It will take a lot of work learning how to pour a concrete slab. Be sure to prepare the materials you need before working on one. Remember to wear gloves and other safety equipment.
Materials: concrete, water, lumber, nails
Tools: shovel, trowel, hammer, level, measuring tape, carpenters square, wheelbarrow, bucket.
Instructions
1. The first thing you need to do on how to pour a concrete slab is to make a frame using lumber. This will be used to border the concrete to avoid from spreading.
2. On top of the frame, nail a piece of lumber from one corner to the other. This will ensure the frame to remain square till pegged in place.
3. After laying the frame in place make sure it is level and then fastened using a hammer with pointed pegs at 900mm or 3ft intervals against the exterior of the form work or frame.
4. Use a shovel to make a 100mm (4″) deep ditch around the border of the floor area with a width of about 200mm (8″). This is a foundation that will give the border of the concrete floor more strength and depth. It also supports the shed walls – the tough part on how to pour a concrete slab.
5. Cut the tops of the pegs with a saw to even with the top of the frame. Lightly sprinkle with water the pour area before pouring the concrete. You may start mixing the concrete.
6. Pour and fill the pour area with concrete to a height about 75mm (3″) below the top of the frame. To help handle the cracking and to give support to the slab you add steel rods as added reinforcement.
7. Lay a rod of thick reinforcing steel around the boundary of the pour area. From the frame, the rod should be at least 50mm (2″) in and 50mm (2″) down from top of the frame. Wherever the steel rod joins, make a 400mm (16″) overlap and tie together with a tie wire.
8. Load another batch of concrete into the pour area about the height of the top of the frame. Using a hammer, you get rid of air pockets by tapping around the exterior of the frame. Use a smooth and straight lumber to level out the exterior. Do it in a sawing motion along the tops of the frame till the concrete is smooth all over.
9. Here are the finishing touches on how to pour a concrete slab. Use a trowel to smooth over the leveled concrete, sweeping it back and forth in broad arcs. Allow it to dry or until all the excess water on the surface has evaporated; re-trowel if necessary.
10. You can take the frame off the next day if it can be easily detached. For some reason if the frame needs to be hammered to be removed, then better leave it for three days until it is hard enough to endure the beating. And these are the fundamentals on how to pour a concrete slab.
The instructions may seem simple enough but the entire process on how to pour a concrete slab will take a lot of work. Remember to put on safety gear whenever working on site.
