Hello!
We are going to cast a garage slab ourselves, approximately 8.5 x 6 m2. 200 mm cellplast as insulation. But what we are wondering about is how close the barbs should be placed to secure the cellplast sheets to each other? Is a package of 250 barbs enough for this size of slab? Is it okay to drive them straight down into the top cellplast layer so they attach to the lower one, or should we nail them in at an angle? We don't attach the cellplast in any other way?
We will also reinforce the slab with reinforcing bars on the edge, outside of the reinforcement mesh. Can we splice the reinforcing bars at the corners with tie wire (to create a cross) or do we need to bend the reinforcing bars at the corners and then splice?
One last question, we were planning to use vibration-free concrete. Is there any difference compared to flow concrete other than not having to vibrate it with a rod? Should we polish even the vibration-free concrete with a helicopter? Other advantages and disadvantages?
Grateful for a quick response and many thanks in advance!
We are going to cast a garage slab ourselves, approximately 8.5 x 6 m2. 200 mm cellplast as insulation. But what we are wondering about is how close the barbs should be placed to secure the cellplast sheets to each other? Is a package of 250 barbs enough for this size of slab? Is it okay to drive them straight down into the top cellplast layer so they attach to the lower one, or should we nail them in at an angle? We don't attach the cellplast in any other way?
We will also reinforce the slab with reinforcing bars on the edge, outside of the reinforcement mesh. Can we splice the reinforcing bars at the corners with tie wire (to create a cross) or do we need to bend the reinforcing bars at the corners and then splice?
One last question, we were planning to use vibration-free concrete. Is there any difference compared to flow concrete other than not having to vibrate it with a rod? Should we polish even the vibration-free concrete with a helicopter? Other advantages and disadvantages?
Grateful for a quick response and many thanks in advance!
The barbs should be placed about 1 per m2. If the slab is piled, barbs are usually not needed. The reinforcement should be bent at the corners. Have you considered edge beam reinforcement? Vibration-free concrete (SKB) cannot be polished with a helicopter. It cracks more than regular concrete and is usually not recommended for visible concrete floors.