What kind of wire do you use for a concrete slab?

YES When long joint spacing is required or when joints are unacceptable in floor use.

Although short joint spacings alleviate the need for reinforcement, wire mesh will allow for increased distance between joints if correctly placed in the upper portion of the slab, at least two inches below the surface..

In a plastic bowl, mix three parts contractor's sand to one part Portland cement. Mix 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of concrete fortifier, and add slowly to the sand until it reaches the consistency of a thick brownie batter. The easiest way to do this is to squish it with your hands wearing rubber gloves.

Quikrete 5000 (20-25 Bags) QUIKRETE® 5000 Concrete Mix is a commercial-grade blend of stone or gravel, sand, and cement and is specially designed for higher early strength. This is the recommended concrete mix to use because of the high early strength and low price.

You do not need rebar for any slab if you make it thick enough and space the joints properly. Rebar in jointed pavement is there to counter the cupping effect of thermal expansion. I always recommend the use of rebar or at least rewire. Any concrete slab can crack.

If you're not doing a commercial-level project but still want some additional reinforcement for your concrete, a wire mesh is a great (and cheaper) alternative to rebar. Wire mesh use is becoming much more common for projects like a home driveway.

QUIKRETE® Countertop Mix (No. 1106-80) is a specially formulated flowable high-strength concrete mix for pre-cast and cast-in-place concrete countertop applications.

SUNOCO CONCRETE FORM RELEASE OIL is a premium quality lubricant formulated as a quick, non-staining releasing agent for metal and wooden forms. The fluid is specially compounded with a combination spreading and releasing agent to prevent cement from adhering to form surfaces.

If you want to spray paint a concrete plant pot, make sure you choose a spray paint labeled for masonry, which adheres to the concrete more effectively than standard spray paints.

Do not spray paint the concrete plant pots while they have plants inside of them..

Use a carbide-tipped wood-cutting blade to minimize dust. Cement is a very hard material, so you'll need to use a blade that can handle the material. Carbide-tipped wood-cutting blades have fewer teeth than other circular saw blades and the carbide can withstand the strain of the cement.

You can use any type of concrete, but I recommend buying high quality concrete because you want to make sure you don't have to re-install your flagpole should it fall over or the concrete begin to crack. I mixed the concrete in a wheel barrow and poured it around the PVC tube about a quarter of the way up the pipe.

Sherwin-Williams Duration® Exterior Latex Coatings are the best topcoat choices for new fiber-cement siding. Because they have a substantially higher film build than conventional paints, only one coat is necessary over a primed surface – and Duration is guaranteed not to peel or blister.

engineered wood floorA floating floor is the perfect companion for a concrete subfloor. According to flooring experts, the best kind of wood flooring to use with a concrete subfloor is a floating engineered wood floor. This kind of floor performs well, resists moisture and is easy to install.

You can use oil-based, latex or acrylic exterior paint. Oil and petroleum-based paints should not be used on the inside of the water basin where birds drink, but are fine for the basin exterior and pedestal base. Latex and acrylic paints are safe inside the basin after they fully dry.

Soft sand is also known as building sand and contains fine grains of sand and is used for bricklaying, pointing and where thin layers of mortar are required. Sharp sand is more coarse than building/soft sand and is perfect for mixing with other sands to prevent cracking during the drying process.

A concrete slab is a structural feature, usually of constant thickness, that can be used as a floor or a roof. A slab-on-ground is supported on the subsoil and is usually reinforced with reinforcing bars or welded wire mesh.

Use wire mesh for driveways that are 4 to 5 inches thick, and rebar for those that are 5 inches or more. Place rebar in a grid pattern with a spacing between bars of approximately 12 inches. In either case, blocks should be used under the reinforcement to keep centered within the concrete.

Sisal fiber makes good reinforcement for plaster molds. Wire can work too, but coathanger wire will rust. Make sure you let the plaster dry for a day or two before trying to unmold it. Also, make sure you're mixing the plaster correctly.

Driveways Sidewalk Concrete Colored Paint Low VOC Option ColorTec Acrylic™ SureCrete's SureSeal ColorTec Acrylic™ is an exterior concrete paint that can be used for coloring driveway and sidewalk that require a high traffic coating. 30 standard colors include gray, silver, white, red, brown and tan.

Concrete porch and patio paints are frequently low-luster acrylic latex paints designed to conceal imperfections and resist fading, scuffing, cracking and UV damage. Epoxy-based paints provide high durability and stain resistance, making them ideal for garage or patio floors.

YES When long joint spacing is required or when joints are unacceptable in floor use. Although short joint spacings alleviate the need for reinforcement, wire mesh will allow for increased distance between joints if correctly placed in the upper portion of the slab, at least two inches below the surface.

Rebar is not necessary for every concrete project. ... Wire mesh use is becoming much more common for projects like a home driveway. Reinforcing concrete with rebar or wire mesh not only makes the concrete strong, but it also significantly curtails the number of cracks that appear in that concrete down the line.

Dobies/Chairs: Small concrete blocks or plastic chairs are placed between the base & the wire mesh to hold the wire mesh in the center of the slab. Both come in an assortment of sizes and ensure the wire mesh remains in the center of the slab.

Sharp Sand (which has larger grains) is used for concreting or laying paving slabs and Soft Sand is used for bricklaying, etc.

It is also possible to buy mixed aggregate containing both coarse and fine aggregates..

Pour dry concrete mix into the hole. Most mailbox post installations require a 60 lb. bag of dry concrete. Pour a little more water on top of the concrete mix.

Steel Toe shoes are one of the best for working in concrete and a lot of related construction work. Brands like Timberland, Wolverine, Caterpillar, Danner, Carhartt and Thorogood are some of the most popular for this type of boot.

“No material more than 3/16-inch in diameter should be used in a countertop less than 3 inches thick.” ... Ladder wire and wire mesh are used by many concrete countertop contractors, and for good reason: Both materials are strong and small enough to use effectively in countertops.

A good rule of thumb is to use reinforcing less than 3/16 inch in diameter for concrete that will be less than 3 inches thick.

Countertops that use 3/8-inch rebar for strength can develop telegraph cracks on top of the bars.

Reinforcing wire won't cause this problem..

Floor Mud QUIKRETEQUIKRETE® Floor Mud (No. 1548-81) is a Portland cement based underlayment mortar designed for leveling travertine, slate and marble floor tile, and for shower pan applications.

The best concrete mix for shower pans is made by Quikrete.

They make two products, the first is called Floor Mud, the 2nd is their Sand/Topping mix.

Both work great for building a shower pan..

For a concrete patio slab the best method of providing reinforcement is to use either wire mesh or steel bars (rebar) placed in a grid pattern. The use of rebar requires that each of the intersections of rebar be tied together with rebar tie wire. ... This must be done as soon as the concrete is poured.

Wire mesh, like Rebar reduced the cracking and any uplift in the concrete driveway. Rebar will be used if there is a structural reason, meaning you need to carry the weight of the slab to pilings or plan to build above the slab. For a driveway, just use the wire, lap it one box around.

If done properly, new concrete can often be poured right over an existing slab.

For this to be feasible, the contractor needs to pour at least 2 inches thick, use smaller aggregate, and incorporate reinforcement such as welded wire mesh or fiber mixed into the concrete..

Wire mesh, like Rebar reduced the cracking and any uplift in the concrete driveway.

Rebar will be used if there is a structural reason, meaning you need to carry the weight of the slab to pilings or plan to build above the slab.

For a driveway, just use the wire, lap it one box around..

Using steel reinforcement will provide additional structural capacity for your driveway and is especially important if the slab will be exposed to heavy traffic. ... Use wire mesh for driveways that are 4 to 5 inches thick, and rebar for those that are 5 inches or more.

After the concrete blocks are laid, the voids can be filled with a cement-based mortar or poured concrete that contains small pea gravel. If the builder does this, the filled concrete block walls become nearly identical to poured concrete walls.

Fast-setting concrete is ideal for installing fence posts since it doesn't need to be mixed in a bucket or a wheelbarrow. Once you've finished digging your post holes, add about three to four inches of gravel into the bottom and compact it using a post or a 2x4.

Acrylic paintFor cement boards that have already been primed, 100% acrylic exterior paint is recommended. Acrylic paint is the best choice for cement board. It's especially important if you are working with new cement board to avoid oil-based primer.

Modified thinset is the product of choice for most tile installations because of its increased strength and bonding with minimal shrinkage, which means a reduced chance of cracks forming in the tile. WarmlyYours Radiant Heating recommends modified thinset mortar for nearly all tile and stone installations.

Really depends on what the slab is used for but in general no you can install wire mesh or use fibered concrete. However you do need something to tie the concrete it just doesn't have to be rebar. You do not need rebar for any slab if you make it thick enough and space the joints properly. ... Any concrete slab can crack.

If you don't know what kind of paint it is, or don't have the can with you, then simply use a general all purpose paint stripper, like this earth friendly water based paint stripper. Next, the paint stripper will need to be applied to the concrete. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

UltraTech Concrete Slab Plus has been designed for all kind of roofs and slabs. It is impervious, durable and has been designed by adding special additives and compounds that minimize chances of water seepage in the slab.

Floating slabs are concrete slabs that are laying over the ground, without any kind of anchoring, as if it simply sits on it and floats. Floating slab, as the name tells it resembles a plate that is simply laid over water, with no kind of connection between them.

wire mesh, the short answer is: use both.

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Concrete driveways that need to carry a heavy load should have both rebar and wire mesh to reinforce the concrete.

For a patio, you might be able to get away with using welded wire mesh.

But remember, all concrete will crack and all concrete will shrink..

Fast-setting concrete is ideal for installing fence posts since it doesn't need to be mixed in a bucket or a wheelbarrow. Once you've finished digging your post holes, add about three to four inches of gravel into the bottom and compact it using a post or a 2x4.

The IRC requires that slabs be built with concrete with compressive strengths from 2500 to 3500 psi, depending on the climate. ACI goes further and recommends 4500-psi concrete for garages in the northern half of the country.

Epoxy paint(Epoxy paint is the best choice for floors, which take a lot of abuse.

You'll get the most durable results from epoxy, and it will hold up better over time than latex paint.) Be sure that both the primer and paint are suitable for the location of your floor, whether it's an interior or exterior surface..

A wire brush can be used to scrub away dried mortar from the area, but that can take quite some time if you do it by hand. A wire brush attachment for a hand drill cuts the time in half and gives the slate a clean surface in no time.

QUIKRETE® Floor Mud (No. 1548-81) is a Portland cement based underlayment mortar designed for leveling travertine, slate and marble floor tile, and for shower pan applications.

Thinset mortar is your default tile mortar for most indoor and outdoor applications. Thinset is a mortar that is made of Portland cement, silica sand, and moisture-retaining agents. Thinset tile mortar has a smooth, slippery consistency, similar to mud.

The IRC requires that slabs be built with concrete with compressive strengths from 2500 to 3500 psi, depending on the climate. ACI goes further and recommends 4500-psi concrete for garages floor slab.