Garage Concrete Floor (How Thick?) (How Much Slope?)

#EverythingAboutConcrete #GarageFloor #MikeDayConcrete
In this video I'm showing you how to pour a garage floor and talking about how thick to pour a garage floor.
We also sloped this garage floor 2.5" towards the garage door to help shed water that gets dripped onto the floor.
We poured this garage floor 5 inches thick but a lot of the garage floors we pour are only 4" thick. 4" is strong enough for a residential garage floor if the sub-base is properly compacted with good gravel.
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[@Stephen-ie7uq]

I like your method of over dubbing after the fact instead of addressing the camera on site. It allows you to be a lot more informative. Excellent tutorial

[@ConstructionMachineryChannel]

Love the sound of concrete being poured 👍🏻

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Very satisfying Yes.

[@izaiahavery705]

pro trick: you can watch series at kaldrostream. I've been using it for watching lots of of movies during the lockdown.

[@royalonyx2919]

@Izaiah Avery yup, have been watching on kaldroStream for months myself :D

[@barryrohrmeier2399]

You guys make it look easy. A true testament to hard work and professionalism. Stay Warm !!!!!

[@KodaGSD-uf3hg]

Great video s I’m in Rhode Island just an old man in 60 s still learning I’m good with carpentry cement works always on my list of projects extremely educational thank You and crew nice clean work

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks

[@davidparker8475]

Thanks Mike. I'm amazed concrete can be poured successfully in 15 degree temperatures. I'm not a pro but have poured one 40 x 25 slab. Your videos taught me everything I could have done better, for the next home later this year.

[@iowamatt2519]

Sometimes I'm jealous seeing u guys pouring in the winter, then I step outside and remember why I sold my ground heater and 2 semi loads of blankets. Just trying to keep the guys busy can get expensive.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yea, it's hard to get up and get going when the temps are in the teens. The older I get the harder it is.

[@skliros9235]

@@MikeDayConcrete move south!

[@antonettebroomfield8550]

Great job! I love watching your videos. I told my hubby we should get into concrete and he told me no. Oh well I tried. I’ll just keep watching you then.

[@eddyjzylstra8520]

Thanks Mike. Great work, good advice. very true and forthcoming about your business. I think it's so good that you do this. You deserve your success. And your helping me find mine. so thanks for everything.

[@mikeortiz1338]

Another great pour! You seriously need to have a hands-on course, I'd be the first to sign up!

[@IvanHVAC]

2nd. Bro

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I might do something like that this summer. Got to get past this pandemic stuff first.

[@chrisdaniel4919]

Love your videos. I am a masonry contractor. Do some cement not much finish work. Pour a few foundation. Yall do great work. Every in Alabama stop by.

[@deepblue8442]

Mike, next time tool in a 2"x2" keyway in the base slab where the center of the wall is. This will tie in the wall to the slab AND as a bonus prevent water infiltration. Keep the rebar but stagger it just to the edge of the keyway. Some tarring should be applied where backfilled as well.

[@tonyvalerio3778]

Another great job Mike i like using the water reducer on my Jobs also.Tony from New Mexico.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Hi Tony, thanks!

[@johnfahey7215]

20 years ago, I noticed contractors like you in South east NY started making chutes out of big pvc pipe cut in half. So they had their own custom chutes. But I’ve never seen a conveyor truck around here

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Some guys still have those pvc chutes, but most now have the aluminum ones. They are expensive though. I've had some for over 10 years. Worn a hole through the bottoms from so much concrete flowing through them.

[@jamesrush4972]

A lot goes into pouring a concrete garage floor. We can do the prep work, level, gravel, compact and wire. Concrete workers pour, pitch and finish pretty. Note the additives to the Crete.

[@mikecawthorn7806]

Nice one bud Never seen pouring in cold weather like you do. The problem we have is keeping it cool on 40 celcius day. Mike West Australia

[@T.E.P.]

another fantastic video and your explanations are great. super interesting to learn how stuff goes in Maine. thanks always Mike!

[@mattd8222]

The concrete trucks around here usually have an extra 8 ft chute they carry on the side of the truck so you don't need your own. I am in Idaho. The majority of our concrete trucks dump out the front also. The driver can control everything from the drivers seat. Most drivers are pretty nice around here, some don't listen to your instruction and try to rush you.

[@jameshaskell4254]

Hi Mike, we would of used a wheelbarrow or the carver on truck. Great videos been watching a lot of them . I have a concrete construction company. We do alot of the same work you do in Maine. We are based out of Central New York so we get the same weather. I like you videos because you guys deal with the same stuff. Thanks for the videos and keep it up. It really helps me and my small concrete business. My name is jim and I owner of Haskell concrete construction inc.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Hi Jim, let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[@samsiryani9023]

Just look at their foot work, the proper way.. just great stuff men.

[@hardrockminer-50]

Like watching a ballet when they're screeding. They've been working together a long time. A tribute to you as their leader to get and retain a good team. That way, everyone makes good money, the customer gets a quality product.

[@mad-maxx2211]

Hello. Great videos. I was wondering how much I should be paying for stamped concrete per square foot? I live in Las Vegas and have 400 sqft to do.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

A general price would be between 15 - 20 per sf. Not including sub-base prep.

[@dgadver]

Great video. Very informative. Well narrated. What do you do with an existing garage floor that's cracked and unlevel? Do you have to remove it?

[@CybekCusal]

This is a great channel. I love the videos.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@IvanHVAC]

Yall are the best, with Odell. What would you do if you ever run short?? Also how much water reducer to add to a yard? Ty

[@MikeDayConcrete]

If we run short we call for another load. It really sucks though. They add around 8 to 10 ounces per yard. Depends on the brand and if you want mid or high range.

[@rongrose3746]

Another quality slab !! Will you have to cover to protect from the cold weather ??

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yes, they had blankets there.

[@lucyandjumper7558]

Nice job Mike!!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks!

[@cbalano]

I started thinking that you guys finally got better at prepping, but then Mike revealed that the prep was done by another team.

[@markedwards4516]

Hi Mike. Thanks for the great videos. A question for you. How do slope and thickness work together? Is the middle of this pad 5” thick and one end then 6.25” and the other end 3.75”? Or is it minimum of 5” for all (7.5” at one end, 6.25” in middle, and 5” at door)? Thanks.

[@williamleos1002]

The rebar and fabric looked like it was not embedded in the concrete. Was it?

[@stephenlinares1385]

I noticed when you guys bull float you never seem to run the float the whole distance of the bay...always seem to just stop short..just wondering why to help preventing a "Dip"?

[@ozzygurung8303]

U guys make it look sooo easy👍👏💪😓

[@joeconner9801]

I’m having a 16’ made this week! We do a lot of patios that maybe 25-30’. We normally just pull it r shoot it some. But that’s getting old!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

We use these chutes all the time, I got an 8, 12, 16. Saves a lot of pulling.

[@joeconner9801]

@@MikeDayConcrete ever had a problem with the driver not allowing you to put the chute on the truck?

[@mikesammons9037]

I have been meaning to ask you why do you like the psi mixes so much compare to the bag mixes. Also have you ever used the bag mixes? Thanks Mike

[@justame7638]

whats the coldest exterior stamped job you have done?

[@volleydave2012]

We do 3 1/2 inch slope

[@T.E.P.]

some guys here in MN use repurposed brick for chairs ... is it common out there in Maine?

[@onecrisde]

What type of fiber do you specify? I've been studying. Getting ready to pour a slab for a cabin.

[@timbiggam2626]

Mike. This is tim. I don't know what I would do. 😮

[@davea7297]

Hey Mike What kind of tolerance do you hols for your slab flatness. +/- 1/8", dips or low spots? This has been something that I fight myself with when pouring concrete.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

On a residential there nobody holding us to a tolerance but I would say we're about 1/8" in 10'. You can tell when you power trowel. Also when we snap chalk lines on the floor to saw joints, you can see how flat it is.

[@mikemckinnis3877]

What did you use for accelerator,calcium or calcium chloride and what %? Your crete looks alot nicer than ours here in Montana. One time float and its sealed up with no lines pouring at a 7.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

4000 psi with 50lb bag of cal. We used 1.5 bags per truck on this one. 5.5 yds per truck. This company does have a nice creamy mix. Very east to pour and finish.

[@mikemckinnis3877]

@@MikeDayConcrete its hard for me to make the comparison because calcium is liquid here and instead if adding bags we go by percentage. For instance I poured a 2400 sqft slab the other day and added 2.5%. We pour with 4000 psi in most all slabs unless engineered for more. Thanks for the reply I appreciate it.

[@travisg5417]

Do you always use high range or do you use mid range as well? Is there a workability difference?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Mostly mid, there's no difference in finishing or workability.

[@peterwill3699]

Hi Mike ,what do you do when you turn up short? I poured machine foundations in when they removed machinery and we threw in all kinds of old compressor parts in to make it level.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I call for another load. If it's less than a wheel barrow then we'll try to fill with stone and mix with the concrete but it might only happen once a year for us.

[@peterwill3699]

Hi Mike ,I would hate to try to excavate some of those fill ins we did at the Worthington Compressors in Holyoke,MA.Its a Amazon distribution center now.

[@samuelaliano7141]

Nice job

[@clown7292]

Is it possible to do concrete this thick in squares?

[@davidpalmer8419]

Which bag of pre mix concrete do you recommend for smooth finishing work? I can never get the basic quickrete 60lb to be smooth since there's so much aggregate it seems like.

[@danno55328]

Quikcrete 5000, mix relatively dry and you’ll get pretty close to what you would get with ready-mix. The cheaper bag mix they tend to skimp on the amount of cement mixed with the aggregate. Hope this helps.

[@davidpalmer8419]

@@danno55328 yeah I had a feeling I should go with the 5000 pro finish. Thank you

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yes, the 5000 is closest. You can even add a quart of cement to it when you mix for better workability.

[@justinepstein4756]

My builder says 6" thick is code, could that be true?

[@utahnick]

Cool watching this 👍

[@nanmer7135]

Do you have a video on how to form a very steep yard?

[@Tom-yb6sl]

you may need a retaining wall to level it out depending on purpose of concrete.

[@nanmer7135]

@@Tom-yb6sl it's for a 12x20 she'd. So no video on something like that?

[@helmanfrow]

I guess what I don't understand is how concrete stays sloped. Why doesn't it level out like water?

[@SportsHandicappingService]

Pouring concrete outside in 15 degree weather? Did you cover it with insulated blankets? Concrete freezes and weakens it.... That’s not allowed in Minnesota, I’m shocked that’s allowed there. In Minnesota winters, Concrete needs to be poured at above 40 degrees and heat left on it for two days while concrete cures.

[@johnruth4311]

Mike, why did you ignore the wire mesh and rebar elevated by bricks? You or your guys just left them on the ground. Explain to everyone how good that is. You are suppose to be a learning tool here and I don't mean to pick your work apart but that wire mesh and rebar are important to the integrity of that slab. It's so easy to do it Right.

[@JOEB955]

I am no concrete guy but I would think that they would make a screed with handles to where you would not have to bend over so much instead of a long 2 x 4??

[@MikeDayConcrete]

They do have those, we're just old school.

[@JOEB955]

@@MikeDayConcrete Thanks - I enjoy you videos! I am a tennis court resurfacer guy out of Kansas City Mo - Always something to learn!

[@edfoulk5266]

Where can I get a chute like that

[@albertojuarez8324]

I thought and was told when I was an apprentice that the slope for concrete couldn’t exceed 2.4% is that true ? I don’t do too much concrete I’m a farmer but I’ve done some form work in the past but I’m no expert when it comes to concrete but I like learning about all aspects of construction

[@albertojuarez8324]

Ment to say framer not farmer I mainly do wood framing I’ve only been in construction for about 5 years so thers still a lot I’m learning and need to learn I’ve been wanting to learn more about concrete maybe you can answer my ?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

On a garage floor there's no code as to how much slope where I'm from. We do what's reasonable so it'll shed water.

[@albertojuarez8324]

Im from California I’ve formed a few side walks and one time we had to tear out a few because our slope exceeded a 2.4% just wanted to know if this applies to most pours thanks for the info appreciate it

[@johnjacobjinglehimerschmid3555]

Ok ... so in videos by others I never saw them come in with a laser level and shoot the depth of the concrete so I can see how in the middle you determine how thick the concrete has to be. On the sides I assume you strung a chalk line at the level required to get the requested slope and thickness. So .... the guy with the laser level does not seem to be there in the middle religiously, lack of better word here, verifying that the inside, middle screeder, is keeping the correct height and slope. So ... ok I know that experience accounts for alot of unseen skill in doing stuff. once the floor is set ... do you go back and shoot spots to verify that you hit tgts? I know it's not like you can just tear it out and do it again. But, and I'm thinking in the middle of the floor, how do you verify for the customer that he paid for x and y and got x and y in the end? Also ... I realize you didn't put in the wire mesh rebar. But it looked like throughout the video that there were bricks sitting on top of the mesh and thus the mesh was sitting on the stryrofoam. I was under the belief that the mesh and rebar should live somewhere near the center of the mass of concrete.

[@WhatsCookinToday]

Hi Mike! I have a question. I live in MA and I’m planning on tearing up my severely cracked 20 x 15 garage floor and repouring it. What is the benefit to adding the styrofoam? I assume it’s for expansion in the cold weather?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

The styrofoam helps keep the frost from getting under the slab and lifting it. Works really good. Still need to have a good gravel base, no expansive soils like clay under there.

[@staceymurray922]

Always great work. By any chance can u make video without narrataring. Just hear all you on job. Would be cool. Hear you ur team ,truck driver,ect. Thanks.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Noted

[@celticsfan2168]

that wire mesh looks a little low to be helping

[@carloscain6673]

U must use 4% acceleration to get it to setup

[@volleydave2012]

We do 3 1/2

[@12elite12]

Nothing in life is greasier than being a concrete worker

[@MikeDayConcrete]

How about a concrete owner!! Haha

[@waltermedeiros333]

The smartest thing I saw was the laser was put away even before you finished pouring. Not cheap to replace a good quality laser.

[@TheSweetswed]

Got it nice n wet for the boys with those additives in there. Your a nice fella Mikey. Least you got the stuff to speed it up i hate winter jobs just sitting there all day

[@MikeDayConcrete]

We don't like sitting there either. Hot water, accelerator, water reducer speeds things up a bit.

[@gnevala]

One more float handle

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I know, my fingers were too cold to go get the other one. haha

[@volleydave2012]

11 1/2 Those trucks hold more. And we get full trucks 12 1/2 no problem

[@johnmcgraw2996]

American made Mike.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yes!

[@jeffgravelle4001]

It is not alot of fun doing concrete when it is that cold.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I got my battery heated jacket on, that really helps.

[@davidneufeld8389]

@@MikeDayConcrete How much does a jacket like that cost and where do you buy them

[@jonathanhumes9447]

Hell yeah

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yeah!

[@CB-mj5yn]

Nice to see White People doing the work. LOL I'm in Los Angeles. It's JoseA, JoseB & JoseC. "Lets Go Brandon"

[@steveeppler7994]

Your boys are kayaking with the straightedge, they're not cutting all the way to the walls

[@gerriemarostega7550]

Again the mesh should be elevated 2inches so mesh is not sitting at the bottom, which is useless. 40 years???? 😢

[@correctednews1463]

In 40 years you never learned how to install rebar. Even when someone left all of the blocks laid out for you, you just left the rebar lying on the ground where it does not contribute to strength and you didn't even pull up the mesh. There is 40 years experience and then there is one year experience 40 times. Glad it's not my garage.

[@brendonbutera4642]

make more vids. put up 4 a week

[@carloscain6673]

No way u power troweled it by 330 and saw cut it must off had 20% acceleration in it

[@MikeDayConcrete]

We did, the styrofoam keeps it warm underneath and really speeds up the set time.

[@davidkellerman9802]

Your concrete dosnt look like it has very much rock are concrete here in Illinois has one inch rock or hair bigger in it it dosnt seem to work as easy as yours does

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Ours is 3/4 and some smaller. We can ask for a 50/50 blend with 3/8 if we want it that way. No 1" rock in our mix.

[@kevinharris9909]

@kevinharris9909 Hi Mike, this is really the best video ive seen here on the subject. Thank you for your clarity.