[Karen]

Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Karen

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"Karen" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Sounds like a major project. Perhaps the original slab settled a bit or
never had the right pitch. There is no easy way of putting a thin coating on
top and have it last. You may be able to put a little right next tot he
house but that will only keep it away a few inches from where the two meet.

How big is the area?

[Joseph Meehan]

Karen wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Karen

I suggest a commercial "mud jacking" company. They will drill a few
holes about 2" and then pump a concrete mix into them lifting the existing
slab.

If you want to try and fix the grade by adding something to the top, I
suggest that adding anything less that 2" at the lowest end and more
everywhere else is the only way to keep it from breaking up in a short time.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

[Karen]

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Karen" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Sounds like a major project. Perhaps the original slab settled a bit or
never had the right pitch. There is no easy way of putting a thin coating on
top and have it last. You may be able to put a little right next tot he
house but that will only keep it away a few inches from where the two meet.

How big is the area?


The area is about 10' x 10'

[Pete C.]

Joseph Meehan wrote:

Karen wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Karen

I suggest a commercial "mud jacking" company. They will drill a few
holes about 2" and then pump a concrete mix into them lifting the existing
slab.

If you want to try and fix the grade by adding something to the top, I
suggest that adding anything less that 2" at the lowest end and more
everywhere else is the only way to keep it from breaking up in a short time.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Mud jacking a slab is only viable if the slab is fairly thick. A patio
slab is likely too thin to mud jack without simply breaking it up.

Short of replacing the entire slab a viable option may be to cut out a
4" wide strip of the slab by the house and install a section of the
fairly inexpensive plastic strip drain and of course a drain line from
one end of it out to a suitable discharge area.

Pete C.

[[email protected]]

Karen wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering how I can
create a slant on the existing concrete so the water won't build up
towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Take the ready mix, and praper it according to the direction on the
package, get a large plastic tub and a somewhat smaller one. Put a layer
of ready mix in the bottom of the bigger tub, then put in the smaller one
and continue filling the space between the tubs. Now the smaller tub is
going to want to flaot up out of this, so you're going to want to stand in
the smaller tub to make sure that it doesn't lift out. Finish the top of
the concrete off with a trowel. Now, while you're standing there waiting
for the concrete in you new planter to set up, have a freind bring you a
beer (this was hard work and you deserve it) and the phone and phonebook
and look under concrete contractors for someone who says they do
mudjacking. They'll drill a few small holes under the slab and correct
the pitch so it drains correctly, assuming that there's room to lift it on
the house side. The slab will be moved in one piece and will last much
monger than any topping job you might apply, or even the planter you just
made.

Any suggestions would be great!

Oh, don't forget to ask your freind to clean up your tools too.


John
--
Remove the dead poet to e-mail, tho CC'd posts are unwelcome.
Mean People Suck - It takes two deviations to get cool.
Ask me about joining the NRA.

[Joseph Meehan]

Pete C. wrote:
Joseph Meehan wrote:

Karen wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against
the back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes
somewhat of a moat. I have ready mix concrete, and I was wondering
how I can create a slant on the existing concrete so the water
won't build up towards the house, and I won't have a moat anymore.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Karen

I suggest a commercial "mud jacking" company. They will drill
a few holes about 2" and then pump a concrete mix into them lifting
the existing slab.

If you want to try and fix the grade by adding something to the
top, I suggest that adding anything less that 2" at the lowest end
and more everywhere else is the only way to keep it from breaking up
in a short time.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Mud jacking a slab is only viable if the slab is fairly thick. A patio
slab is likely too thin to mud jack without simply breaking it up.

Good point.


Short of replacing the entire slab a viable option may be to cut out a
4" wide strip of the slab by the house and install a section of the
fairly inexpensive plastic strip drain and of course a drain line from
one end of it out to a suitable discharge area.

Good thinking.


Pete C.



--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

[Ether Jones]

Karen wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Do I need help! I have a concrete slab/patio area that is against the
back of my home, and every time it rains, this patio becomes somewhat
of a moat. I have ready mix concrete,

There may be a way to put "ready mix concrete" on top of existing cured
concrete and get it to bond properly, but I know from personal
experience that it's not as simple as just mixing the ready-mix and
dumping it on the existing concrete. Been there, done that, it failed
within one year.

There may be special products for etching/prepping the existing
concrete; and you may want to use a product with higher cement content
than "ready mix"; and/or a product with finer sand.