Pouring a Perfect 10'x10' Slab with the Harbor Freight Cement Mixer
Unleash the power of the Harbor Freight 3 1/2 cubic ft. cement mixer as we dive into an exciting project! I must confess, I've never used a cement mixer before, but lucky for us, one of our project houses needed a new back porch, and we decided to give it a shot. Watch us transform a blank canvas into a solid 10'x10' slab, all thanks to this incredible tool. Join us for a hands-on experience, tips, and tricks to make your cement mixing journey a breeze.
Electric Concrete Mixer 3 Cu Ft
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SAKRETE | High-Strength Concrete Mix
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(00:00) - Intro
(00:20) - Step 1 - Cleaning my Workspace
(00:30) - Step 2 - Constructing the Mold
(00:40) - Step 3 - Laying Down the Rock
(00:59) - Step 4 - Mixing the Concrete in the Cement Mixer
(02:10) - Step 5 - Pouring the Concrete
(03:48) - Step 6 - Removing the Mold
(04:09) - Step 7 - Adding Moisture & Covering the Slab Overnight
(04:34) - Review & Outro
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Many seem to forget the pride of doing projects on their own. I's not even always to save money (even if the case most of the time).
Could not have said it better myself. Welcome to our channel!
Nice concrete work for being new at it. And excellent video...short and direct to the point. Thank you!
Thank you so much. I love learning new things even though I'm an old dog! Welcome to the channel
I have been thinking of pouring a small slab in the back. This video is very well done and easy to follow. Really great job with cement work and video!!
Thank you so much. We do these videos for people like you. We are not professionals, but we love doing things ourselves and learning from the process, whether it's a good or bad learn. Welcome to our channel!
A mixer certainly helped. I've done my small concrete projects with a shovel and a wheelbarrow. All that labor, particularly managing those 80-pound bags illustrates why calling for a concrete truck might make sense for any project much bigger than this one.
I didn't price a truck for this project but my back would agree with you no matter the cost! Welcome to the channel.
What a style of work and thanks sharing for video. Thanks.
Thank you, and welcome to the channel!
Great job. Looks awesome
Thank you! And welcome to the channel 😊
I've loved my HF mixer! Only problems were dry zones. I would have to stop the mixer, use a gardening hand hoe and break up the dry zones. Mostly, I've only done 12" piers and two 5'x5' slabs. I've always oiled my forms, poured wet, screeded, misted with water, and waited about 45 minutes to let it start setting up. Then come in with my float and trowels to smooth it out.
That's awesome! We have only used it for that project so far, but I have a ton of molds that I want to start making. Welcome to the channel
We just poured a 4×10 slab, 3.5" thick. We had the best luck adding a gallon of water to the fully upright mixer, adding 2 60lb bags, then starting it and running it tipped to the limit before it would spill and adding water until we could tell the clumps on the bottom were broken up.
It's all about finding that sweet spot. Welcome to our channel!
You could of just put the mixer inside of the patio space and move it back as you pour until you run out of space then take it out
I thought about that but I had the chicken panels lifted with wire brackets. Technically I could have done half of it that way though.
@@VIPHoldings ahh ok, you're right, I didn't think about that
@@VIPHoldings Even with rebar, pros use a piece with a bend in it and a handle welded on to pull the rebar back up as you go.
Good info and welcome to the channel!
One time I did a drive way with my pops ,we threw in galvanized fence, pieces of metal..any scraps of metal we could find..30 years later the drive way is still there, no Cracks ,no sinking still good
See, now that is the type of info that I was looking for! Thank you for that, and welcome to the channel!
Sounds like what I just did in 2022. Tossed in 2 bike frames BBQ grill chains coat hanger a lamp was all I had. I did bc y not we will see or my mom will it's her hobby shop. It's cool to read some1 else already did it kudos
Welded wire and doby blocks
You are the only person I’ve ever seen remove the forms without waiting atleast 24 hours (unless I misunderstood something). Why remove them so soon?
@jordanlabelle6951 Most people remove them while the cemet is soft so they can smooth out the edges, but in my case, it was mostly dried by the time I removed them. Welcome to our channel!
My son and I used a mixer just like this one and we put 2 1/2 bags cement mix and it work really good for as
This was our first experience with it but I believe that the more we use it, the better we will get. Welcome to the channel!
He said he used 52 80lb bags at 5bag. 260bucks not bad,a contractor wanted to charge me 4k for the same size, good for you
The bag fluctuate in price a little bit but they are almost always between $5 & $7 at the big box stores. Also, if you buy in bulk sometimes you can get a discount and they will load the pallet for you.
Dang only $2.5 in my area. Nice work tho
Thank you, and welcome to the channel.
Sometimes you can buy open ones at half price.. be sure to ask
Good tip... welcome to the channel
Good job!! Spray some water onto the hardcore, this will help bind the mix your about to pour. For your next slab move your mixer into the slab area itself, or directly adjacent. Fill the mixer to capacity!!! Mix and drop the mix directly into the slab area or scoop it out with a shovel, anyhow, just get the mix on the floor and start mixing again, as you want speed!! 8 hours you need a medal!!! Don't bother hand floating yet! put your float to the side. Start dumping the mix from the house and work backwards, away in a horizontal plane parallel to the house., Every few feet or so, You and your wife or a friend. stand either side of the slab and out side the slab, take a straight edge of timber, say 2" By 3", rest it on either side of your edges as a guide to level the mix and draw your mix backwards away from your house, using small up and down movements lifting and pressing the timber up and down onto the mix. This is called tamping the mix, or drawing up the fat, as water will rise to the surface. Add more mix to shallow areas and scrape high areas flat and re-tamp, keep going moving away from the house until you have to lift you mixer out of the slab area. OK now you can look at your slab and apply a finish with a broom, float. or leave it as tamped finish etc, as you please. Easy when you know how!!! Hopefully this will save you time and effort in the future. Adding wire mesh to the slab will give it greater strength, it depends on the load you plan to have on the slab, but it needs to be in the centre of the slab. I would add mesh. Also allow room for some expansion for the slab in hot weather, so your slab will not crack!! But now we're starting to get all technical. Anyway, good effort mate!! 8 hours with a little bucket, good for you!!!
I was hurting after that 8 hours, but it was worth it when we saw the final product. Thank you for your critiques, as I doubt this will be our last pour. Welcome to the channel!
@@VIPHoldings You did just fine, but you looked tired at the end. Lots of good youtube videos on slabs, watch the pros, they make it look easy, but they have all the tools and expertise to obtain a finish the average person would struggle to achieve. BUT, you got the job done and powered through it. Your next slab will be much easier and less taxing on you. Good luck.
@@nemonemo6285 do you always put that much rock (gravel) as a base ? (Going to try my first project)
@@bob4003 Hi Bob, Always use a well compacted base. The depth of your base depends on the function / use / and load the pad will take. i.e. small pad in front of my shed, say 3 by 3; or a small garden path, needs 3 inch base, no wire mess / rebar, that's fine. A base for a drive way that will take heavy trucks needs a deeper, rolled base with rebar!!! Read up, all the info is on the web. Design it well, factor in your age and health, write you self a small plan, take your time and enjoy it. Hope that helps. Best of luck Bob!!
@@nemonemo6285 yes thanks. 10x10 patio is what I’m working on
Good job
Thank you! Welcome to the channel.
Great direct video...Some of the comments by watchers helped as well. I am planning a 2.55m3 slab but in three stages.... and I am super overthinking it.... First time for me as well... ready mix is outside my budget... this video helped loads thanks... wish me luck !!
I'm so glad it helped! My suggestion, don't overthink it. Just buy your cement, build your frame, and do it. You will learn a ton just by doing it. Welcome to the channel
Awesome demonstration
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THANKS FOR THE CONTENT BRO!
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Your seement job looks great.
Thank you! Welcome to the channel.
That was so great and interesting good technique . Appreciate your video😊
Thank you so much for the kind words, and welcome to our channel!
You must have a hell of an eye for level, nice work!
Purchased to mix dirt for my greenhouse and love it. Much. More productive and less tiring than mixing by hand. Even built a tarp hut to keep "Punkin" in. Yes...he has a name 😃
That's awesome, multiple uses! May I ask, why do you mix dirt, though?
@@VIPHoldings I like to mix very light dirt with heavier dirt and fertilizer. If I have plants that don't like a lot of water, I put more light dirt in the mix. Plants that like more water, like tomatoes, perennials, and cabbage get heavier dirt to hold the water,
That's awesome! Are you a seller or just family garden?
@@VIPHoldings I'm a hobby seller. Do about 10K plants a season.
See ment mixer! That is rich. Great job. Nice video. I may have lifted the mixer with old pallets and created a run way for a wheel barrow but I can’t fault how you did it. The heavy see ment was high in the pickup and you worked down hill to the buckets. 52 buckets. Awesome. Great job thinking through the job. Thank you for sharing your see ment recipe… and the video.
Thank you for your comments, and welcome to the channel!
I just used this video to show my 4yo how a cement mixer works, recently found a Bob the builder "dizzy" cement mixer which is also orange just like your mixer, thankyou
That's awesome! Thank you so much for your comment, and welcome to our channel!
DIY projects are the best, especially when they go right. Nice work. Only (slight) criticism, a standard pour is 4 inches. 6 inch forms, two inches of aggregate, 4 inches of cement. That is the winning combination and pretty much an industry standard. And allows for heavier items placed on what is known as an “Honest Four.” You did great for a home owner with no experience.
Thank you so much! So let me ask, what do you used for forms? I usually see guys using 2x4s and that's what I used. Should I be using 2x6 or 1x6?
@@VIPHoldings 2x6’s are used most of the time by most cement masons. Makes the math easier when calculating the 2 inch aggregate, 4 inch pour. Some use 2x4 suspended over the aggregate. I’ve seen both, but usually ppl using 2x4’s are eye balling the aggregate height.
If you use 2x6 and 2" aggregate, that's not a 4" pour. That would be a true 3.5" pour. That's that's the same as using 2x4 material. The reason you would use 2x6 in this scenario is to give the look of a taller wall. It would be 3.5 in the field and have a thickend edge so you fill material doesn't wash away exposing the bottom side of the concrete.
Just bought one these. I was wondering about one or two bags and that answers my question. I was doing one bag at a time for a small 2’ x 4’ slab and it didn’t seem like two would work well. Definitely need to lower down as far as you can for a good mix like you said.
We're so glad it helped, and welcome to our channel!
Thank you. Im looking to do my own driveway and on a budget ao im glad to hear the mixer is priced decent.
That's awesome! We wish you luck. Welcome to our channel!
It might have been possible to set the mixer in the area to be covered and dump directly onto the base until you worked yourself into a corner. I hated to see you work so hard, but I appreciate it. Great video, especially the information about the mixing process that worked best for you.
I really wanted to do that, but I couldn't figure out how to do it and not smash the wire fence brackets. Thank you for your comment, and welcome to the channel!
A simple hack after poring the cement you can add cement leveler and brush it. It will look like one nice solid piece.
Thank you for the tip, and welcome to the channel!
Awesome video. The hard work you put in paid off for a finished product. A few notes for future projects: concrete and cement are two different things. Cement is an ingredient in concrete. Concrete is the entire mixture. Water first in the mixer. Also, wear a dust mask, silica dust is not forgiving. A 5gal bucket full of concrete weighs about 100 pounds. Wire mesh is fine for any pour, but it should be suspended in the middle slab for structural integrity. Rebar should be used for anything over 4 inches thick. It also needs to be suspended in the middle of the slab. Best of luck with future projects.
Hands down the best comment we've received so far! I learned the cement vs concrete just before making this video but I may have used those words interchangeably on accident. We did suspend the chicken fence with wire brackets that were sold near the fence at the big box store. As for a mask, I am usually very safety conscious but it was so unbelievably hot that I decided not to wear one, thinking that I was outside and there was a light breeze for ventilation. I will try harder next time. Thank you so much for your tips and welcome to the channel!
@@VIPHoldings How’s the best way to suspend the wire mesh or rebar in 4 inches of mix??? Thanks!
They sell small wire brackets to keep wire mesh or rebar off the ground during the pour. You can get it in any big box construction store.
Nice work. I'm sure you'll get the usual hate comments, but the only thing that matters is that you are happy. I've done a couple of similar projects with the HF mixer. I do always mix 2 full 80lb bags. I put the full amount of water for all 160lbs in first, then I put one bag in, and wait until it's pretty much all liquid (1-2min), then I put in the 2nd bag and wait another 2-3 min for it to finish mixing. The 5 gallon bucket slowed you waaaay down, but hey, you gotta use what you have. Some sort of ramp to dump it straight in to the form, might have worked. Anyway, the 160lbs sometimes is hard for the HF mixer to even spin!
I'm definitely going to try that next time and we recently bought 2 wheelbarrows so I'll be much better prepared. You live and you learn. Btw, welcome to the channel!
Thinking of doing a 12 x 10 for a shed in the back 40
I’m about to pour me a small slab next to my garage to park on so this video definitely helped
Thank you so much, and good luck with your pour. Welcome to our channel!
Good effort!
Thank you, and welcome to our channel!
Great video! How about putting the mixer inside the forms and moving it toward the corner then out for the last pour?
I really wanted to do that, but I couldn't figure out how to do it with the metal fence in the for strength. I think next time I will do smaller sections. Thank you, and welcome to the channel!
Screed, Screed, Screed my Man!
What does that mean?
Set up mixer in area mix and dump rite into area and have someone mixing bags and dumpin movin mixer along
WOW! I think a wheelbarrow and bigger batches would've helped a lot, but I've never done this before. haha. Great job man
Unfortunately the wheelbarrow wasn't an option for the project because the fence is in the way. Next time I will do smaller sections. DIY is always the best way 😁. Welcome to our channel!
@VIPHoldings Well I have seen other videos where they remove one of the boards on the end to allow trucks to drive into where the concrete was poured. I think you could've done the same here. Moving all that weigh with a small bucket is insane! Haha. You got it done though! That's some serious determination. Haha.
good first go , suggestion lift the wire mesh up to the center of the the slab
Yes sir it is. The wire fence we bought had chairs to set it on. Welcome to our channel!
I bought the same mixer to do a chimney. Thing worked so good for the price. Some nuts and bolts fell off but it’s still running strong. I did a 30ft chimney on a 6 x 4 concrete slab, mortar scratch wall and stone veneers. I think I used about 50 50lbs bags of mortar and 25 80lbs bags of concrete, I’m just guestimating. But it was around there.
We just used ours again for a front porch upgrade and still love it. Do you video any of your projects? If so, you're more than welcome to add your link here. Welcome to our channel!
I had one of those for long time did a bunch of projects with it. I built a retaining wall filled each cylinder with concrete also do a few bags every weekend. I gave it to a friend he used it for bunch of them also. Need to pour about a yard of concrete probably rent one of those mixers you tow behind your pickup holds a yard I can get it right in there ad dump it from the mixer.
We really like ours too, and good luck with your upcoming project. Welcome to our channel!
You earned a subscriber. As for the folks saying "Call a professional company" etc, NOTE THEY ARE ALL WATCHING *THIS VIDEO* revealing the fact that they don't want to hire the professional. Self-defeating. You did a great job and it is inspiring. Thank you, Goodsir, for sharing with us all. Hats off. ☝️
This is by far our best compliment. Thank you so much for taking the time and welcome to our channel!
You could also use a metal ramp to pour out the concrete in the form
I think my biggest problem with this form was that it was just too big. Next time, I want to do smaller forms, so I have more maneuverability.
Put it on second marker. Fill with water to first ring in mixer add 1 80 or 60 pound bag do small squirts till it flops. This machine will last a few years sitting in Ohio winters outside. It's a champ...
Dump into wheel barrow 🤣
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You just made up my mind. After hearing that this took 8 hours and seeing all that work, I just hired a concrete company to pour my slab.
No worries. DIY isn't for everyone. Welcome to our channel!
Just use a bucket and drill. Takes about 30 sec to mix a bag. Maybe 1 hour and it's done
Yall did great man also u saved alot of money and 8 hours for that yall good job. Here some tips for you next time 1 .place a concrete bag on the bottom on that little leg to make it more stable 2. U can mark a bucket when u find out how much water your comfortable,but on this unit I fill it to like the gasket seal and then add lil bit depends how I need it 3.one could lay a tarp or wood and cut alot bags in half flip and make a pile and and u can shovel it or u can dump them over shoulder however 4.stick with two bags 80 lbs for sure and when it's mixing since u put that concrete bag to make it more stable ,preferably me I grab the handle release it and start tilting it even more and it mixes so fast especially when I have mix something dry or some high psi and only allowed the exact water amount 5.instead of building up the concrete all the way on a big pour only fill like half 2inches and do a little area like that then when your ready fill the 2 inches then bull float a large area instead of little sections everywhere and stoping so much I got many more but im sure your u got it under control good job again Subcribedddddd!!
Also that wire is fine uhave nice base ,
Thank you and welcome to our channel!
Instead of doing the 5 gallon bucket routine, just put the mixer in the pour area and dump it straight to the ground, saves a lot of work and no wheelbarrow needed.
I thought about that but didn't know how I would be able to do it with chicken fence laying there.
Looks good to me
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Cool Video 🫡
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Most of these people who say they’d use a concrete company will be working long after you retire-and they still won’t know how to change a flat tire. Nice job, brother.
Thank you for saying that. We love what we do and just hope we're helping someone. Welcome to our channel!
Why didnt you just put the mixer inside the forms and just dump instead of using bucket
Because I had a raised chicken fence inside for strength. It's kind of like having rebar bit, not that strong.
you pull up the wire after you pour the concrete on it .. i always pour with my mixer in the form, otherwise you are wasting siginificant time and energy dumping / hauling
Good job buddy. I would have just moved the mixer onto the hard core base and mix and tipped from there.
Agreed, next time I will do that but during this pour I couldn't because I made the frame too big. Welcome to the channel!
It looks like it Turned out great looks like you did a good job Do you think it would have been a little better if your concrete was a little more wetter while you were pouring all of that and then as you Get to the end make it not so wet. I'm just wondering. Give you more time to work with the 1st part of the pour
I thought about that, but the professionals say that it's stronger if it's on the drier side. On the next pour, I am going to make it a bit wetter, and my forms will be much smaller. Welcome to our channel!
How many bags of 80 lbs concrete mix needed for this 10x10 ft project? Great job though, I am planning to do mine soon. Thank you for making this very informative video!
I don't remember exactly but it was a few more than a half of a pallet from the big box store.
USE an N100 RESPIRATOR ... ALWAYS WHEN WORKING AROUND CEMENT AND POURING THAT SAND INTO the mixer or wherever. That dust can mess you up !!
Will do. Thank you, and welcome to the channel!
Works great with 2 60lbs bags. Spray inside with water, turn mixer straight up and plop bag on top the bust it with a hoe. Much easier than trying to dump/pour the bag. Move mixer the #2 position, turn her on add water to get a good slurry going. Don’t want it binding up on the mixing paddles. Turn it off. Back to upright, add next bag, then back to #2 and let it run. Because the first bag is more slurry, second bag mixes well and you can water as needed. Very consistent result every time. I’ve even done a third 60# just to get done but it’s the same process, just harder to mix because you can’t get a good angle on the bowl, but it’ll do it in a pinch. With 2 60# you can get a good rhythm going especially if you can be inside the pour area and mix and dump. But this also work really well for a wheel barrow, very little spillage.
We will definitely try all of that on the next one, hopefully coming this summer. Welcome to the channel!
Once you hit that rhythm it will get done in no time and will be fun too! We normally had three guys. No mixer, just a bucket and a corded drill. We were doing a slightly different application but it’s all the same stuff. Get one guy towards the end of the current pour to go setup the next and start. Other two back him up and prep the next space, pour and spread, rotate the mixing guy every so often (it’s a break). Rinse and repeat! With three good dudes you could knock this out in one morning. Especially with a mixer
We have gotten much better with the mixer since the video. That was actually our first time using it. We plan on doing a driveway soon, so stay posted. Welcome to our channel!
Good job. Sure beats mixing concrete by hand in a washtub.
If I had tried to do it that way, I honestly believe I would have died. It was hard enough doing it with the machine. Welcome to our channel!
@@VIPHoldings Thanks I enjoyed your video.
Put some self leveling compound in the mix and it’ll help level itself
I've never heard that before. Thank you for the tip, and welcome to the channel!
My same Harbor freight mixer will take two 60 pound bags but only one 80 pound bag. Thanks for the video.
Next time I do a big pour I'm going to try that. I was using 80's and found out quickly that I could one do 1 at a time. Welcome to our channel!
FGood job. That bucket stuff had to get pretty old by the end of the project, eh? I made a chute for my HF out of a plastic 55-gallon drum. I split it down the middle and hug it from the frame under the drum. I extended it behind the drum to catch the pour when tilting the drum all the down. It makes the job much easier when pouring because you can pour the mix directly into your forms, plus no wheelbarrow to tip over and clean up when the job is done. I don't like the location of the start/stop switch and plan to either relocate it to the top of the motor cover or make an industrial switch on a pigtail so that I can control the machine from either side of the machine.
That is an awesome idea! I might have to steal that. Welcome to our channel!
Wet down the mixer real good first , then add the concrete! It can mix for a while. Can always add more water or mix, be patient and make sure you have the right texture for your project.
Agreed. It took us a while, but we eventually got to the right consistency. Welcome to our channel!
You could have divided that patio into 4 small jobs. When the concrete is dried, use a saw to cut the joints that already exist, that will clean up the joints. Then blow all the debris out of the joints and caulk. The 4 smaller jobs will allow you time to finish the edges and surface Make sure the rebar spans across all the joints and don't saw too deep. People tend to think they have to pour concrete all at one time which isn't always the case. Slow down and break big jobs up into small jobs with some planning.
You used cement mix bags, it did not dried on you ? it is kinda big slap 10x10
I poured the 10x10 Slab 1 cement bag at a time and I worked as fast as I could so it wouldn't dry too fast.
This looks like an absolute nightmare day! Im gonna hire a concete guy. In my area, the nocrete bags alone would be $300 and the mixer will cost $300. I can hire somebody to do the slab for $1,000. That means in an eight hour day with you and your helper (16 man hrs) you poured a slab for $25 an hr. I love DIY but for $25 an hour i would rather hire it out. Thank you so much for the true info!
I'm happy we could help. I wish we could get it poured that cheap. We live in the forest, so basically, whatever the material cost is, we need to double it. The upside is that it helps with content for our channel. Welcome, btw!
Highly recommend rebar. A slab that big would need #3 24” in each direction. Concrete has very little strength without steel. Also a control joint in each direction so when (not if) it cracks it’s won’t be seen. The only two guarantees with concrete are that it’s hard and it cracks!!!!🎉🎉
I agree and we did use metal but no need for thick rebar. If I had to do it again, I would put the lines in so it will crack where I want it to but I could do it with a saw at anytime. Welcome to our channel!
How about half yard mixers? Ive been curious about them
I used rebar. 1/2 in. hooked the ends using a fire, blown hot enough to melt the ends in a " hook "
That sounds great! We just used chicken fence for this project, but I'm going to do a small driveway next year, and we'll definitely use rebar for that. Welcome to our channel
How's this slab holding up? Any cracks? I would be concerned the drainage aggregate would start to fall away since there's nothing to hold it in place around the perimeter.
So far, so good. I do plan on building a perimeter, but no cracks, and the base rock is still in place. The porch gets used pretty regularly, too.
Try 4 buckets water first 2 cement then 15 construction buckets of gravel... That's how much I normally use for one mix.. That's a small one so try half of what I use
Is your wire laying on the gravel or raised up ?
We raised it with wire brackets that actually go with the metal fence panels we used.
Water, sand, water, stone, water, then concrete and then add more water as needed. It mixes better that way.
Though this process sounds like it would be strong, why would do all of those steps when we have quikrete ready in a bag?
@@VIPHoldings that may be more expensive. I'll use that for posts, but not a slab.
I've never priced it with all the ingredients separate like that. You think it is cheaper that way vs all together in 1 bag?
@@VIPHoldings I haven't priced it either, but I will soon. LOL
Please keep in touch, I'm interested to hear what you find out.
The video i was looking for but i think that the metal net should stay in the middle of the concrete Just to absorbe the dilatation and contraction and prevent the concrete to cracks.
I agree, but I'm happy to report that there are still no cracks so far. Welcome to the channel!
Is that the 1.25 yard mixer ?
I work in precast concrete, try not to move/scoop concrete with your steel trowel. The rivets will pull out eventually.
Good advice! Thank you for that, and welcome to the channel!
you def dont need rebar, or wire mesh, foot traffic only? nice video
Appreciate it. The next one I plan to pour is a driveway, so I'm thinking rebar for that and maybe a couple of different things from this video per recommendations from folks just like you. Welcome to the channel!
👍👍
Thank you
I am looking to do exactly the same project with my wife, great work and awesome video. May I asked how many bags of concrete have you used? thank you and god bless
I think I mentioned how many bags I used in the video, but I believe it was around 50. Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out. Thank you for reaching out, and welcome to the channel!
Did you cost out getting a concrete truck ? My research seems to indicate concrete delivery is about $100-$150 per yard, but there may also be minimum delivery charges ???
We did, unfortunately because of where we live the cost for just delivery was more than we paid for materials. Welcome to our channel!
How many bags of cement did it take?
I don't remember exactly but it was a few more than a half of a pallet from the big box store.
How many bags did you use for that size ov slab?
It's been awhile but I think it was 52 80lbs bags. I say it in the video somewhere. Welcome to our channel!
Hey how did you use only 52bags? According to the concrete calculator I need 100 bags for 10x10x4
I know we ended up needing a few more bags, but nowhere near twice as many. Also, with the rock base, I would say ours is only 3" deep. Welcome to the channel!
A 10'x10'x4" pad is 33.3 cubic feet. Each 80 lb. bag makes approx. 0.6 cubic feet. You should need around 56 bags.
That sounds about right. Welcome to our channel!
You went about it the hard way. Put the mixer inside your form and dump it directly. If you were pulling the reinforcement mesh up into the concrete, just roll the mixer along the side of the forms and dump directly. Next time you will have more fun!😁
As I've explained a few times, that just wasn't an option for this pour. Welcome to our channel
It's ok for small slab it's low torque for the use it's not a cross beam support for I65 freeway
🤣 You can imagine how many different views I've heard over the last few months. I agree with you because that patio gets a lot of traffic, and it still looks brand new. Welcome to the channel!
As long as the chicken fence isn't corosive it would defiantly help durability but you want it inside of the concrete not laying on the floor that makes it useless.
I definitely bought the brackets to hold the fence off the ground.
@@VIPHoldings4:01
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I'm no concrete person at all but I follow victory outdoors channel. An the wire mess is supposed to be in the middle of the concrete I believe not on bottom. I'm not sure tho
It is in the middle. Held up by metal brackets. That's why the mixer is outside of the frame. Welcome to our channel!
We just dumped it into the form. I think that once the rock rolls out from under your frame the concrete will break.
We packed dirt around the perimeter to hold the rock, and it's been well over a year. Still looks as good as the day we poured it. Welcome to our channel!
I used recycled fence for my concrete slab
What do you mean? You used the fence for your mold?
@@VIPHoldings Fence substitute for rebar
@DZnUTS520 OH wow! Chain link I hope 🤣. That's super resourceful! Welcome to our channel!
Call me crazy....the "foundation" of loose stone is surely going to just pour out the sides and undermine the slab fairly quickly.
Though we did tamp the stone, this is still a concern. We will be installing railing all the way around as well as building up the ground around it. Welcome to our channel!
Wow, with my mud mixer you can do 80 80lb bags in a little over an hour.
Do you have a cement truck?
@@VIPHoldings No it call mud mixer look it up.
@tweb3282 Cool, I didn't have $3,000 lying around to do this 10x10 slab, but good for you.
I'm thinking the sand/gravel/cement recipe would mix better. Anyone have any experience? Pain in the ass getting all ingredients, but probably even cheaper.
I didn't even think about that. I might try that on my next big pour. Welcome to our channel!
@@VIPHoldings If I ever get to it I'll try to remember to let you know. I'm picturing the gravel falling and tumbling and mixing better. I might try ramps across my form to run the mixer across, I've done it with wheel barrows, I can't quite picture how the mixer would go.
Kudos to you. Too much work for me. Don't forget to pull the reinforcement up or put it in chairs to raise it off the bottom. It's good to have your re-bar both in the center and have at least 1.5 to 2" of concrete covering both above and below.
Thank you for the tip but don't you think that's overkill for a 10x10 porch? I did use one layer of metal fence raised to the middle. Welcome to our channel!
Great video, really useful thank you, but why does the color and finish look so bad? Did u want it that white? And maybe the texture is just a lack of finishing tools? No hate, u made a nice slab but id like to take it up a notch
No offense taken. I think because we put the tarp over, it allowed it to dry with a dusting on it. It's not white anymore, but I'm not exactly sure how long it took to darken. As for the finish, I originally wanted a brush finish, but the first half dried faster than I anticipated and didn't want the 2 sides to look different. Welcome to our channel!
Should of backed in a local E-mix truck where you had your truck parked and had them chute the concrete over.. Probably would of been cheaper than what you spent and alot easier
Definitely would have, but we live in the middle of the forest, and the delivery cost alone was almost as much as we paid for our material. Plus, we prefer to do things ourselves and learn.
@@VIPHoldings I see.. Concrete is hard work and sucks I've done plenty of it aswell.. anytime you can't find a shortcut it helps
Agreed... it was a LONG, HARD day, but my wife and I were and are still proud of the job we did. And we both learned a ton for next time when we pour our driveway. (Coming soon)
It’s our new C-ment mixer.
Nice... welcome to our channel!
250 dollars will probably cover the cost of one cubic yard of redi mix concrete. One cubic yard will cover roughly 75 sq ft at the thickness you poured the slab. So unless you have future projects in mind for the mixer, it wasent necessarily a wise investment. Also, many areas, especially the more populated ones will have the job mix concrete companies. The concrete is mixed at the truck on the job in the amount necessary for doing the job. Slightly more expensive than large lot deliveries, but ideal for these types of projects. Yes you would need a good wheelbarrow, but then most homeowners would have more use for a wheelbarrow than they would for a cement mixer. And Harbor Freight sell those also. May be an even better idea is to rent the equipment needed for just the time needed to complete the job.
It's not even close to that cheap where we live and I definitely use it for more than just one project. I think that was a mute point.
That’s a 3.5 cuft mixer, a 60lb bag is .45 cuft so you can put 7 60lb bags in it max capacity, why is about 5 80 pound bags. Not sure why you would do so little? Is the engine just not good?
I'm not sure about your numbers, but I can assure you it's impossible to put 7 bags of mix in and mix it properly. Sure, 7 bags might fit in the drum, but getting it mixed properly couldn't happen. As for the "engine," the motor is decent, but this is far from being commercial equipment. It's great for small diy projects, though.
@@VIPHoldings I just finished assembling mine and am about to pour footings. I haven’t used it yet, just going off the specs. I was hoping to do one pour per footing but if it can’t do even half specs I’ll have to do multi pours. Good thing I didn’t get the small one, must do half a bag?
I was originally looking at the small one as well, but I believe that one is for very small mold pours. Good luck with your project!
@@VIPHoldingsthanks, just poured 5 of the footings , this thing could barely handle 120 pounds plus water, so I was mostly doing one bag. I could only use a bucket as well so took a while but it does work
@Naturalcrusader I feel your pain brother
How many bag u used?
Around 50 - 80 lbs bags
@@VIPHoldings Ok thanks, I have another question, how far do I know I need to dig to lay a slab?
It depends on what your trying to accomplish. If you want it flush with the ground, dig 3 1/2." If you want it raised like I did, don't dig at all.
@@VIPHoldings Ohh ok thanks! That was a lot of help, looking at your video I feel like I’m ready to try it myself 😂 much more cheaper.
Good luck!
I just bought that mixer at harbor freight. It was the worst think i bought from the store. The instructions sucked, there were left over bolts and missing bolts. Got it together and fliped it on and it started rotating. Put one 60lb bag in with water and it lagged out. I must have gotten the lemon but they keep 50 dollars if you dont want to build another one... restocking fee. So no more cheapy purchases for me. Glad yours works
I'm sorry to hear that. We've had ours for over a year, and it's still working as intended. Definitely not heavy duty, but for small projects, it's pretty handy. Welcome to our channel!
I see guys use 2 60 lb bags or one 80 lb bag. Ill use the 60lb bags easy to use for me, 1 or 2 mix at a time Ill just have to play.
Exactly what we did. Welcome to our channel!
@@VIPHoldings made a youtube video too
3-1/2" 10 x10. Oil you frames with mobil1 and set in place. Buy 5 (1/2" ) fiberglass rebar and set over chickenwire. Open 52 bags of dry mix and pour them in the frame, spead and level as you go. Screed making sure all corners are filled. Work the top to a smooth finished look then take an ege trowel and lightly run over the dry mix until edge along the frame. When you have the exact look you want, fix a mist sprayer on the hose, turn on and give a fine mist over the entire slab. Special attention to corners and along the edge. Don't soak or over spray. Wait an hour and repeat. Do this every hour for 5-6 hours. Next morning lightly mist again, and again every hour for 3-4 more hours. Wait several hours, then lightly spray . remove forms after 2-3 days.
Wow, that's a long process, but it does sound interesting. Unfortunately, that process would eliminate my new mixer, which is really why we were making the video, but you're definitely thinking outside of the box.
Rule of thumb is you always put water in first. Your just asking from problems and clumps doing it the other way.
We learned that one the hard way!