How to pour a concrete floor in a garage? Concreting the floor in the garage: do-it-yourself concreting with step-by-step instructions Garage make concrete mortar pour the floor.

Any garage owner knows how important a strong and reliable garage floor is. This is explained very simply - the floor has a serious load, which is much greater than in residential premises. That is why the arrangement of the concrete floor in the garage must be given maximum attention so that the work is carried out with high quality. About how to properly concrete the floors in the garage, and will be discussed in this article.

It should be noted right away that the arrangement of the viewing hole and the floor is often carried out when pouring the foundation, since in this case the walls do not restrict movement. This option of concreting the floor has a limitation associated with the weather - the concrete hardens for a long time, and at the wrong time precipitation can ruin all the work.

concrete floor requirements

Equipping the floor of concrete, you need to monitor compliance with the requirements that apply to such a coating. If everything is done correctly, then the design will withstand both long-term loads and one-time loads (like a fallen key).

The concrete floor in the garage must meet the following requirements:

1. High strength. This indicator directly depends on the weight of the car, which will be in the garage. Knowing what loads will fall on the coating, and you need to equip the concrete floor.
2. Good resistance to aggressive chemicals. The floor of any garage is regularly exposed to fuels and technical fluids, which can seriously damage an unprepared surface.
3. The presence of a slope. So that the floor of the garage is not affected by moisture, it is necessary to ensure its removal. A sloping concrete floor prevents liquids from stagnation on the surface, and cleaning the garage in this case is much easier.
4. moisture resistance. Concrete itself does not have very good resistance to moisture, so this quality must be additionally compensated at the stage of arranging the coating.
5. fire resistance. Every garage contains flammable substances, so the flooring must be fire resistant.
6. Durability. Arranging a concrete floor takes a lot of time and effort, which indicates the need to create a high-quality structure that can last for decades.

When working, additional structural elements are often used to strengthen it. Ceramic tiles are most often used as a fine floor covering, but sometimes thin paving tiles are installed - this allows not only to increase the strength of the coating, but also improve its visual characteristics.

Materials and tools for concrete floor

To perform concrete flooring in the garage with your own hands, you will need a considerable set of materials and tools. Their list is as follows:

• Sand, necessary to create a sand cushion laid on top of the soil;
• Expanded clay or medium fractional crushed stone, which seals the base of the concrete structure and provides insulating properties;
• Reinforcing mesh for reinforcement and a 12 mm metal bar for installing beacons;
• Waterproofing material (roofing material, polyethylene film, etc.) that protects the concrete floor from the effects of groundwater;
• Cement, sand and gravel for mixing the solution with which the screed is poured;
• Brick from which the walls of the inspection pit are laid out;
• Metal corners laid on the edges of the pit;
• Self-leveling pourable mixture, which is sometimes used to create a finishing coating (more: "").

The list of tools is quite standard - for self-mixing you will need a concrete mixer, a shovel, as a rule, several different spatulas, a building level and a rammer. Equipping the finishing floor with the help of bulk mixtures, you will need to add a doctor blade and a needle roller to the list of tools.

It is also worth noting that when carrying out some work, the help of specialists may be required - for example, for reinforcement it is worth inviting a professional welder if there are no welding skills.

Arrangement of a viewing hole

With the fact that a viewing hole is a mandatory attribute of any garage, no car owner will argue. With the help of an inspection pit, both preventive and repair work is carried out, so it must be properly equipped.

The sequence of work is as follows:

1. First, a pit is prepared. It can be done at the stage of arranging the foundation, using special equipment - it will be much easier and faster. However, often the pit is dug out on its own, and this option has a clear advantage - the pit is created after the walls and roof are mounted, so you don’t have to worry about weather changes.
2. The next stage is the preparation of the bottom of the pit. The soil surface must be compacted using a rammer. Next, the bottom is covered with gravel and rammed, as a result of which a gravel cushion is created about 10 cm thick. In order for the resulting surface to be even, it is necessary to monitor its level, for which, along the perimeter of the pit, in increments of about 80 cm, it is necessary to install stakes with the required height.
3. When the gravel layer is compacted, sand is poured over it. The thickness of the sand cushion in the compacted state should be approximately 10 cm. After compacting the sand, you can move on.
4. The next step is the arrangement of waterproofing, which is necessary so that there is no dampness and mold in the garage. As a rule, when arranging the floor in the garage, a thick plastic film is used - its characteristics are sufficient to protect the structure from moisture. The sheet material must be laid in such a way that the overlap on the walls is about 50 cm. Construction tape is used to connect the individual sheets of waterproofing.
5. Next, the walls in the pit are equipped. For this, bricks or concrete mortar are used. In the first case, a reinforcing mesh is laid at the bottom of the pit, and the walls are laid out with bricks and plastered. Using concrete to create walls, you will have to use a reinforcing mesh throughout the area. In addition, when pouring walls with concrete mortar, the mesh is installed in two layers so that the distance between them determines the thickness of the walls (more: "").
6. After the reinforcement is laid on the floor of the pit, the structure is poured with concrete. To achieve maximum floor strength, you need to add gravel to the concrete solution. The floor of the viewing hole needs to be leveled, but it is not worth achieving a perfectly smooth surface - it is intended exclusively for walking.
7. When the solution hardens, formwork is mounted near the bottom of the wall. Its height should be about half a meter. Concrete is poured into the free space, and after it hardens, the formwork rises another half a meter and is poured again. The operation is repeated until the walls are completely filled.
8. The last part of the formwork must be installed in such a way that the level of the wall is equal to the calculated level of the finished floor. To fix the formwork between the walls, spacers must be placed. The formwork at each stage of pouring can only be removed after the solution has completely solidified.
9. Formwork must also be installed around the pit so that it coincides in height with the level of the finish. Reinforcement is mounted inside the structure, after which the formwork is poured with concrete mortar.
10. The frozen solution in the area around the pit must be overlaid with a metal corner around the perimeter. It is embedded in the solution, and the edges of the structure are connected by welding.

It takes about a month for concrete to completely solidify, but it is absolutely pointless to wait so long - you can immediately start arranging the main floor after pouring the inspection hole.

Preparation of the base for pouring

Before you concrete the floor in the garage, you need to prepare the surface for work. To do this, you will need to remove unnecessary soil and build a sealing pad. The quality of the future floor directly depends on the correct preparation of the surface.

The preparation algorithm looks like this:

1. The soil is loosened around the inspection hole - after that it will be much easier to remove it and take it out of the garage. After clearing, the surface must be compacted to increase the density of the base.
2. Next, a gravel layer is poured, the thickness of which is usually in the range of 10-12 cm. Before compacting the base, it is necessary to calculate the height of the floor in advance - the final coating should be on the same level with the edge of the inspection hole. The gravel is covered from above with expanded clay or medium fractional gravel, after which it is once again rammed.
3. Next, you need to deal with the arrangement of waterproofing. The material for these purposes is usually rolled roofing material. Sheets are laid with an overlap of at least 10 cm and fixed with construction tape. To connect the sheets, in addition to adhesive tape, you can use a moisture-resistant sealant or the welding method using a gas burner.
4. When arranging waterproofing, it is necessary to bring it to the walls, by about 25 cm. It is very important to cover the corners of the room with high quality. In the case of roofing felt, this will not be easy - the material is quite hard and does not bend well. The problem is solved with the help of wooden bars, with which sheets of roofing material are pressed against the corners.
5. A damper tape is glued to the bottom of the wall. Being located a couple of centimeters above the level of the finished floor, it helps to prevent the destruction of the material during temperature changes.
6. A reinforcing mesh must be laid on top of the waterproofing layer. Steel wire is often used to fix it together, but the best result can be obtained by welding. The grid is attached to the surface with brackets.
7. Beacons are placed on the grid. When installing them, you need to focus on the height of the viewing hole. Sometimes a metal corner is used as beacons, which lined the edges of the pit.

This completes the preparatory work, and it remains only to wait until the solution under the beacons hardens. It is possible to fix the beacons by welding, and in this case it will be possible to fill the screed immediately after preparation.

Pouring concrete floor

Pouring a concrete screed is an important process that needs to be given no less attention than the previous steps. The correct creation of the screed allows you to achieve maximum strength and acceptable visual qualities of the coating (details: "").

Like all other stages of work, concreting the floor in the garage is carried out according to a certain algorithm.

The sequence of actions for filling is as follows:

1. First you need to choose the solution that will be filled. The most convenient option is to order a ready-made solution from a company specializing in this. However, this option usually turns out to be less profitable than self-preparation of a concrete solution.
2. In any case, pouring the mortar over the reinforcing mesh, it must be leveled with a shovel so that it is evenly distributed. When the level of concrete exceeds the height of the beacons, it must be leveled with a rule.
3. As a rule, the garage has a considerable area, so the filling has to be done in stages. This method is suitable even when pouring a ready-made solution. The floor surface is divided into parts, and each of them is poured separately. It is best to leave the sections conditional, not dividing them with formwork - the presence of seams in the screed is undesirable.
4. Making your own solution takes much more time and effort. In addition to directly mixing, the concrete will have to be moved independently to the prepared base. The concrete solution is made in a ratio of 1:3:3 (cement, sand and gravel, respectively). Water must be added gradually so that the solution acquires the consistency of sour cream.
5. The floor screed in the garage must have a thickness of at least 7 cm, so pouring with self-mixing concrete will require a lot of time. It will be much more convenient to work with assistants.
6. When leveling, it is necessary to periodically stick a shovel into the solution - this is necessary in order to remove the air that appeared in the concrete during mixing. If air is left in the screed, its strength will be significantly reduced.
7. After pouring the screed, you need to leave it for about a week so that it freezes. After that, it will be possible to safely walk on it and check the quality of the screed. Having found defects, it will be necessary to fill them with a self-leveling mixture. For the same purpose, you can use a self-prepared solution of sand, cement, building glue and special fibers.

It will take at least a month for the concrete to completely harden, after which the garage can be used. To finally complete the work, you need to cut off the protruding edges of the damper tape.

Additional screed processing

It is necessary to use the topping system during the curing of the screed. The ideal time is when the surface has hardened to such a state that the depth of the footprint when walking does not exceed 3 mm, and the screed itself is still wet.

It is at this point that you need to sprinkle the topping on the floor. It is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the floor. After a while, the mixture absorbs the liquid, and after that the floor is rubbed using a special machine. Grouting should be carried out until the mixture is completely connected to the surface of the screed. Similarly, repair the concrete floor in the garage, when required.

Before you concrete the floor in the garage, it is worth understanding some of the nuances that make the operation of the garage even more convenient.

1. When arranging, you need to pay attention to arranging the exit from the garage. The best solution would be to combine the exit with the garage floor. This section must be done with a slight slope, and when pouring, make reinforcement and hardening means.
2. If you do not use topping after pouring, then it makes sense to replace it with another coating. Often the garage floor is covered with ordinary floor tiles with a high strength class and good wear resistance.
3. A fairly popular material for finishing the floor in the garage is ordinary concrete paint. The use of such a coating increases the strength of the screed and improves its visual qualities. The main thing is to choose the right way to paint the concrete floor in the garage in order to reliably protect the floor.
4. Before laying tiles or applying paint, you need to treat the surface of the floor with a primer and wait until it dries.

Using these tips, you can get the most out of your garage in return.

Conclusion

The floor in the garage must be of sufficient quality and reliable - only in this case the operation of the garage will be convenient and enjoyable. Properly concreting the floor in the garage takes time and effort, but the good result is worth it. If you approach the work on arranging the floor correctly, gradually performing the necessary operations, then there will be no problems.

The concrete floor in the garage is a great platform for car and vehicle repairs indoors. If you enjoy spending time in the garage, this should be your second home. The atmosphere should be conducive to a pleasant pastime after hours. Motorists are guided by such thoughts when planning a beautiful interior, but it is impossible without a good floor covering. It is his creation that should be dealt with in the first place.

Basic requirements for flooring

There are quite strict requirements for the floor in the garage. Before proceeding with the description of the manufacturing process, it is worth discussing them:

1. Excellent resistance to static mechanical loads. The floor must be able to support the weight of the vehicle, shelving, workbench and equipment with ease. Moreover, it is necessary to design with a margin so that the durability of the coating is not affected. Surely in your garage will be not only a passenger car. From time to time, quite heavy cars will also appear there.
2. Impact resistant. Who never drops their tools? And you will periodically fall. Sufficiently heavy metal parts should not damage the floor and collapse.
3. Resistance to influence of chemical reagents. Gasoline, oils, acids and alkalis are not uncommon in the garage. Even the most accurate master will spill something in a few years. The penetration of aggressive liquids must not harm the floor.
4. Resistant to temperature extremes. The floor should not support combustion, collapse in the cold. Most often, garages are not equipped with heating systems, and this should not be a problem for flooring.
5. Practicality. Quick cleaning - order every day.
6. Durability. The garage as a whole should serve more than 20 years to its owner. Premature wear of the floor is unacceptable.

All these are the possibilities and advantages of a concrete floor. That is why it is so common in modern garages. Another of its advantages is the ability to make the floor in the garage on the ground.

All these requirements are met by a concrete floor, but only with its proper arrangement. Fortunately, with proper skill, you can handle it without the involvement of specialists.

Concrete floor in the garage and its disadvantages

The device of a concrete floor in the garage - your choice? In this case, be prepared for difficulties. It has several disadvantages:

1. Increased dust generation. In a garage with a concrete floor, this is a known problem. Small particles of the coating immediately after drying begin to rise into the air and settle on objects. It will be unpleasant to be inside, and the car will have to be thoroughly cleaned after a long downtime. The problem is solved by creating an additional coating, for example, from rubber.
2. Filling the floor in the garage with concrete is a rather laborious process. Of course, you can do it yourself, but the work is long and difficult. Study the process carefully. If you do not have the desire or the opportunity to deal with this issue on your own, a team of builders will gladly do this for you for a fee.
3. The concrete floor in the garage does not look the best. Concrete pavement can not be called attractive. If it is important for you to create a beautiful interior in the garage, you will have to use an additional coating.

If you are ready to put up with these shortcomings, it is worth starting to study manufacturing technology. The most common option consists of 5 layers: compacted soil, gravel, sand cushion, waterproofing, reinforced concrete. Additionally, you can use insulation over waterproofing and decorative topcoat.

Tools

To pour the concrete floor in the garage, you will have to acquire an impressive list of tools. To equip the pit and the site for the future floor, you will need a shovel and a wheelbarrow to transport excess soil. You can use an excavator if you have the finances.

Substrate preparation requires good compaction of the layers. To do this, you will need a tamper: manual or machine. Here, too, much depends on the size of the budget. The second one will cost more, and the first one will take you longer to complete the job. To determine the dimensions and quality of the coating as accurately as possible, you will need: a tape measure, levels, thread, pencil, wooden pegs or other taps.

You will need to install timber formwork, woodworking tools will come in handy: a hacksaw or a jigsaw, a screwdriver or a hammer. A grinder is useful for cutting reinforcing rods.

Filling the mixture involves the use of the following tools:

• shovel;
• large metal ruler (rule);
• vibrators to remove bubbles from the mixture;
• hose for water supply.

Stock up on all the tools in advance.

Observe safety precautions while working. Be aware of the physical properties of the potting mix. Work in an apron made of thick fabric and gloves. When using a grinder, make sure that there are no flammable objects and substances nearby.

How to fill the floor in the garage

The concrete floor in the garage is made in several stages. Installation in the following order:

• site preparation;
• creation of a sand and gravel pillow;
• installation of hydro and thermal insulation;
• installation of reinforcing elements;
• fill.

Now more about each stage.

Step 1. Site preparation

Concreting the floor in the garage begins with preparatory work. Remove the sod layer from the ground. If you are installing a floor in an old garage, the old floors must be removed. Then dig a viewing hole if you need one in the garage. A metal box with waterproofing from the outside is suitable as walls for it. A more perfect option is pouring concrete walls: dig a pit for a viewing hole, make formwork and fill it with concrete.

Mark the floor with a laser level. Measurement results can be recorded on the walls or wooden pegs placed in the ground. Fix the dimensions by pulling the threads between the control points.

Step 2. Laying intermediate layers

Tamp the soil with special tools, fill it with an even layer of rubble. You can level it with a rule. Make a sand cushion on top. The thickness of each layer is 5 cm. The final thickness of the concrete floor in the garage will be about 25 cm, including all layers.

Make a formwork out of wood. From the outside, lay the foam with a layer of 5 cm thick. Lay a waterproofing layer on the sand cushion. You can add thermal insulation material on top.

Step 3 Fill

Cut steel bars and connect them to each other with wire. Create a full-fledged metal structure for the entire floor area. Install it on a slight elevation so that it is located exactly in the middle of the concrete layer.

Prepare the concrete mixture and pour it, starting from the center. Distribute its amount with a shovel, make sure that there are no voids. Work the layer with a vibrator to expel air bubbles. How to level the concrete floor in the garage? Just a rule.

Leave the mixture to dry under the polyethylene. Remove the pegs the next day. Moisten the coating a little every day for the next week. Wait for the concrete to gain strength and you can use it!

Pouring a concrete floor with a pit in the garage - video

Love to spend time maintaining, repairing and improving your car? Then, for sure, for you, the garage in terms of importance and the total number of hours spent there can quite compete with the house where you live. And you understand for sure that in the garage all the constituent parts must be made at a good level - walls, roof, gates, lighting, ventilation and floor. This is especially true of the latter, which is subject to rather strict requirements for strength and ability to endure dynamic / static loads without destruction. The concrete floor in the garage fully meets such requests.

As mentioned above, the floor in the garage must meet some fairly strict requirements. And, before proceeding to the description of the construction process, we will study them.

1. High resistance to static loading. What is obvious, the concrete floor in the garage must withstand the weight of the car. Moreover, it is desirable that this resistance be with a “margin”, and the floor can withstand not only an ordinary passenger car, but also a heavy SUV or van. In addition, to the weight of the car you need to add the weight of all the things that can be stored in the garage - spare parts, tools, workbench, shelving and much more.

   

2. Coating strength. The concrete floor in the garage should not crumble and collapse when some heavy tool or other metal product falls on it.
3. Resistance to chemical influences. Maintenance and repair of a car in a garage is inextricably linked with the use of various fuels and lubricants, paints, solvents and other liquids. And, despite all the accuracy of the master, something will definitely spill on the floor. The concrete coating must be resistant to all the above technical fluids - their contact with the surface should not lead to a deterioration in the strength characteristics of the material.

   

4. Fire safety. As a rule, all the technical fluids mentioned in the previous paragraph burn well. The concrete floor must be resistant to flames and not lose its strength at high temperatures. In addition, it should not contribute to the spread of fire in the garage.
5. Resistance to temperature changes. Not all garages have their own heating. But even in those buildings that are heated, a constant room temperature is rarely maintained, regardless of the weather outside. Therefore, the concrete floor must withstand quite serious temperature changes, including transitions from its positive values ​​to negative ones and vice versa.

   

6. Possibility of cleaning. A good car owner maintains his garage in order, and it is desirable that the floor be amenable to regular cleaning.
7. Durability. Like any other part of the building, the floor in the garage should serve its owner for several decades until the moment when repairs or a complete replacement of the coating are needed.

Important! Concrete coating meets all the requirements that apply to that in the garage. In addition to this, one of the positive aspects is the possibility of arranging the coverage on your own, practically without resorting to the services of third parties.

Having decided to pour a concrete floor in your garage, keep in mind that such a coating has its drawbacks.

SNiP 2.03.13-88. Floors. Download file (click on the link to open the PDF file in a new window).

Concrete floor in the garage - the difference between brands of cement

Work on creating a floor in the garage begins with the selection of building materials. Among them, the most important is cement - the main component for creating concrete. And here it is necessary to make a small theoretical digression, which will prevent subsequent confusion and reduce the risk of error when choosing building materials. Consider what brands of concrete / cement are, and whether there is a direct relationship between them.

Portland cement

The characteristics and composition of building materials used both for the construction of industrial buildings and public buildings, as well as for private houses and outbuildings, are quite accurately defined in state standards. In particular, this applies to concrete. Its main characteristic is compressive strength, measured in kilogram-force per square centimeter (or abbreviated kgf / cm 2). It is she who is indicated in the marking of concrete behind the letter "M". With the main subspecies of concrete, differing in compressive strength and scope, you can find below.

Table. Concrete - the main brands.

Concrete brand	Brief description and scope
	Concrete with low strength, but at the same time with a very low price. It is used in preparatory work when pouring better mixtures.
	Strength and cost are slightly higher than the previous brand. Also used in preparation for pouring a monolithic foundation slab or concrete strip and for creating walkways.
	Concrete of this brand is the best combination of price and quality. The M200 is strong enough to fill the floors in the garage under the passenger car.
	Compared to M200, it has increased strength, resistance to precipitation and temperature extremes. Suitable for arranging the floor in the garage for heavy vehicles, as well as for covering buildings located in areas with a high level of groundwater.
	Extra strong concrete with outstanding strength characteristics. M300 is durable and suitable for pouring floors in garages for the heaviest equipment.
	Concrete of these grades is used in the construction of hydraulic and military structures, as well as for creating piles for multi-storey buildings. For an ordinary garage, the strength of the M350 is excessive, it can be used, but financially impractical.

At present, with the use of M400 concrete, various types of structures are being erected - bridges, tunnels, hydraulic engineering, as well as the construction of warehouses, storage facilities, roads and any other facilities that will later be operated under conditions of increased load

Now let's turn our attention to the main component of concrete - cement. It has a similar marking - the letter "M" and a number expressing the compressive strength of the material in kgf / cm 2. The better the brand of cement, the more expensive it is, but at the same time, the stronger it is. Obviously, the compressive strength of the finished concrete mixture depends on the cement used to create it. But at the same time, its ratio with cement and sand should also be taken into account. You can see more accurate data in the image below.

Important! In addition to cement, when buying building materials for a concrete floor in a garage, pay attention to sand and gravel. The first must be clean enough and contain a minimum amount of impurities, pieces of clay or debris. And the crushed stone should have a fraction suitable for these construction works - small or medium.

When building a garage, one of the most important elements is a high-quality and reliable floor. The concrete floor in the garage is considered to be the most durable. It is convenient to store, wash the car and repair it. Such a floor meets fire safety requirements and can withstand the weight of several cars. This article will help you figure out how to fill the floor in your garage so that it will serve you for many years.

Advantages of concreting

You can easily and efficiently pour the floor in the garage with your own hands. Independent work will be cheaper, since employees and special equipment are not required. The concrete type of pouring has been tested for years, it is very reliable and is often used in construction of any complexity.

Concrete screed in the garage has the following advantages:

• durable in use;
• resistant to mechanical stress;
• has high wear resistance;
• does not require additional care;
• resistant to automotive oils.

The comfort of being in the garage largely depends on whether the floor is done correctly.

The concrete floor can be painted or tiled. Such a topcoat will reduce the formation of dust under the wheels of the car, because it settles throughout the garage and brings discomfort to the owner.

Foundation preparation

Before the concrete pouring of the floor, the owner has already erected a strip foundation and walls. Inside the foundation, the top layer of soil is removed by 30-40 cm and the earth is compacted as much as possible. Preparing the pit takes some time, but this will allow you to remove all the fertile soil and move on to creating a pillow under the base.

Special markings are made to evenly distribute the pillow of sand and gravel. For this, wooden pegs or reinforcing bars and a cord are used. The cord connects the opposite rods with the letter "X".

Preliminary and mandatory work - removal of the fertile layer, up to clean soil

Zero mark

We got a shallow pit and marked it with a cord, which will allow us to lay a pillow of sand and gravel evenly. Before backfilling the pillow, you need to set the thickness to which materials will be poured under the base of the screed. For this, the zero level of the floor is determined. Often, the floor screed is equalized with the threshold of the gate, this contributes to the convenient arrival of the car.

It is necessary to determine the thickness of the future concrete base and not occupy it until pouring. If you have chosen a screed with a thickness of 10 cm, then 10 cm is counted down from the threshold of the gate using a tape measure. After determining, the zero level is marked along the entire perimeter of the walls. To do this, builders use a laser level. It allows you to easily and simply mark the distance, but you can perform this process using the usual building level.

Calculation of the thickness of the PGM layers

After marking the zero level, it is important to determine the thickness of all layers in order to reach the desired marked level. On average, the layers are:

1. The minimum thickness of the concrete screed is about 7 cm. It is suitable for a light car, if there are several cars or heavy vehicles, the thickness of the solution should be up to 15 cm.
2. The layer of crushed stone can be from 5 to 10 cm. Instead of crushed stone, you can use.
3. The layer of river sand reaches from 5 to 10 cm.

The calculation of the thickness of the layers is selected individually. It depends on the height of the laid foundation, on the availability of building materials and the budget of the builder. For a layer of waterproofing materials, a thickness of 2 cm is left, if thermal insulation of the floor is provided, space is left for it. The total thickness of the pit ranges from 30 to 40 cm.

Bedding materials

The following materials can be used for backfilling:

You can calculate how thick the layers are needed to reach the desired height

• river sand;
• a layer of crushed stone or a layer of expanded clay;
• gravel;
• Sand and gravel.

Each of the layers removes water from the concrete screed, and is also used as a leveling layer. Crushed stone should be of a large fraction, 30–40 mm each. Most often, river sand is used, but quarry sand can also be used. Expanded clay is laid only if it is necessary to level the base under the screed, it absorbs water and is not used to drain water. If the soil has a high groundwater level and the ground is wet, only sand and gravel are used.

All bedding materials must be properly compacted. Broken bricks and used building materials cannot be used to create a pillow, as they cannot be reliably compacted. Some, when pouring, make a slight slope of the floor in the garage by 2% in the direction of the gate to drain water. However, many builders refuse it, since in winter such water freezes and freezes to the gate.

Making a pillow under the concrete floor

At this stage, it is necessary to pay special attention to the compaction of the soil. It is important that the earth becomes as dense as possible before filling the pillow, and a manual rammer or vibrating plate will help with this.

The following stages of falling asleep pillow under the screed:

1. The pit is filled with crushed stone in several portions. Each portion is securely packed.
2. Sand is poured over the rubble in several stages. Sand should fill well all the empty space between the grains of crushed stone.

Each layer of sand is easily soaked with water for better strength and compaction.

For a normal concrete floor in the garage, it is better to take not gravel, but crushed stone

damper clearance

To fill the space between the wall and the screed, a damper tape is laid around the entire perimeter of the room. This edging tape is sold in rolls of various thicknesses. The most optimal for floor screed is a tape of 10 cm.

The damper tape not only fills the space between the screed and the wall, it creates additional heat and sound insulation. The edging tape can be shot with a stapler or glued with special adhesive tape, some builders simply fix it to the wall with mortar. After pouring the screed, the rest of the edge tape, which remains on top, is cut off with a knife at the floor level.

Waterproofing a concrete floor in a garage

Waterproofing the concrete floor in the garage is a very important stage of work. Excess moisture adversely affects the car and contributes to the formation of fungi, mold and rust. For better protection, waterproofing layers are laid on a cushion of crushed stone and sand.

If the budget allows, waterproofing occurs in this way:

1. The pillow is poured with a thin layer of concrete mortar.
2. On top of it, waterproofing is carried out with hot bitumen.
3. Two layers of roofing material are overlapped on the resin and reinforcement is carried out.

To save the budget, garage floor waterproofing can be done without a thin layer of concrete and hot bitumen. Then a roofing material or a dense plastic film overlapping in several layers is laid on the pillow.

The choice of materials for waterproofing depends on how close the groundwater is and how high it can rise in season.

Reinforcement

So that the concrete does not sag under the weight of the machine, the floor screed is always reinforced. Reinforcement allows:

• strengthen the base of the floor;
• increase the compressive strength of the screed;
• reduce the number of mechanical loads on the floor;
• reduce the appearance of cracks.

Reinforcement is carried out using a reinforcing mesh with a rod diameter of 9 mm, and the dimensions of the mesh cells are 15 mm. The reinforcement is adjusted to special supports, since the mesh must be inside the concrete screed. The mesh is overlapped and interconnected with a special wire.

Installation of beacons

Controls allow you to fill the floor as evenly as possible. Ordinary wooden bars can become beacons. After installing the reinforcing mesh, we take the bars and set them parallel to the walls. Beacons are set at zero level. The distance between the bars should be a convenient rule for leveling the concrete mixture.

After installation, it is settled on two parallel beacons with a water level and the bars are leveled as much as possible. Some builders use a thread during the pouring process, which will control the evenness of pouring concrete. Beacons are installed in stages during the pouring process.

Any flat and long objects can be used as beacons.

pouring concrete floor in garage

The fastest way to concrete the floor in the garage is with the help of an ordered mixer with ready-made concrete. This will simplify the process of work, save time and effort. However, you can pour the concrete floor with your own hands. Such independent work needs additional helpers and a concrete mixer.

Most often, concrete grade 300 or 400 is ordered. The thickness of the mortar should reach 7-10 cm. To prepare the concrete mix, you will need:

• cement M500;
• river sand with granules up to 2 mm;
• crushed stone fraction 10–20 mm.

The proportions of concrete for pouring the floor in the garage:

1. One bucket of cement is mixed with two buckets of sand.
2. The components are filled with water to the consistency of sour cream.
3. Four buckets of crushed stone are added and stirred as much as possible.
4. Before pouring, you can add a hydraulic additive.

For subsequent finishing, filled with . Floor polishing should be done no earlier than a week after pouring. For this, professional equipment or an ordinary grinder with a diamond bowl is used.

Grade of concrete for the floor in the garage - M250

Protective covering

After work, the top layer of the floor screed will be subjected to daily stress. This will lead to the destruction of the top layer, the formation of dust and the appearance of cracks in the future. To prevent this from happening, the flooded floor is treated with a protective coating.

Protection of the concrete floor in the garage is created using polyurethane and epoxy compounds. Some prefer rubber paint for concrete floors. Such compounds are applied after the floor screed has completely dried. a very long time. It is important to ensure that it dries completely so that cracks and deformations do not occur in the future. One centimeter of concrete thickness dries for seven days, and this is only for the first four centimeters of the screed. Subsequent centimeters dry even longer. A 10 cm screed is best left to fully solidify for two months.

Curing

For high-quality hardening of the floor base, you need to create the right conditions in the room.

Try to save the room as much as possible:

• from drafts;
• from direct sunlight;
• from sudden changes in temperature.

To prevent moisture from evaporating quickly, the first week the concrete screed is watered. Then the concrete is covered with plastic wrap so that the surface dries gradually and evenly.

During the week, the stove should be watered daily.

Insulated concrete floor in the garage

Concrete heated floors keep the right temperature in the room for proper storage of the car. Since the ground freezes heavily in winter, high-quality thermal insulation will extend the life of the car.

It is possible to qualitatively and cheaply insulate a concrete floor with the help of foam sheets. They are settled under the screed on the waterproofing layer close to each other. The most important thing at the initial stage of digging a pit is to take care of the additional thickness for the foam. On average, a layer of thermal insulation takes about 20 mm. Another layer of waterproofing film is laid on the laid insulation and reinforcement is carried out.

A garage with a basement is popular as it effectively saves space. Before construction, it is important to study the soil and groundwater level at the construction site. The bottom of the basement is covered with a layer of rubble and sand, processed with bituminous mastic. Particular attention is paid to the hydro- and thermal insulation of the basement floor and walls. To prevent an increase in the level of humidity in the room, take care of reliable ventilation of the basement.

The overlap must be very reliable, because it will withstand the load of the car. The highest quality and most durable flooring is considered to be a concrete slab using a massive reinforcing frame. If the cellar is the size of a viewing hole, you can block it with wooden boards.

In order to, you need to decide on its type (single or gable). The gable roof is practical, it will allow you to equip the attic and store the necessary tools and materials. Slate, corrugated board and metal tile are the most popular for overlapping.

The comfort of being in the garage largely depends on whether the floor is made correctly. It must be durable, reliable, moisture resistant. Not many materials meet these requirements. One of the most common is the concrete floor in the garage. In order for it to perform its functions, it must be done correctly. How - in detail, we will describe step by step in this article.

Foundation preparation

The concrete floor in the garage is done on the ground. But most often the soil itself is not a sufficiently reliable and dense base, therefore a base device is required - pillows made of crushed stone and sand. Preliminary and mandatory work is the removal of the fertile layer, up to clean soil. With a fertile layer, organics and most of the microorganisms are removed, and their clean soil contains a minimum amount.

The first stage of the concrete floor in the garage is the removal of the fertile layer

Zero mark

As a result, you get a pit of some depth. Crushed stone and sand will be poured into it, but in order to understand whether its depth is sufficient or excessive, it is necessary to determine the “zero” level of the floor. It is convenient if the floor is flush with the threshold of the gate. Often they make it just below the threshold, but then you will have to somehow drain the water, and it will definitely be, if not in spring-autumn, in winter, from melted snow, for sure.

Mark the zero level of the floor along the perimeter of the walls. The easiest way to do this is with . Turn on the device to display the horizontal plane, set it to the desired level and draw along the beam.

If there is no laser level, use the water level. It is not so convenient with him: you have to transfer the mark many times along all four walls. These marks are connected by a straight line, instead of a ruler, you can use a bubble level, at the same time you can check whether all the marks have been set correctly.

Calculation of the thickness of the PGM layers

As a result of these works, we have a foundation pit and a zero floor mark. Now you can calculate how thick the layers are needed to reach the desired height. It is necessary to proceed from the following dimensions:

• the optimal thickness of the concrete floor in the garage (if there is a car or a lighter vehicle) - 10 cm;
• the minimum thickness of the crushed stone layer is 10 cm;
• sand - not less than 5 cm;

In total, it turns out that the pit should be no smaller than 25 cm deep. And that doesn't include flooring. If you simply impregnate or paint the concrete floor, then no additional centimeters are required; for any other coating, add the required thickness.

Having received a specific figure, you can plan the amount of sand and gravel. If the layers turn out to be very large, you can fill up the bottom and compact the soil (but not the fertile layer). If the depth of the pit is not enough, we take out some more rock.

On the walls of the garage, marks can be applied by which it will be possible to control the thickness of the layers. With a small garage width - 2 meters or so - these marks are enough. If the garage is wider, you need to set up a few more stakes in the middle and mark them too. Of course, all marks must lie in the same plane. This is again conveniently done with a level. Another way is to take a flat bar or board, attach it to the marked marks. Put a level on top of the bar / board. If everything is set correctly, the bubble will be in the middle.

If you plan to make a hole in the garage, it's time to dig a pit under it. If the pit is with brick walls, you can immediately pour a concrete floor into it. While you are engaged in backfilling for concrete in the garage, it will gain the required margin of safety and it will be possible to lay out the walls. They can be driven out after backfilling pillows of crushed stone and sand on the floor.

Bedding materials

For a normal concrete floor in the garage, it is better to take not gravel, but crushed stone. Gravel, with its rounded edges, you will never compact to the required degree. And if the base under the concrete is unstable, even a thick reinforced slab will burst. Therefore, we import crushed stone, medium and small fractions. Medium 60-70%, the rest - small.

There are no special requirements for the quality of sand for pillows. It is important that it be free of clay inclusions, but it can (and should) be sieved before laying.

Making a pillow under the concrete floor

The first step is to level the bottom of the pit. We remove irregularities, fill in the hollows, bring the level to the horizon. Do not think that the concrete floor in the garage can be done with violations. You can do it, but then the plate will crack, you will have to redo it.

Now we take a vibrating platform (you can rent it) or a manual rammer and compact the soil. Along the way, once again leveling the plane. When the soil is compacted, crushed stone can be poured. Do not fall asleep the entire volume at once - 10 cm is not normally tamped. The maximum layer is 5 cm, but 3-4 is better. We fall asleep the necessary part, distribute, level (with a rake) achieving approximately the same thickness. We take a rammer or vibrating plate and ram.

This crushed stone rammer is very important when constructing a concrete floor in a garage - a certain amount of crushed stone is driven into the ground. As a result, it becomes even more dense, the bearing capacity increases, and the possibility of subsidence is excluded. Tampering is considered sufficient if you step on the surface without leaving any traces. In the same way, all portions of crushed stone are rammed, bringing to the required thickness.

Sand is poured onto the compacted gravel. It is also divided into parts of 2-3 cm. The peculiarity of tamping sand: it must be moistened, they also say - shed. Wet sand is rammed, again focusing on the layers.

Now you can start forcing the walls of the pit, if any. They are brought to the level with the finished floor or even a little higher - so that you can wash the car right in the garage without fear that water will get into it.

damper clearance

A concrete floor on the ground is often referred to as "floating". This is because it is made incoherent with the walls of the building. In this case, the walls and floor can sag or rise independently of each other, while maintaining integrity.

So that the floor in the concrete garage is not connected to the walls, a damper tape is laid around the perimeter (sold in hardware stores) or thin sheets of foam plastic (10 mm thick) are cut into strips. The width of the strips - 12-15 cm - they should protrude slightly above the floor finish. The excess height of the damper is then cut flush with the floor.

Waterproofing a concrete floor in a garage

Concrete itself is not afraid of moisture, high humidity is harmful to the car body, as well as to things and equipment, which are accumulated in the garage a lot. The choice of materials for waterproofing depends on how close the groundwater is and how high it can rise in season.

If the groundwater is high, no special waterproofing measures can be taken, but a dense plastic film (with a density of 250 microns or more, can be reinforced, can not) be laid on the sand. in this case, the film is more needed so that the moisture from the concrete does not go into the sand, which cannot be allowed. With a lack of moisture, the concrete will not gain the required strength and will crumble.

With a high level of groundwater, it is better to take a denser and more reliable waterproofing - waterproofing or its analogues. In any case, the film panels are overlapped - they overlap each other by 10-15 cm. To minimize the possibility of water penetration, the joints are glued with double-sided tape, it is possible twice (at the beginning of the joint and at the end).

Waterproofing starts on the walls, above the damper tape. She is temporarily fixed there. After the concrete has been poured and set, it can be cut.

Reinforcement

Since the loads are supposed to be serious, the concrete floor in the garage is reinforced. For passenger cars, you can use a ready-made mesh of wire 7-8 mm in diameter, the size of the cage is 15 cm. Two meshes are connected to each other with plastic clamps or special knitting wire.

Another point - the mesh should be in the thickness of the concrete, approximately in the middle. It would be wrong to simply lay it on the film - the metal does not corrode inside the concrete only if it is at a depth of at least 3 cm. In order for the concrete floor in the garage to serve for a long time and not crack, the mesh is raised above the waterproofing by 3-6 cm. There are special coasters for this, but halves of a brick are more often used. They just have a thickness of 6 cm. Place them under the reinforcing mesh so that it does not sag very much.

Installation of beacons

In order for the floor in the garage to be even, it must be leveled. It is more convenient to do this with the help of a special long bar, which is called the “rule” (the emphasis on the letter “I” is from the word “rule”). This bar is supported on even bars, set to the desired level. They are called beacons.

As beacons, you can use any smooth and long objects. It can be pipes, bars, special beacons that are sold in hardware stores. They must be set at the same level with the level mark of the concrete slab applied on the walls.

Lighthouses are placed from the far wall, towards the one in which the doors are arranged (most often it turns out that along a long wall). The installation step is 25-30 cm narrower than the length of the rule. If the rule is 150 cm long, the distance between the beacons should be 120-125 cm. About 30 cm recede from the wall, put the first beacon, then others with a given distance.

They are usually installed on islands of densely mixed solution. They lay out the slide a little higher than necessary, press the beacon into it so that it is at the right level.

When installing beacons, you can make a slight slope of the concrete floor towards the doors (0.5-1 cm per meter). In this case, the water will flow by gravity from the floor to the street. Just note that in this case more concrete is required - you have to lift up the farthest edge of the floor from the entrance, but this is offset by ease of use.

The next day after pouring, the beacons are removed, the voids are filled with mortar and leveled to the same level as the previously filled floor.

pouring concrete floor in garage

The brand of concrete for the floor in the garage is M250. Its characteristics are more than sufficient both in terms of strength and frost resistance. Due to the fact that the thickness of the plate is large, even a small garage requires a large volume of mortar. Let's figure it out: for a small garage measuring 4 * 6 m with a concrete floor thickness, 4 m * 6 m * 0.1 m = 2.4 cubic meters will be required. Taking into account the fact that a slope is needed, it will be all 3 cubes. If you make it with your own hands in one day, you need to use two - one will not cope. It takes a decent team to get the job done.

There should be one person on each concrete mixer. This is provided that all the components are right there and they will also load them into the pear. If the components need to be brought up, this is two more people. Plus, two have to carry concrete to the place of its laying and one - to level. It turns out a considerable brigade. Such a composition will have to work all day. Even if the assistants are free, they need to be fed and watered. It is unlikely that this alignment will help save a significant amount of money compared to ordering ready-made concrete from the factory. Unless you will work in one hand, pouring the floor in parts. This is also possible, but it can threaten with cracks at the joints of floor sections flooded on the same day. You can reduce the chance of such cracks by removing the cement laitance that forms on the surface with a metal brush.

If you decide to order concrete in a mixer, you should install a receiving tray that will direct the flow of concrete to the center of the garage. From the center it is already easy to distribute it to all corners, and then stretch it with a rule. To facilitate the leveling of concrete and increase its grade, immediately after the preliminary distribution, the concrete is treated with a submersible vibrator for concrete. At the same time, air bubbles immediately come out, the concrete becomes more fluid and fills all the cavities itself. Beacons will be needed only for orientation, and maybe partial alignment.

Curing

After pouring concrete, if it's not very hot outside, you can simply close the garage doors. If there is a window, it must be hung so that the sun's rays do not fall on the concrete. If the street is too dry and hot, the concrete is covered with plastic wrap or damp burlap.

During the week, the stove should be watered daily. It is more convenient to do this over burlap - you can water the burlap without much suffering in relatively small streams, and it will give moisture to the concrete. If the concrete floor in the garage is covered with a film, it is removed before watering, then stretched again. When watering, in this case, you need to make sure that the drops are small - you need a nozzle with a large number of holes. In any case, the degree of watering is to a uniformly wet state (determined by the dark gray color of the surface), but without large puddles.

Insulated concrete floor in the garage

There are two options - to insulate an already filled slab, pour a screed on top (the structure in the figure below) or make insulation right away by laying it under the main slab.

When choosing the second option, the insulation is laid on top of the waterproofing layer, a reinforcing mesh is placed on it. The rest of the process of pouring the concrete floor in the garage is similar, only it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the insulation when calculating the depth of the pit.

As a heater for this case, it is recommended to use extruded polystyrene foam (EPS) with a density of at least 35 kg / m 3. It has very good characteristics, can withstand heavy loads, does not absorb or let water or steam through. So it is also an additional vapor barrier.

In order to be sure that the insulation will not be squeezed under the wheels, it makes sense to lay a layer on top of it. This is a non-woven membrane that is used in the construction of roads. Its function is load distribution, just what we need.

The minimum thickness of EPS is at least 5 cm, better - 8 cm. It is better to lay in two layers, shifting the seams when laying - in order to isolate the floor from the ground as best as possible.