I'm leaving it up to the engineers to decide but I believe the first test will just be a schmidt hammer test and if it passes with flying colors then they will not need to core. If they have questions about it still then they will take core samples from my understanding. I believe they will test multiple locations around the slab.
Horrific new slab pour, PROPER corrective action advise needed!
- Thread starter zimmpz
- Start date
I'm leaving it up to the engineers to decide but I believe the first test will just be a schmidt hammer test and if it passes with flying colors then they will not need to core. If they have questions about it still then they will take core samples from my understanding. I believe they will test multiple locations around the slab.
Jon_E
Well-known member
I know I'm very late to this party, and the OP has already started on a course of action. Given that this slab will not be ripped out and repoured with an "easier" mix design, I personally would have found an industrial resurfacing product (Watco 'Flowtop" is one that I have used) and simply bought enough to do a thin pour over the entire slab. It would be expensive but it would solve all the issues and make a hard and durable finished surface to boot. Those of you reading this thread, if you ever run into this issue or need to make repairs on a rough surface, these industrial products are worth the cost. I'm not a rep for any of these, just know that they work well. Also a civil engineer with 30 years experience and a lot of concrete work, so there's that. Grinding and overtopping would have been my last resort in this circumstance.
Flail
Well-known member
When I had my floor placed it was 95 degrees , full sun, by 10 am and finishing continued to 2pm. This was 3600 square feet and flat and perfect. That being said, if I was left with this mess I would ask contractor to grind it flattish and have him pay this guy https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212509&highlight=Porcelain. to put down a porcelain floor on that mess. You can see he did not start with beautiful concrete.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Probably not too late to do this...
ZRX61
Well-known member
It would have been 3in deep in places.
Vintage Veloce
Well-known member
I'm thinking he would need a pretty thick coating... I dont see a spec for the maximum thickness of that Flowtop stuff although they mention 3/8". I suspect for a good flat finish even after grinding he will need it to be an 1" deep in areas.
That looks fantastic! Does the porcelain hold up as well as epoxy flooring? Grout able to stain easily? I wonder if I can find a dealer in the states for that product?
Seems like they make a deep fill as well. This does concern me that if there are deep holes that the epoxy will dimple or act odd when it cures and leave a texture to bring back bad memories every time I notice it. I'm assuming there is a way to layer something into the low spots to cure then complete the top coat but I just don't know enough now and worry of all the different layers not working together well long term and delaminating over time.
Flail
Well-known member
Holds up better than epoxy. I believe it’s a tile sourced in USA. Porcelain and epoxy about same cost and in 10 years the porcelain will look the same and the epoxy will look like it needs a redo.
purplezr2
Well-known member
WDIO have a whistle blower hotline, if he doesn't make it right, I would be calling everyone that would listen.....
Flail
Well-known member
Have they been able to create anything that is flatter yet?
ConCretin
Well-known member
Please post some pics of the grinding and repairs. You’re killing us here.
allinon72
Well-known member
Default response from any concrete company that does a ****** job - “we can grind and topcoat.” Translation - we can make it look good enough for a few months until we’re long gone. My experience with commercial buildings...never accept that offer because it’ll be coming out anyway.
Farmall450
Well-known member
^^^^
Hilltopmasonry
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2015
- Messages
- 2,167
As a Contractor I would agree with your post!! I would also add to your translation that I will make it look good enough until I get PAID and I am long gone
The only acceptable patch that I would agree to would be a minimum 3 inch over pour on top of that slab
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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pcmeiners
Well-known member
Why is it that pours are done during the hotest part of the year? Anyone pouring in the summer is asking for failure, most contractors are not trained or equipped for summer concrete work.
B T C
Well-known member
It's been seven days. SEVEN DAYS. I'm assuming the floor was fixed and the shop was built.
Bigblockyeti
Banned
When I live in OH, the city crews next door did this on purpose. They knew it was going to fail and they would then be the ones paid to rip it out and start over again. They were members of I don't give a **** local 33. I kept track of one particular asphalt pothole, they filled it four times a year for 7 years before fixing it correctly.
Metallitubby
Well-known member
Job security. Your tax dollars at work!
ezover
Well-known member
or the more likely scenario is there were told to do it hat way by management, instead of doing a proper fix. been there, done that more times then i can count.
fartymarty
Well-known member
spudley
Well-known member
The all-stars that did this deserve no excuses but...it's Duluth, MN. next to the largest natural air conditioner in the US. If heat is prohibitive in Duluth, how can anything get done anywhere else?
Concrete is placed successfully every day of the year, and summer is concrete season in the north.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
The contractor that gets voted off the island, er, job each week then gets dropped in a 2 story wall pour form while it's being poured and has to swim their way to the top to get out.
I know you've decided to grind and topcoat (see below), but I still vote for this outcome. Why? Well...
- - - - - - - - - - -
We had a guy years ago on the bridges, called him "pothole Pete". Every day he'd put sacks of cold mix in the truck and go out and fill potholes to "look busy". Of course, the bridge decks were concrete, but they still filled...
Must have worked, as he promoted to management.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
"Concrete is placed successfully every day of the year, and summer is concrete season in the north."
Agreed, it can be done properly as in the highway system, dams, and for large buildings , but rarely is it done correctly in very hot weather on small jobs. Worked on building foundations in hot weather, poured at night, with refrigerated water, ice added and chemicals in the mix.
Agreed, it can be done properly as in the highway system, dams, and for large buildings , but rarely is it done correctly in very hot weather on small jobs. Worked on building foundations in hot weather, poured at night, with refrigerated water, ice added and chemicals in the mix.
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Quijote
Well-known member
Just saw this. Damn that is awful. I covered my pour with thick plastic for 10 days and watered under the plastic on a nearly daily basis. It was 4000psi. I also dumped hundreds of gallons of water to make sure the fill was packed properly before the pour. Even after compacting it, the water dropped the fill line by several inches and nearly a foot on the corners. An extra half a truck load had to be brought in. 6 years later no issues. 4 inches everywhere and 8 inches under where the lift would go. But the pour was good. Not perfect, but pretty good.
spudley
Well-known member
It was 90 + the day we poured and my slab turned out great. First truck showed up at 7AM. I'm 20 mins from the yard. My crew was three 64 yr olds, one 56 yr old spring chicken and a finisher in his 30's.
24' x 40', 4-5" of 4000lb, the finisher took a good look at the mix and did not add any water. I thank him every time I walk on that floor.
We started early with fresh concrete, with a guy who knew his trade.
Vintage Veloce
Well-known member
Well I read the whole thing and not one question as to what the hell is this?
Joe H
Sewer cleanout or something similar?
I'm not a concrete contractor, but I saw concrete being poured in 107 degree heat several weeks ago. It looks fine today. I say heat can be eliminated as a factor by someone who knows what they are doing. That is one terrible looking slab.
spudley
Well-known member
Hmmm...Looks like a sump crock with a lid wrapped in plastic?Well I read the whole thing and not one question as to what the hell is this?
Joe H
Edit: where is Brownbagg in this mess? He's an Inspector in Alabama for concrete.
I also see two pieces of rebar that aren't in the slab.
The OP hasn't posted for awhile...hope he's not in prison.
Bent Handle
Well-known member
Ive been following this thread with interest not knowing anything about concrete slabs. It’s very informative and a good read. If it were a slab poured at my property I’d lose it. I don’t know what’s reasonable but it seems like the “fix” is going to cost as much as starting over. Maybe I’m way off, but if it comes back bad after testing and needs to be torn out, then someone will be losing their *** in labor alone. Who’s paying for all of this?
JP Chestnut
Well-known member
This thread really puts my newly installed, and now cracked in half, paver into perspective.
mcbane
Well-known member
Looks like the plastic concrete shield for a floor drain. Keeps concrete out of the pipe. After the concrete is placed it can be unscrewed and replaced with the ductile iron grating. Of course I cant explain why the drain would be in a corner...
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Believe he got a hunting license for GCs, allowing him to take (1) posing as a concrete contractor; they are challenging crafty prey.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Believe he got a hunting license for GCs, allowing him to take (1) posing as a concrete contractor; they are challenging crafty prey.
Shouldn't be hard to find in the brand-new F250 Diesel Pickup he leased with the OP's final payment.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Just ran across this, some of the pictures come close to your pour, there maybe hope...
https://www.specchemllc.com/patching-polishing-teamwork-iowa/
"Shouldn't be hard to find in the brand-new F250 Diesel Pickup he leased with the OP's final payment"
Likely the truck is not in his name, likely has tinted windows so no one recognizes the driver, like I said, crafty critters they are.
https://www.specchemllc.com/patching-polishing-teamwork-iowa/
"Shouldn't be hard to find in the brand-new F250 Diesel Pickup he leased with the OP's final payment"
Likely the truck is not in his name, likely has tinted windows so no one recognizes the driver, like I said, crafty critters they are.
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Mountainman
Member
I would have them demo it and start over. I hope you got a copy of the contractors license and insurance. Start with the building inspector. He may be able to help.
Bumping this for an update. Garage Journal soap opera edition.
Hoping for a good outcome for the OP. I would never wish this kind of stress on anyone.
At the least this thread serves as a warning to others about some risks involved in slab construction.
Hoping for a good outcome for the OP. I would never wish this kind of stress on anyone.
At the least this thread serves as a warning to others about some risks involved in slab construction.