Author Topic: How thick of a concrete pad??? (Read 45312 times)

sledjunkie · « **on:** July 06, 2006, 12:18:09 pm »

I did some math and for a 7.5' x 7.5', 4" thick pad it's going to take about 32 80lb bags of quikrete.

Is this overkill?

Could I get away with say a 2" thick pad?

Hot Tub Forum · « **on:** July 06, 2006, 12:18:09 pm »

salesdvl · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:28:43 pm »

4" reinforced pad is what I've always said.

wmccall · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:37:35 pm »

Quote

4" reinforced pad is what I've always said.

And what my dealer and several others have said. Many cement people who pour pads use that as a default.

96SC · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2006, 01:45:11 pm »

If a sidewalk that only supports foot traffic are layed 4" thick, you'd better go with 4" for a possibly multi-ton hot tub.
IMHO

bulmer4nc · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2006, 04:06:06 pm »

Quote

4" reinforced pad is what I've always said.

We had a 4" pad that was not reinforced and never had a problem.

DPS · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2006, 11:43:40 pm »

4 inch reinforced, thicker if it is not on level ground.

DPS · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2006, 11:43:59 pm »

4 inch reinforced, thicker if it is not on level ground.

Jack_L · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2006, 02:24:46 am »

My pad is 4"-5" and 18'x25' and so far so good. There were cracks that showed up a few weeks afterwards from settling, but that was never an issue since we had planned to cover the concrete with 1'x1' slate anyway. I have been doing the slate work this week and hope to be finished by sunday.

hawkman · « **Reply #8 on:** July 07, 2006, 01:40:28 pm »

4" minimum. Depending on where you live there may be different PSI requirements. Mine was 3500 PSI. I would get a truck to deliver the concrete, not mixed in bags. It will be worth your back and time to get it delivered.

You may even want to prepare the surface with a compacted gravel base. 2 things concrete will do.. cure and crack

Remember your tub with water and people could weigh 6,000 pounds. That is the weight of a Toyota Sequioa.

Jack_L · « **Reply #9 on:** July 10, 2006, 06:47:38 pm »

Here is a photo of my slate project so far. I ended up with 320 1-foot square sections of slate installed on the concrete pad, and what a job that was. Now that I'm getting near the finished product it is starting to look ok. The tiles are still a bit dirty from the grout, but its not too bad. Tonight I hope to finish the cleaning and will add the sealer. It does look better then the plain ol' concrete.

sledjunkie · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2006, 07:44:21 pm »

thanks for the replies everyone. I will be doing a 5" deep 7.6' x 7.6' pad. I will also be using wire mesh.

Hoosier · « **Reply #11 on:** July 10, 2006, 09:15:49 pm »

How long should you let the concrete cure, before placing the spa? I've heard conflicting opinions from friends, one said 5-7 days depending on the weather. Another said to let it cure a month...?

Zep · « **Reply #12 on:** July 11, 2006, 08:29:19 am »

Jack.....the slate looks awesome!

Ten times better than "plain concrete".

Please keep posting pics of your project.

Very nice!

ps: My slab is 4.5 inches thick....
I would think 2 inch could cause
problems down the road. Do it
right the first time!

seamoe · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2006, 05:06:24 pm »

I have a 20x20 slab that's 4.5" thick and its reinforced with rebar and mesh, which if your putting a tub on is a must. Even with that, I still have two cracks that run the length and width of the slab. I would suggest cutting across the middle in both directions when its finished. Another suggestion is to stamp it in a flagstone or other patterns if you want to dress it up, then either stain it or use colored concrete. It might cost a little, but the end result is well worth it.

Hot Tub Forum · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2006, 05:06:24 pm »

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