Has anyone poured a concrete driveway

[MrDudeMan]

i have ample experience designing driveways/roads/parking lots/dumpster pads/etc. as well as residential/commerical foundations and you have no chance of making this look good. plus, most driveways are 4-5", but they dont use the same type of concrete mix that you will get out of quikrete. you have no chance of doing this successfully, and i know that as a fact. i worked at an engineering firm that also did the actual construction of what we designed and occassionaly went to watch the boom drop the professionaly mixed concrete into the forms.

if you even had to come here and ask this question, i can guarantee you will fvck up and waste a whole lot of money and even more time. not trying to rain on your parade, but trust me.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: chowmein
you ought to buy a bag of small rocks while you're at it. that way you should save a few buck on the mix. those black slabs that smells like crap is great for dividing.

Why did you post this bs?

Something else that popped into my mind, make sure you put joints in the mud every 8-10 ft for the controled cracks that will form as a result of creep.

you are talking about joints, and there are several kinds you will want to use. redwood tool joints come to mind, but typically a 1/8" or 1/4" cove tool joint is used for sidewalks/light duty driveways. you dont do this by putting a joint in the mud, you put a piece of wood in the concrete after it is poured depending on the situation.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: radioouman
It will be about 15 feet wide and about 21 feet long. I would probably have to divide that up and pour it "one small slab at a time".

HAhahahaha, at 4" thick? You should probably do the math on how many bags of quickreet you'll need.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: radioouman
It will be about 15 feet wide and about 21 feet long. I would probably have to divide that up and pour it "one small slab at a time".

Sackcrete is good if you have a small job but you will pay a forture to fill that area. You should be using a 6" depth on a driveway and given the dimensions you gave you need 5.83 cyd of mud. That's about 2/3 of a truckload (one truck is 9cyd). Not to mention if you use the sackcrete you aren't going to have any air entrainment and freeze thaw cycles will bust the mud to pieces. Call a couple Redi-mix plants and get prices, you should be around $70 a yard for cheap mud, make sure you tell them it's for a driveway and you want air in it.

Never heard of this?? What are you getting at here?

One other thing, make sure and put a layer of 2" of crushed rock underneath whatever surface you pour, it helps drainage and will lengthen the life of the slab and is worth every dime it costs in materials and labor.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_im...t/how_it_works/1275111.html?page=2&c=y
"Air-entrained concrete has tiny bubbles to help prevent cracking."

"One problem with concrete is a tendency for freeze/thaw cycles to cause cracks. To help remedy this, air-entraining agents are added. These admixtures create a dispersion of very fine air bubbles that cushion the concrete against the effects of freezing water. "


Someone above posted this already

Cool - I've never heard of that.

:roll: concrete by definition has air in the mixture to begin with. it wont even harden unless air is present. if you want concrete to stay crack-free (not possible, but close to it anyway) you put fiber in the mixture and get an engineer to design it (grading, drainage, reinforcement size/depth/spacing).

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: radioouman
It will be about 15 feet wide and about 21 feet long. I would probably have to divide that up and pour it "one small slab at a time".

HAhahahaha, at 4" thick? You should probably do the math on how many bags of quickreet you'll need.

4" is standard, but yes it is laughable to think about doing this without a concrete truck. it is an utter waste of time.

 

[cherrytwist]

I'd go with a truck and get 4yds. You are going to kill yourself using bags and it's going to look like sh*t.

QFT

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
:roll: concrete by definition has air in the mixture to begin with. it wont even harden unless air is present. if you want concrete to stay crack-free (not possible, but close to it anyway) you put fiber in the mixture and get an engineer to design it (grading, drainage, reinforcement size/depth/spacing).

Concrete will have on average 1.5-3% entraped air from the water that is added, as the mix begins to harden after hitting the forms that percentage will decrease to around 0.5%, this does not allow sufficient pores for the water to move into during the freeze thaw cycles. To provide sufficient freeze/thaw protection you want entrained air of at least 5% and not more than 7.5% (mix dependent but that's a good range) for any outdoor slab on grade.

I also suggest you consult the PCA website (at a minimum and obtain the book preferably) and maybe take a course on concrete before you start making suggestions on it's use.

http://www.cement.org/tech/

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
:roll: concrete by definition has air in the mixture to begin with. it wont even harden unless air is present. if you want concrete to stay crack-free (not possible, but close to it anyway) you put fiber in the mixture and get an engineer to design it (grading, drainage, reinforcement size/depth/spacing).

Concrete will have on average 1.5-3% entraped air from the water that is added, as the mix begins to harden after hitting the forms that percentage will decrease to around 0.5%, this does not allow sufficient pores for the water to move into during the freeze thaw cycles. To provide sufficient freeze/thaw protection you want entrained air of at least 5% and not more than 7.5% (mix dependent but that's a good range) for any outdoor slab on grade.

I also suggest you consult the PCA website (at a minimum and obtain the book preferably) and maybe take a course on concrete before you start making suggestions on it's use.

http://www.cement.org/tech/

spout off numbers all you want...but show me some practical experience and then ill have a conversation with you. you should realize taking a course in something doesnt make you an expert, not even a little bit, so im not sure where you were going with that.

 

[Chunkee]

IF IT IS HOT WHEN YOU POUR, have the mix be very wet or self leveling...i learned the hardway on this one

jC

 

[Armitage]

Wow - a bunch of uppity concrete geeks showed up. Whodathunkit?
Good information and all, but is the attitude really neccesary?

 

[Electric Amish]

15x21!!!!

You'd have to pour that in like 4x4 squares to even come close to getting anything that doesn't look like crap with Quickcrete.

I would definitely recommend against that and totally agree with what others here have said.

To finish it yourself you'd need at least 2-3 more people plus the right tools (floats, bull floats, kneeboards, screeter, edge trowel, etc...)

 

[flot]

I had no idea people here knew so much about concrete.

So I'll ask the question - what is the limit of what quikcrete is good for?

The only thing I *know* it is good for is post setting. And I even have a question about that - is it legit to dig the hole, pour water in, and mix with a piece of rebar? Or is it that much more important to mix ahead of time? (I know it seems like the latter, but I have watched a couple of "professional" fence companies do it the first way)

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
spout off numbers all you want...but show me some practical experience and then ill have a conversation with you. you should realize taking a course in something doesnt make you an expert, not even a little bit, so im not sure where you were going with that.

Cause numbers are meaingless right?

 

[MrDudeMan]

edited

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: flot
The only thing I *know* it is good for is post setting. And I even have a question about that - is it legit to dig the hole, pour water in, and mix with a piece of rebar? Or is it that much more important to mix ahead of time? (I know it seems like the latter, but I have watched a couple of "professional" fence companies do it the first way)

The thing about a fence post is that the concrete isn't their to provide strength. It's their to act as a mass to give overturning moment resistance to the wind load on the fence. It's function is to be tightly packed and prevent insects and bacteria decomposition of the fence post so it doesn't matter if you mix it before hand or while it's in the hole. It's still going to hydrate and it's still going to serve it's purpose. Providing you don't overslump it by mixing it before hand you will get a better product but it's not going to be significantly better in the long run.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
all a$$hole comments aside, can you tell me how the airbubbles help and how you even get them in there? i didnt know there was that much more in there aside from what is required to form the concrete.

http://www.cement.org/tech/cct_admixtures_AEA.asp

Air-entraining admixtures are used to stabilize microscopic air bubbles in concrete. Proper air-entrainment, with appropriate volume and spacing factor, will dramatically improve the durability of concrete exposed to moisture during cycles of freezing and thawing. Entrained air also improves concrete?s resistance to surface scaling caused by chemical deicers.

Air-entrained concrete contains minute air bubbles that are distributed uniformly throughout the cement paste. Entrained air can be produced in concrete by use of an air-entraining cement, by introduction of an air-entraining admixture, or by a combination of both methods. An air-entraining cement is a portland cement with an air-entraining addition interground with the clinker during manufacture. An air-entraining admixture, on the other hand is added directly to the concrete materials either before or during mixing.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: flot
I had no idea people here knew so much about concrete.

So I'll ask the question - what is the limit of what quikcrete is good for?

The only thing I *know* it is good for is post setting. And I even have a question about that - is it legit to dig the hole, pour water in, and mix with a piece of rebar? Or is it that much more important to mix ahead of time? (I know it seems like the latter, but I have watched a couple of "professional" fence companies do it the first way)

Straight from quikrete: http://www.quikrete.com/diy/SettingPosts.html
They don't even reccomend mixing it - put the post in, dump a bag of quikrete around it, and pour some water in! That's how I've done it, though I did poke at it a bit with a spud bar Fence posts aren't a very demanding application.

What's the limit for quikrete? My personal limit is about half a yard before I start looking at those redimix trailers somebody mentioned before.

 

[OffTopic1]

I don't think Quikrete is design to pour driveway, however it can be done. Most driveway require at least 2500 psi, preferably 3000 psi or more. Most ready mixed that you can order start at 6000 psi & up (1 portland cement, 2 sand, 3 gravel; or 1 portland cement & 5 navijack. And, +/- 1/2 water).

If you are doing a reinforce steel 3 inch slab construction you will need about 4 yards +10% (or 4.5 yards).
A 4 inch slab (can get away with out steel if you are not going to have big truck/vehicles on it) will need 5 yards +10% (or 5.5 yards).
Since most suppliers only sell in whole yard you have to purchase 5 or 6 yards pending slab thickness.
Might be a good idea to pre build for the excess if you want posts, small garden stepping stone etc?

Another method is to mix your own with a rental/purchase mixer. You will need roughly 5 yards of navijack and 35 bags of 94 lbs portland cement for a 3 inch slab. 4 inch slab need around 6 yards of navijack and 42 bags of cement.

I don?t know your local ready mix or raw material prices therefore call and make your decision base on the price difference vs. labor/rental.

Good luck!

Yes, I have pour my own driveway, built a retainer wall, garden walkways, and steps utilizing 18 yards of navijack and 126 bags of portland cement. And, I did it by myself. I purchase my own mixer for $500 and built it ($175.00 saving), navijack cost $550 with delivery, cement cost $1250 with delivery. Total cost including tax, lumber, screw, nails come in at $2700 (all in CAD dollar). The job was priced at $6500 with out the garden path (that would add another $1000) and befor tax.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
:roll: concrete by definition has air in the mixture to begin with. it wont even harden unless air is present. if you want concrete to stay crack-free (not possible, but close to it anyway) you put fiber in the mixture and get an engineer to design it (grading, drainage, reinforcement size/depth/spacing).

Concrete will have on average 1.5-3% entraped air from the water that is added, as the mix begins to harden after hitting the forms that percentage will decrease to around 0.5%, this does not allow sufficient pores for the water to move into during the freeze thaw cycles. To provide sufficient freeze/thaw protection you want entrained air of at least 5% and not more than 7.5% (mix dependent but that's a good range) for any outdoor slab on grade.

I also suggest you consult the PCA website (at a minimum and obtain the book preferably) and maybe take a course on concrete before you start making suggestions on it's use.

http://www.cement.org/tech/

spout off numbers all you want...but show me some practical experience and then ill have a conversation with you. you should realize taking a course in something doesnt make you an expert, not even a little bit, so im not sure where you were going with that.

I wonder if you have experience why you are arguing with him. Air-entraining is common. The "numbers" are what makes a good pour.



OP you can buy the smaller items you need and rent things like bull floats from home depot. Read up on everything, form it up, back a truck up to it, dump it in, screed it, finish it.

 

[Analog]

have it delivered and get about 5 friends with strong backs.

 

[radioouman]

Thanks everyone for the information.

My intent was to break up the area into small squares. I was going to rent a mixer.

I am trying to get an idea if the quotes that I have received are reasonable.

My current two car driveway (approx 22x30) is in bad shape, but it is asphalt. I would like a driveway extension, so I want to replace the current driveway and have an extension poured.
I'm not totally foreign to this type of work as I've used mortar mix to build steps for the paver stone patio that I put in last night, but I don't have any experience pouring large areas of concrete.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: radioouman
My current two car driveway (approx 22x30) is in bad shape, but it is asphalt. I would like a driveway extension, so I want to replace the current driveway and have an extension poured.
I'm not totally foreign to this type of work as I've used mortar mix to build steps for the paver stone patio that I put in last night, but I don't have any experience pouring large areas of concrete.

Pardon the direct link, but that is the standard drawing your state uses for driveway construction, you would be well suited to use it for your construction.
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/roadwayengin...ns/SCD/SCD%20Set%202004-07-16/bp41.pdf

The main page is here:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/drrc/
Standard drawings are near the bottom.

Addiitionaly, here is a primer on pouring a driveway:

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/concrete_driveways/index.html

 

[OffTopic1]

The reason that I mixed my own concrete instead of get ready mix delivery is because I couldn?t do such a big job by myself in one go, and I couldn?t get any of my family or friend to help (they are all white collar worker). And, the driveway & retainer wall is deep in the property that requires a pump truck rental for $150 for the first 10 minutes and then $35 for each additional 3 minutes, the cement truck rental is $55 delivery free for the first 10 minutes and $35 for every additional 5 minutes.

[forgot] I uses the rubbles from my old retainer wall, landing and steps to built a 3 inch base below new driveway.

 

[Staples]

You will need a 10 yard concrete truck.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: radioouman
My current two car driveway (approx 22x30) is in bad shape, but it is asphalt. I would like a driveway extension, so I want to replace the current driveway and have an extension poured.
I'm not totally foreign to this type of work as I've used mortar mix to build steps for the paver stone patio that I put in last night, but I don't have any experience pouring large areas of concrete.

Pardon the direct link, but that is the standard drawing your state uses for driveway construction, you would be well suited to use it for your construction.
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/roadwayengin...ns/SCD/SCD%20Set%202004-07-16/bp41.pdf

The main page is here:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/drrc/
Standard drawings are near the bottom.

Addiitionaly, here is a primer on pouring a driveway:

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/concrete_driveways/index.html

Thanks. I think that at this point I will just have someone do it for me. I'd love to do it myself, but a mistake would be expensive.