How to properly pour the concrete floor in the garage yourself
The concrete floor in the garage is a great area for car and indoor vehicle repairs. If you enjoy spending time in the garage, it should be your second home. The atmosphere should be conducive to a pleasant pastime outside of office hours. These thoughts are guided by car enthusiasts when planning a beautiful interior, but it is impossible without good flooring. It is his creation that should be dealt with in the first place.
Basic requirements for flooring
- Excellent resistance to static mechanical stress. The floor must be able to easily support the weight of the vehicle, shelving, workbench and equipment. Moreover, it is necessary to design with a margin so that the durability of the coating does not suffer. Surely not only a passenger car will be in your garage. From time to time, quite heavy cars will appear there.
- Shock resistance. Who's tools never fall? And you will periodically fall. Sufficiently heavy metal parts must not damage the floor or collapse.
- Resistant to chemicals. Gasoline, oils, acids and alkalis are not uncommon in a garage. Even the most accurate master will spill something in a few years. The ingress of corrosive liquids should not harm the floor.
- Resistant to temperature extremes. The floor should not support combustion, collapse in the cold. Most often, garages are not equipped with heating systems, and this should not be a problem for flooring.
- Practicality. Fast cleaning - order every day.
- Durability. The garage as a whole should serve its owner for more than 20 years. Premature floor wear is unacceptable.
All these are the possibilities and advantages of a concrete floor. That is why it is so common in modern garages. Another advantage is the ability to make the floor in the garage on the ground.
All these requirements are met by a concrete floor, but only with its correct arrangement. Fortunately, with the proper skill, you can do it without the involvement of specialists.
Concrete floor in the garage and its disadvantages
Is the construction of a concrete floor in the garage your choice? In this case, be prepared for difficulties. It has several disadvantages:
- Increased dust formation. In a garage with a concrete floor, this is a known problem. After drying, small particles of the coating begin to rise into the air and settle on objects. It will be unpleasant to be inside, and the car will have to be thoroughly cleaned after a long downtime. The problem is solved by creating an additional coating, for example, from rubber.
- Filling the floor in a garage with concrete is a rather laborious process. Of course, you can do it yourself, but the work is long and difficult. Study the process carefully. If you do not have the desire or opportunity to deal with this issue on your own, a team of builders will gladly do it for you for a fee.
- Garage floor concrete doesn't look good. The concrete surface is not attractive. If you want to create a beautiful interior in your garage, you will have to use additional coating.
If you are ready to put up with these shortcomings, it is worth starting to study the manufacturing technology. The most common option consists of 5 layers: compacted soil, gravel, sand cushion, waterproofing, reinforced concrete. Additionally, you can use insulation over waterproofing and a decorative topcoat.
Tools
To fill the concrete floor in the garage, you will have to acquire an impressive list of tools. To equip the pit and the site for the future floor, you will need a shovel and a wheelbarrow to transport excess soil. You can use an excavator if you have the finances.
Substrate preparation requires good compaction of the layers. To do this, you need a rammer: manual or machine. Here, too, a lot depends on the size of the budget. The second will cost more, and the first will take longer to complete the work. To determine the dimensions and quality of the coating as accurately as possible, you will need: tape measure, levels, thread, pencil, wooden pegs or other taps.
You will need to install timber formwork, tools for woodworking are useful: a hacksaw or jigsaw, a screwdriver or screwdriver, hammer. A grinder is useful for cutting reinforcing rods.
Pouring the mixture involves the use of the following tools:
- shovel;
- large metal ruler (rule);
- vibrators to remove bubbles from the mixture;
- hose for water supply.
Stock up on all the tools in advance.
Observe safety precautions during work. Be aware of the physical properties of the pouring liquid. Wear a thick apron and gloves. When using a grinder, make sure there are no flammable objects or substances nearby.
How to fill a garage floor
The concrete floor in the garage is made in several stages. Installation in the following order:
- site preparation;
- creation of sand and crushed stone cushion;
- laying of hydro and thermal insulation;
- installation of reinforcing elements;
- fill.
Now more about each stage.
Step 1. Site preparation
Concreting the garage floor begins with preparatory work. Remove the sod layer from the ground. If you are arranging a floor in an old garage, the old floors must be dismantled. Then dig a viewing hole if you need one in your garage. A metal box with waterproofing outside is suitable as walls for it. A better option is to pour concrete walls: dig a pit for the inspection pit, make a formwork and fill it with concrete.
Mark the floor with a laser level. Measurement results can be recorded on the walls or wooden pegs can be placed in the ground. Fix the dimensions by pulling the threads between the control points.
Step 2. Laying intermediate layers
Tamp the soil with special tools, cover it with an even layer of rubble. You can level it with a rule. Make a sand pillow on top. The thickness of each layer is 5 cm. The total thickness of the concrete floor in the garage will be about 25 cm with all layers.
Make wood formwork. Lay the foam on the outside in a layer 5 cm thick. Place a waterproofing layer on the sand pad. You can add insulating material on top.
Step 3. Filling
Cut the steel rods and wire them together. Create a complete steel structure for the entire floor area. Place it at a slight elevation so that it sits exactly in the middle of the concrete.
Prepare a concrete mix and pour it starting from the center. Distribute its amount with a shovel, make sure that there are no voids. Apply a vibrator to the layer to expel air bubbles. How to level the concrete floor in the garage? Only the rule.
Leave the mixture to dry under plastic. Remove the pegs the next day. Moisten the finish a little every day for the next week. Wait for the concrete to gain strength and you can use it!