How To Put A Concrete Floor In An Existing Garage

Allowing the concrete to dry too much between pours will create layers and make the concrete weaker.

How to put a concrete floor in an existing garage.

Lay an impermeable membrane on the raw concrete as a vapour barrier. Install either 2 by 2 2 by 4 or 2 by 6 joists over the garage floor depending on how much room you have floor to ceiling. You can use a dense foam insulation around the edge of the slab and use that to guide your screeding. Nail cross blocking boards to hold the joists together every 4 feet.

Divide the garage into sections no larger than 144 square feet each. 6 empty a 40 pound bag of concrete resurfacer into a 5 gallon bucket to make. You do not need to wait for the scratch coat layer to dry completely. Add all of the concrete right away so none of the mixture has a chance to dry out.

Put in place a vapor barrier. Pour concrete onto the existing slab until it is around where you want the final level to be. Have the bars prepared before pouring. Lay the joists on edge across the width of the floor.

Fill in the area with gravel 3 4 and compact it. Some are designed to be left in place as expansion joints. You can set screed guides rails that you first use to get it flat then pull and fill in the void they leave. Place duct tape over existing expansion joints.

Laying a concrete floor in an existing building takes some special skills and tools. Measure the slope if any of the floor from the garage front to the door. These bars will provide strength to the concrete. If more than 2 5 cm 1 inch shim the joists near the door trim the joists at the opposite end or do both.

Place the steel rods or rebar around the edges of the freshly poured concrete mix and through the middle of your floor if working with a large area. Pour concrete for the new floor. This is especially important in a wet climate. The taller the joists the more room for insulation and warmth of the floor.