How To Put A Concrete Floor In An Existing Garage

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.

How to put a concrete floor in an existing garage.

Put in place a vapor barrier. Install wire mesh or fiber mesh as reinforcement. 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. The taller the joists the more room for insulation and warmth of the floor.

Nail cross blocking boards to hold the joists together every 4 feet. Divide the garage into sections no larger than 144 square feet each. Measure the slope if any of the floor from the garage front to the door. These bars will provide strength to the concrete.

Add all of the concrete right away so none of the mixture has a chance to dry out. Pour concrete onto the existing slab until it is around where you want the final level to be. You do not need to wait for the scratch coat layer to dry completely. Laying a concrete floor in an existing building takes some special skills and tools.

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. This is especially important in a wet climate. If more than 2 5 cm 1 inch shim the joists near the door trim the joists at the opposite end or do both.

Fill in the area with gravel 3 4 and compact it. Some are designed to be left in place as expansion joints. Pour concrete for the new floor. Allowing the concrete to dry too much between pours will create layers and make the concrete weaker.

Place them 16 inches apart. Lay an impermeable membrane on the raw concrete as a vapour barrier. You can use a dense foam insulation around the edge of the slab and use that to guide your screeding. 6 empty a 40 pound bag of concrete resurfacer into a 5 gallon bucket to make.