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Pouring a Concrete Floor

Bob watches a strip of concrete being poured between two existing slabs. Rebar is placed in the two adjoining floors to prevent craking and a joining compound is added to ensure proper adheasion.

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Pouring a Concrete Floor

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HVAC System for the Home Addition

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Framing a Partition Wall

Clip Transcript For:

Pouring a Concrete Floor

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" For the sports -- play here."

" They are through the rebar with a car run the -- now tell me something why and we pour this concrete in the first place when you put in the slap. While you remember we had this being this wall sent to that report. And we had both shores coming down from the air all the way down here and we had to pour the concrete around them -- could get the shorts out later finale look like we've got a pretty complicated process going on in order to fill in yeah -- we've got that what we've done is we try to do the best we can try to hedge against cracking in the floor we've. Taken to number five rebar. And we've epoxy -- into the concrete. And now we're applying some bonding agent to allow the concrete to adhere to the old concrete actually yeah you've got the rebar into the old slab and into the new slab and that really should tied together for the they shouldn't be any crack absolutely yeah we staggered -- as you can see we we've. Put more than probably necessary. This last one goes right in like that. And when the country. By the concrete on the way now -- the plumbing -- place for a rough up. Yet we've got all our we've got our drain lines in we've got a water pipes and end to accommodate -- double compartment sink yeah we've got electrical run let's look at."

" The floor plan minutes so we understand that the lay out of this kitchen is really only about nine by twelve U -- plan and right over there's where the sink and the dishwasher door we're just pointing Baja and then on this wall we'll have the cooking stated the the range in the oven. Apparently here's the refrigerator so there's a nice triangular. Pattern for the foot traffic. The area in question is right here in the middle of everything and if you had a crack there you could have some serious problems once the finished floor is not yet that's one of the problems -- architect's rendering twelve -- top throughout this whole area -- of the -- cracks the tile cracks with it yet."

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Pouring the Concrete Floor

Concrete contractor Shawn Doyle is on hand to review the techniques used in pouring the concrete floor of the garage. A laser levels is used to ensure an accurate level and several power and hand tools are used to smooth the floor. Lastly, a control joint is installed to allow for expansion and contraction of the floor.

Determining Moisture Content in Concrete Floors

Bob talks with homeowner Howard Brickman about drying out of the new addition. Concrete can pose problems for the wood-floor installation business. Brickman's consulting business created a device that measures the relative humidity of the interior of the concrete and predicts what will happen after the concrete is covered with a floor covering. The whole exterior structure of the addition, except for the roof, is made of concrete. It's critical that the concrete that makes up the floor is dried before the wood floor is installed. This is especially true in Southern climates where there is a high amount of humidity.

Sealing a Concrete Floor to Make it Waterproof

Bob talks with Howard Brickman of Brickman Consulting about waterproofing the concrete basement floor. Brickman is putting water down on the floor to make the floor more absorbent for the sealant he will be applying later. To seal the concrete, Brickman will use Bone Dry, a sodium silicate with enzymes, to penetrate and seal up any spaces in the concrete to prevent water intrusion.

Color Staining a Concrete Floor

Tom Moorad joins Bob to show how his proprietary technique and product for color staining concrete is applied. He explains that the concrete slab should first be etched then treated with a mineral acid -- not muriatic acid, as that is too strong and will degrade the acrylic stain that goes on the surface. This is called "shocking the substrate". Moorad then applies the stain with a hand pump, making drip patterns over a small area and using a squeegee or skimmer to move the material across the surface. The key is to avoid pooling or puddles and to be sure that it sinks into the surface. The stain dries very quickly and will be covered with two other colors to complement the dark metallic look of the Porcelanosa tile inside. Moorad applies a final clear coat sealant once the colors have been set. Homeowners Jim Minardi and Teresa Fogelini tell Bob about the other selections they have made for floors, including a light oyster color for the pool deck, which will reflect light and stay cooler. The bedroom adjacent to the lanai area will have Bellawood hardwood Brazilian walnut.