I have an outdoor basement entrance that leads down to a door to my basement. It's a poured old basement entrance without a roof over it. Next to the door, there is a floor drain.
When it rains, there is no slope towards the drain and no other barrier to prevent water from running towards the outer door and wooden threshold. The old wooden threshold that was there when I bought the house turned out to be rotten with earthworms in it!
Now I have tried to cast (with fine concrete) a small ramp that is four to five centimeters high right in front of the wooden door to stop the water. The problem is that the ramp doesn't seem to have bonded properly to the substrate. I inserted a chisel and managed to break off the "ramp."
Now I have to try again. What did I do wrong? Can't you cast such a ramp with fine concrete directly on the poured staircase? Did I not clean properly? Should the substrate be wetted? Anyone have any tips?
When it rains, there is no slope towards the drain and no other barrier to prevent water from running towards the outer door and wooden threshold. The old wooden threshold that was there when I bought the house turned out to be rotten with earthworms in it!
Now I have tried to cast (with fine concrete) a small ramp that is four to five centimeters high right in front of the wooden door to stop the water. The problem is that the ramp doesn't seem to have bonded properly to the substrate. I inserted a chisel and managed to break off the "ramp."
Now I have to try again. What did I do wrong? Can't you cast such a ramp with fine concrete directly on the poured staircase? Did I not clean properly? Should the substrate be wetted? Anyone have any tips?
Hello
I have it just as you describe in my basement stairwell. However, I also have a slope towards the drain. Can't you add a few centimeters to the height and fix the slope towards the drain? If you lay a layer over the entire floor, it should hold.
When you apply it, it's good if you can roughen up the surface so the concrete adheres better. It's sufficient if you make the surface uneven with a hammer or something similar. I would probably drill down a couple of anchor bolts and attach rebar or similar to them.
I have it just as you describe in my basement stairwell. However, I also have a slope towards the drain. Can't you add a few centimeters to the height and fix the slope towards the drain? If you lay a layer over the entire floor, it should hold.
When you apply it, it's good if you can roughen up the surface so the concrete adheres better. It's sufficient if you make the surface uneven with a hammer or something similar. I would probably drill down a couple of anchor bolts and attach rebar or similar to them.
There are chemical additives to pour into the mortar and brush on the surfaces to make it adhere better. There are also special mortars with better adhesion than others specifically for repair jobs.
In addition, there are chemicals that make the concrete more water-resistant.
You can also roughen the surface, for example with a power tool and mounted grinding stone. Also, make sure that the surface is thoroughly clean and degreased. Pressure washing or trisodium phosphate and vigorous scrubbing are needed.
Casting a slab at the entire bottom and not getting it to stick can cause worse problems if water gets in between and freezes.
In addition, there are chemicals that make the concrete more water-resistant.
You can also roughen the surface, for example with a power tool and mounted grinding stone. Also, make sure that the surface is thoroughly clean and degreased. Pressure washing or trisodium phosphate and vigorous scrubbing are needed.
Casting a slab at the entire bottom and not getting it to stick can cause worse problems if water gets in between and freezes.