finish concrete can be sealed in two formats
1 with a coloured sealer that comes in many different colours and the application is very simple
Step 1 an hydrochloric acid is used to remove all grime from the area that's to be coloured
Step 2 dilute in water at approx 10 to 1 ratio that's 10 parts water (liters )to 1 part acid ( liter )
Step 3 with a stiff brush scrub heavily to remove all scum and grease
Step 4 high pressure wash down the entire area until all matter has been removed if this is not the case start again
Step 5 making sure there are no traces of acid or water on the surface ( means dried ) you can start painting the surface with the coloured sealer of your choice
Step 6 using a roller on a broom Handel away you go
Make sure you cut your edges in with a brush as a roller won't get into the nooks and crannies
Step 7 once your first coat is dried after a few hrs You can revisit areas or all of the area if you desire (a second coat )
Removing stains from your concrete:
Depending on the type of concrete you have most instances you can remove any stain from your concrete surface
Drive ways are the most common areas that need cleaning due to oil spills and fuel spills if you have a plain finish drive way you can by a product call hydrochloric acid
It mixes to the strength you need but seek professional advise first
It's quite simple to apply by spray bottle that's what I use and spray on affected area and scrub with a tough brush then hose off
If it has not removed all that you want removed start process again
Read bottle for instructions and keep away from bare skin
If you have a coloured drive way , Or it's being exposed aggregate
Or stenciled colour Hydrochloric acid on coloured surfaces is not ideal for your self to do , if mixture of acid it's to strong it will remove colour from that area you have chosen , so seek advice from a proff
On exposed aggregate areas most of the time they have a sealer applied so if so the stains will be superficial so the acid to water ratio will be small
Even if you damage the surface of your concrete either being exposed aggregate or coloured concrete most of the time it can be repaired
Don't forget though colour is very hard to match if your concrete is old
Damaged concrete
Drive ways and paths or general slabs
Depends on the level of damage to your concrete and the area it's damaged in will deteriorate if it can be repaired or replaced
Generally plain concrete finishes can be repaired no matter the place or the size of the damage
Concrete is a very versatile material and most circumstances so It can be done
Concrete repairs to coloured concrete is a different thing .area and placement place a very big part here if it's on a path in your back yard it can be repaired ,if it is in a large area like your drive it's pretty hard to colour match old from new or if You Have stencil and boarders Depending on the severity of the damage most cases something can be done
But please note not all colours are the same and as is the templates if You have stencil drive ways or large areas
Before making any decisions on your project please seek professional advice it could save you thousands
The new recycled glass exposed aggregates has a fresh new look tO the aggregate finishes
With 18 colours to chose from there is a colour pattern for your need
Exposed glass aggregates have a different application as to normal aggregates It has to be finished in two procedures
The finished look out ways any standered aggregate finish
There are no sharp edges to recycled glass as it is tumbled until it's smooth
So it is suitable for all areas