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Author Topic: How thick of a concrete pad???  (Read 45355 times)

sledjunkie

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How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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?



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How thick of a concrete pad???
« on: July 06, 2006, 12:18:09 pm »

salesdvl

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2006, 12:28:43 pm »
4" reinforced pad is what I've always said.
Measure once, cut twice.

wmccall

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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.
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96SC

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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
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bulmer4nc

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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.
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DPS

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2006, 11:43:40 pm »
4 inch reinforced, thicker if it is not on level ground.

DPS

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2006, 11:43:59 pm »
4 inch reinforced, thicker if it is not on level ground.

Jack_L

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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.


« Last Edit: July 10, 2006, 06:48:17 pm by Jack_L »

sledjunkie

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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!

« Last Edit: July 11, 2006, 09:07:09 am by Zep »

seamoe

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« 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.

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Re: How thick of a concrete pad???
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2006, 05:06:24 pm »

 

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