Removing Concrete Step

Q: We have a poured patio with two steps down from the door. We need to remove the top step in order to build a deck over the whole thing. It appears it was done in a single pour-we think we will probably need to board up the slider for protection and rent a jackhammer for the day. Anything we should consider before taking on this endeavor?

A: It is highly unusual that the steps and pad were done in one pour (but anything is possible). Usually the steps sit on the pad.

A couple of points - remember your neighbors - jackhammers can be heard for hundred's of yards. Get a dumpster to get rid of the concrete - safety - glasses, gloves, steel toed boots, there will most likely be rebar or wire mesh in the concrete, heavy duty bolt cutters are best to cut wire mesh, power saw with metal blade for rebar.

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Flagstone Versus Concrete For A Patio

Q: Would flagstone be cheaper than a cement slab if doing a 10x20 patio?

A: A 10 x 20 patio in concrete 6" thick is 100 cu.ft of concrete or aprox. 4 cu. yds at 4" thick it is aprox. 3 cu. yds. Depending on where you are you will pay between $125 and $175 per cu. yd. Then you need material to make a form, and wire mesh to help prevent the concrete from cracking. You still have to prepare a good base for the concrete and you will need some tools such as a float to finish the concrete properly.

Flagstone requires a sand base properly compacted. Some people like to mortar the joints. Quality flagstone will cost about $5 to $10 a square foot, depending on the thickness and where you are located. But the installation is easier and you can do it at your own pace.

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Painting Concrete Porch‏

Q: I would like to paint my front porch which is concrete and wondered if I need a certain kind of paint to stick and stay on the concrete.

A: Most paint companies have a "Porch and Floor" paint that is made for concrete. Make sure you follow the surface prep instructions.

Concrete Slab Under Stove

Q: Today I ripped out all the tiles in my apartment's kitchen in preparation for installing my laminate floor. They came out easily, but under the stove I discovered I don't have a floor. Instead, I have a thick slab of concrete or cement board, apparently resting directly on the joists and sticking up about 3/4" above the planks of the floor around it.

Maybe stoves in 1901 (when this building was built) sent so much heat toward the floor that this was thought desirable, but it certainly isn't needed today, and I'm not sure what to do now. The goal was to add another electrical circuit, lay down a laminate floor in a few hours, buy a new stove, and finally be done with this unending renovation. With a crowbar or come-along I could probably get this thing up, but then I'd have bare joists and have to install a wood floor just to cover it up with the laminate floor, (plus I'd have a slab of concrete a yard square to carry down four flights of stairs). Or I could put the laminate floor on top of the slab and slice off the top layer of laminate to trim the "riser" part of the slab. This would leave the stove up in the air an inch or so, as it was before, and it would look OK, but it would limit a future owner's ability to move the stove. Any ideas?

A: Consider, that the slab might be asbestos! It was common to use asbestos to insulate against potential fire hazards, so you have to be careful about breaking it up.

I would lay the laminate on top of the slab and use a laminate stair nose molding, if the size is right or another molding to hide the edge.

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Walkway Recommendations‏

Q. There's a walkway in my back yard, which goes from the patio to the vegetable garden. It's made of cement pavers, about 18 inches wide and maybe 36 inches long. It makes for a narrow walkway. Plus it's too close to the garage, maybe 18 to 20 inches away from the wall, so when it rains, the water pours down on the walkway, and anyone using it. It also tends to be very slippery with snow and ice in the winter. I want to remove the pavers, relocate the walkway and use something else, hopefully something less slippery. My dilemma is that I can't think of something to replace it.

A. There are a couple of things that you can do:

1. Pour a concrete walkway and texture the surface.

2. Use flagstones, a path rather than a total walkway.

3. Use pavers that are textured.

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Levelling A Concrete Patio

Q: I am building a BBQ island on an existing patio deck that is already stubbed out. the trouble is that water pools there (it eventually drains, but sloooowly) There is about a 2 inch drop to the center from left to right, and then it is level to the drain - there is about a half inch drop front to back along the length. My thought was to pour additional concrete on top of the existing patio from one to three inches thick. I would like to avoid having to saw-cut, and break the existing area especially with all of the stubs in place. My question is what is the best mix to use that won't cost an arm and a leg and I can handle by myself?

A: Use a premixed self-levelling concrete mix, available at any of the big box home improvement centers. Build a form around the current base and make the top level, them pour in the self levelling concrete! Make sure the current concrete is clean, no dirt, grime or loose pieces.

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Rebar, Wire Mesh or Fibers in A Concrete Slab?

The great debate on whether to use rebar or number 10, 6 x 6 wire mesh in a concrete slab may go on forever. However, the consensus of opinion seems to be that wire mesh sheets, not rolls, should be used where slab thickness is between four and six inches and rebar should be used in slabs with thicknesses of eight inches or more. The wire mesh should be raised to between one third and one half of the thickness of the slab from the bottom. This can be done by using supports prior to the pour or by raising the mesh after the pour.

Individuals who find that their concrete slabs are cracking with the use of wire mesh may not be compacting the subsurface adequately before pouring the concrete slab. Secondarily, a spacer to help with stress cracks should be placed every 10 feet.

The use of fibers in concrete does not replace wire mesh or rebar. Fibers will aid in preventing surface cracking, but do not provide much in the way of support for thermal expansion or shrinkage of the entire slab.

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