how thick should my cement floor be in sugar shack

[foxtailsugary]

i am getting ready to pour my floor in my new sugar shack and dont know how deep of a pad i need. i am getting my 2x6 badgerland delivered first weekend in november so i need to get moving on my floor.

[optionguru]

My shack is 14x16 and I poured the floor 6" thick since it's a floating slab. Put in rebar and fiber in the mix to help avoid cracking.

[wnybassman]

I averaged right around 6" myself on my 10x16. I just used mesh in the mix. After 12 months there are no cracks yet, but there will be. All concrete cracks eventually. lol

[madmapler]

You can pour as thick as you want but the avg. thickness is 4". That's the typical thickness for most residential garages and basements. I can't see why it wouldn't be more than adequate in a sugarhouse. Whoever poured the floor in my sugarhouse went about 3". I wouldn't recommend it but I split wood on it with no sign of a problem. If its not encased by a foundation then it should be about a foot or more deep around the edges for a foot inward and then sloped up to the floor thickness within the next foot inward. A couple rows of rebar around the perimeter and some wire mesh over the whole floor area would be good. It really depends a lot on the ground you're pouring on. If its wet then do all you can to reinforce it. If its dry or well draining then less is often sufficient. I doubt frost is nearly the problem where you are compared to us further north but I don't really know that.

[PerryFamily]

6" thick
12" grid of #4 rebar
Thicker edged 12" thick / 12-18" inward
Anchor bolts for walls

Shouldn't ever have a problem
I put 2" blue board under mine as well



It doesn't cost more to do it right the first time when you have to do it twice because you cheaped out

[Schiefe4]

6" thick
12" grid of #4 rebar
Thicker edged 12" thick / 12-18" inward
Anchor bolts for walls

Shouldn't ever have a problem
I put 2" blue board under mine as well



It doesn't cost more to do it right the first time when you have to do it twice because you cheaped out

Yup! .

[SDdave]

6" thick
12" grid of #4 rebar
Thicker edged 12" thick / 12-18" inward
Anchor bolts for walls

Shouldn't ever have a problem
I put 2" blue board under mine as well



It doesn't cost more to do it right the first time when you have to do it twice because you cheaped out

X3

SDdave

[Daveg]

.......and you want a firm base. If the soil/gravel/base was recently disturbed you'll want to tamp it.
When they're finishing the surface, some folks put a groove every 6'-8' as a planned place for the concrete to crack without it being unsightly.

[Super Sapper]

I just poured mine at 4 inches with fiber mesh. This as was said is standard and will hold up to what you have in a sugar house unless you are having 1000 gallon plus tanks in there. Six inches will not hurt but is added cost. What is more important is your base, if that is not compacted and stable you will have problems.

[madmapler]

It doesn't cost more to do it right the first time when you have to do it twice because you cheaped out As I said in my post, You can go as thick as you want but 6" is simply not necessary and it certainly isn't the "standard" for doing it right. I've poured concrete for over 20 years from garages and barns to large projects where we had to pump it. I've jackhammered several floors that weren't "done right" and the thickness was never the issue. It's always poor preparation. I've never had a floor fail and 4" has and always will be plenty. Those who go thicker may have little experience/confidence in their ability and that's fine. Do what makes you sleep better. But a properly prepared 4" pour is NOT "cheaping out".

[PerryFamily]

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right.

If your happy with 4" go for it

If you want a product that will last no matter what you plan to do with the building over build it.

I will agree with the expert Mr mapler on one point though, proper prep work is key to any project. If the base is propper and correct the rest of the building will be correct. Everything starts at the bottom.

No disrespect to mr mapler but I've been in construction my whole life as well. Seen it and built it. Last project I did a bernardston based concrete outfit did the Crete. Inch an a half out of square, bowed walls, elevation off an inch and a puddle in the floor. These were professionals I was told.

Anyway, but it right and you'll have years of good service

[n8hutch]

I tend to like 6" slabs, I have Done the prep work for at least 50 slabs maybe more. Call me Lazy but is a pain in the @$$ to Fine grade a large area like that, generally I am happy to get within 3/4s of an Inch and move on to doing something more productive. Only problem with that is if you do a 4" slab & you are out 3/4 then you more or less have a 3" slab.

If you don't have a compacter, you can use water to get the desired compaction if you have sandy soils.

[madmapler]

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right.

If your happy with 4" go for it

If you want a product that will last no matter what you plan to do with the building over build it.

I will agree with the expert Mr mapler on one point though, proper prep work is key to any project. If the base is propper and correct the rest of the building will be correct. Everything starts at the bottom.

No disrespect to mr mapler but I've been in construction my whole life as well. Seen it and built it. Last project I did a bernardston based concrete outfit did the Crete. Inch an a half out of square, bowed walls, elevation off an inch and a puddle in the floor. These were professionals I was told.

Anyway, but it right and you'll have years of good service
Construction is a pretty broad field. You can drive a dump truck and say you've done construction your whole life but whatever. As I said before, do whatever you need to sleep at night. BTW. The last project I did, I did my own concrete.

[TonyL]

Four inches is plenty. You can park your car and pickup on that. The key, as has been mentioned, is in the prep.

Mom and dad owned a concrete company. I've batched, drove the trucks, poured and finished, and took test cylinders. Four inches of 4000 lb test is more than enough.

[psparr]

Four inches is plenty. You can park your car and pickup on that. The key, as has been mentioned, is in the prep.

Mom and dad owned a concrete company. I've batched, drove the trucks, poured and finished, and took test cylinders. Four inches of 4000 lb test is more than enough.

I've seen guys do a slump test for the inspector then yell "loosen er up!" To the driver. You mud guys will get that.

[TonyL]

I've seen guys do a slump test for the inspector then yell "loosen er up!" To the driver. You mud guys will get that.

And I've seen inspectors with keen hearing also, and wise enough to know that the drum better not reverse once they had taken their tests and approved the load.

[PerryFamily]

Good luck with your building foxtailsugary. Build your sugar house ( hate the term shack) the best way you can afford to do it. It will always be an asset to your property. Please post pictures as you progress !!!

[Father & Son]

Our frost line in places last year was between 2 1/2 & 3 ft deep with temps dropping to the -30's. Very rare for here and the coldest I had ever seen. Have a good compacted base and reinforce.

Jim

[maple flats]

My floor was poured in stages. The first pour was a footing 4' down at 8" thick, under the evaporator. Then I laid blocks up to 4" from the finished height. Then I formed that and poured it 4" thick, with compacted crushed stone filling both in and outside of the laid block foundation (the inner space, did not fill the hollows in the blocks). Then 2 yrs later I poured, on a well tamped crushed stone base (crusher run) half the floor with #4 rebar at 8" x 12" grid and left 8" sticking out thru the forms to tie the second pour to this one. I also put expansion joints where this pour met the evaporator pad. Then 2 yrs later, I did the same to the rest of the floor in the same manner. That last pour was in 2008 and even though it was pour over a few years in stages, I still have no cracking. This is all a floating pad except under the evaporator, which has the 4'+ deep footing (4' down to the top of that pour 8" pour. It all depends on the proper prep of the base. As I added crushed stone I tamped it well in lifts of 3-4" at a time.

[foxtailsugary]

so i found a guy that makes syrup himself so he is doing it the same as he did his and his has been 5+ years no issues. pea gravel base plastic because our property is full of springs.. wire mats and 4'' main then it tapers down to 12" at the door and goes outside a foot. building is a old garage that we put new trusses up and metal roof. on. so i will call it a shack because the walls look like a shack lol.

[foxtailsugary]

1203812039

[PerryFamily]

Looks like it will work. Just make sure the reinforcement is in the middle of the slab. It doesn't do any good on the bottom. As long as your happy that's all that counts!

[foxtailsugary]

poured wednesday and all went great. pulled forms and started installing new windows last night.

[Waynehere]

My neighbor put down plastic before he poured his garage 27 years ago. I poured mine about 5 years ago when I moved in next door. He has horrible sweating issues on humid days while I don't. I think the plastic stops the concrete from breathing and will make it sweat. Wish you luck..

[n8hutch]

Sweating is more likely to be caused by the type of material under the slab, my garage floor has no plastic & is a foot higher than the surrounding area. It was however poured on terrible soil and sweats like crazy. I have contemplated jacking it up moving it onto a better slab. As has been said before, what's under the slab is dually important as the thickness, insulation, moisture barriers and anything else you want add.