Sept 27: Final Prep for Slab Continued

 Today was a gorgeous cloudless sunny day with a high in the upper 80's, but tomorrow's forecast was for a slightly lower temperature, so Terry, our concrete subcontractor, decided to delay the pour for another day because the forecast is for a continued decrease in the temperature.  Terry says his ideal day for pouring a slab is a calm cloudy day with the high's in the 70's.  Since the slab is also the finished floor, we didn't want visible saw cuts for expansion joints, but rather a monolithic surface with a minimum of cracking.  Hence, the perfect slab calls for the perfect pour on the right day.

Terry is shown in the photo, below, placing temperature steel (6x6 welded wire mesh) onto the compacted surface of the Guest Bedroom Wing, as he works his magic in preparation for the pour.

Welded wire mesh is attached with wires to floating steel rods that are drilled into the stem wall and act as pins to allow the slab to pull away as it shrinks when it cures without causing differential settlement and cracking, shown in photo to the right.

Cement-All, a cement/epoxy formula, is troweled into a reveal along the edge of the stem wall to provide a full 8" width to support the inside and outside SIP skins and provide a water repellent edge detail, shown being applied in the photo above.

More welded wire mesh awaits installation at the end of the day, below.

Sonny is ready for some after hours action.

A good dog day.