Saturday, November 19, 2011

What mix do I need for a concrete base for a garden shed?

Unless you're going to park full-loaded semis in your garden shed, it really doesn't matter; any of them would have strength enough to support you and a bale of spagnum moss.

What mix do I need for a concrete base for a garden shed?
I hope you will expect the concrete to crack. It is not tha parking of a Semi, that will do it, but the concrete settlement on the non compacted soil that will. People that think they know things should abstain from giving advise for fun's sake. Report Abuse

Reply:For a conrete slab the leat recomended concrete strength is 2500 p.s.i. or ( pounds per square inch.) This is very common concrete and can be found at the home improvement stores. They come in bags of 40 lbs, and all you do is add water. I recommend to rent the motorized mixer, it will be easier and faster, and will give you much better conrete than the one you can mix with a shovel. If you did not ask about a footing, maybe you know what to do about it, or maybe you do not know. The footing is necessary to prevent the slab to crack, the whole thing depends also on reinforcing steel. The ground should be staked where the slab will be (or base) and makeing sure it is square, meaning all angles are 90 degrees. You then make a form out of 2x6 wood to keep the edges clean and straight. this must be firmly attached to the ground with stakes or rods, and nailed toguether.Then you dig about 4" deep , and a footing suitable for the weight of the shed, (about 8"X10" and add 1#5 at the perimeter), then you add welded wire mesh to the slab. When you pour the concrete make shure that the steel floats in the middle of the slab, and none sticks out. This will give you a base that will not crack and will be strong to support it. To finish use a long piece of wood to provide an even finish. This is done by using the 2x4 as a smothing tool over the surface of the concrete. Slideing it back and fowards, and across the surface.


Hope this helps, also here is a link for more info.


http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2pourc...


Good luck, and get help.
Reply:Go to Lowes... They can tell you all you would need to know.


That's what I do for all my home improvement and gardening etc needs. There's tons of different types of concrete, but they will tell you the correct one to use.
Reply:put in the size of base
Reply:Wow, not enough information or way too much. If it is going to be small like a 3' x 5' "garden shed", go to Lowe's and read the bags of concrete mix. They tell you how much you will need and how to mix it. Something you need before you go is dimensions. If it won't be holding more than a few hundred pounds, a 2 1/2 inch thick slab will be fine and you can use 2"x4"'s for the forms. So multiply 2.5 by the number of inches long, by the number of inches wide. Then divide by 46656 (inches in a yard) to get an estimate on how many yards of concrete you need. Then dig until the ground is level and stake in the forms. Then plan about 4 hours for mixing because once you start, don't stop for mare than a few minutes.





After all this, price a few treated 4x4's and a piece of 3/4" treated plywood. Maybe some preformed concrete leveling blocks already fitted for 4x4's to make leveling easy.





Either way, enjoy!
Reply:at least 2500 lb.


No comments:

Post a Comment