I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold up
without cracking?

It would be the same size as the existing slab, so I'm not worried about
different settling at the joints or anything. I'm also planning to pour new
slabs on either side so it won't be able to shift side to side. I wouldn't
worry if the new slab was thicker, but I've never poured a slab that thin
before.

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold up
without cracking?

It would be the same size as the existing slab, so I'm not worried about
different settling at the joints or anything. I'm also planning to pour
new
slabs on either side so it won't be able to shift side to side. I wouldn't
worry if the new slab was thicker, but I've never poured a slab that thin
before.


I don't know, but what is the existing slope and what is your desired slope?

HerHusband wrote:

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold up
without cracking?

From my experience, no, but then the area commonly had sub-zero (F)
temperatures in the winter. That was years ago and the bonding agents may
have improved though.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 18:15:40 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold up
without cracking?

It would be the same size as the existing slab, so I'm not worried about
different settling at the joints or anything. I'm also planning to pour new
slabs on either side so it won't be able to shift side to side. I wouldn't
worry if the new slab was thicker, but I've never poured a slab that thin
before.

Will you be pouring the adjacent slabs at the same time you pour these 2
inches?

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage.
It is 4+ inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape.
However, I need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.
If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold
up without cracking?

I don't know, but what is the existing slope and what is your desired
slope?

The existing slope is fine (I don't recall the exact pitch at the moment),
but it was installed years ago before we had our driveway drain. Now the
low end of the walk is too low to slope into the drain properly.

We have a paver patio on both sides of the walkway that has settled
unevenly over the years. I'm wanting to replace the pavers with a concrete
slab and reuse the pavers in the back yard.

Since I'm redoing the patio anyway, it is a perfect time to get all the
slopes right so everything drains nicely.

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold
up without cracking?

From my experience, no, but then the area commonly had sub-zero (F)
temperatures in the winter. That was years ago and the bonding agents
may have improved though.

That's what I figured, I was just hoping for the lazy solution.

My 3'x8' slab isn't that big, but it's 4"-6" thick and reinforced with
rebar. Unfortunately, I built it to last forever so it will take a bit more
work to tear out.

Better to do it right and not take shortcuts. I will tear out the existing
slab and pour a new one. I can always use the debris as fill in other
areas I need to build up.

Thanks for the feedback!

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:08:51 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold
up without cracking?

From my experience, no, but then the area commonly had sub-zero (F)
temperatures in the winter. That was years ago and the bonding agents
may have improved though.

That's what I figured, I was just hoping for the lazy solution.

My 3'x8' slab isn't that big, but it's 4"-6" thick and reinforced with
rebar. Unfortunately, I built it to last forever so it will take a bit more
work to tear out.

Better to do it right and not take shortcuts. I will tear out the existing
slab and pour a new one. I can always use the debris as fill in other
areas I need to build up.

Thanks for the feedback!

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

What about this... Pour the new stuff on each side but block off the
area over the old. Then put in thin brick pavers, if they make em
thin enough, on sand bed. Drill some drainage holes in the old slab
so the pavers can drain out excess rain water.

Will you be pouring the adjacent slabs at the same time you pour these
2 inches?

No, I like to pour every other slab first, then come back and pour the
remaining slabs later. It's just easier for me to handle that way in the
confined area between the house and garage.

That's the method I used on the opposite side of the garage and it worked
great.

The pro's would probably do it all in one pour. I'm not a pro.

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Sun, 29 Jun 2014 22:56:17 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

Will you be pouring the adjacent slabs at the same time you pour these
2 inches?

No, I like to pour every other slab first, then come back and pour the
remaining slabs later. It's just easier for me to handle that way in the
confined area between the house and garage.

I ask because if even one square on each side were poured at the same
time, it would hold the 2" addition in more tightly.

One might even be able to run rebar though the 2" part to the 6" part.

Not that I've done this. My only experience with rebar was putting it
down for an interstate highway, and I haven't been back to see how well
everything lasted.

That's the method I used on the opposite side of the garage and it worked
great.

The pro's would probably do it all in one pour. I'm not a pro.

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

| If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold
| up without cracking?
|
| From my experience, no, but then the area commonly had sub-zero (F)
| temperatures in the winter. That was years ago and the bonding agents
| may have improved though.
|
| That's what I figured, I was just hoping for the lazy solution.
|
Caveat: I don't have extensive experience with concrete.
But I've used on-top patching with sandmix and bonding liquid.
I also live in a cold region. If the sidewalk is stable I wouldn't
expect a problem. But I wouldn't use concrete mix that thin.

On 06/29/2014 01:15 PM, HerHusband wrote:
I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.


Hire someone to mudjack it up

On 6/29/2014 9:53 PM, philo wrote:
On 06/29/2014 01:15 PM, HerHusband wrote:
I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It
is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.


Hire someone to mudjack it up


I had 2 rectangles of sidewalk, in my previous house, that were tipped
because the original builder didn't allow the under fill enough time to
compact. As it got worse through many years, I hired a company that
used a concrete pump to push cement into holes drilled in the slab. I
guess this is mudjacking? The results were unbelievable ... only
remnants afterwards were a few 2" holes nicely patched with cement.

On 06/30/2014 08:08 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
On 6/29/2014 9:53 PM, philo wrote:
On 06/29/2014 01:15 PM, HerHusband wrote:
I have a 3'x8' concrete sidewalk connecting our house and garage. It
is 4+
inches thick, reinforced with rebar, and it's in great shape. However, I
need to raise the walkway up to improve drainage slopes.


Hire someone to mudjack it up


I had 2 rectangles of sidewalk, in my previous house, that were tipped
because the original builder didn't allow the under fill enough time to
compact. As it got worse through many years, I hired a company that
used a concrete pump to push cement into holes drilled in the slab. I
guess this is mudjacking? The results were unbelievable ... only
remnants afterwards were a few 2" holes nicely patched with cement.


Due to tree roots, I almost lost my entire porch. After the tree was
removed and as much of the roots as possible, I was facing a total porch
rebuild due to a badly tilted (old style) cement block pillar.


I hired a "mud jack" outfit that pumped in cement underground and got it
dead even. That was a few years ago and it's stayed perfectly in place.

On Sunday, June 29, 2014 4:08:51 PM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote:
If I poured a 2" slab on top of the existing sidewalk, would it hold

up without cracking?



From my experience, no, but then the area commonly had sub-zero (F)

temperatures in the winter. That was years ago and the bonding agents

may have improved though.



That's what I figured, I was just hoping for the lazy solution.



My 3'x8' slab isn't that big, but it's 4"-6" thick and reinforced with

rebar. Unfortunately, I built it to last forever so it will take a bit more

work to tear out.



Better to do it right and not take shortcuts. I will tear out the existing

slab and pour a new one. I can always use the debris as fill in other

areas I need to build up.



Thanks for the feedback!



If it were me, I'd just go with the 2" on top. As
long as the concrete that is there is stable, I think
2" thick on top would be OK. And it's sure a PIA to
break up 4" thick concrete with rebar. And then what
do you do with it?

If it were me, I'd just go with the 2" on top. As
long as the concrete that is there is stable, I think
2" thick on top would be OK.

I am still debating whether to take the easy approach.

The 3'x8' slab that is there is very solid. It rests on the footings of the
house and garage and is reinforced with two half inch rebars. It's not
moving anywhere, so it would make a very solid base. It would certainly be
a better base than compacted dirt or gravel.

My only concern is whether 2" thick concrete would hold up.

And it's sure a PIA to break up 4" thick concrete with rebar.
And then what do you do with it?

When we built the garage back in 2001, I poured a small 2'x3' step in front
of the garage entry door. After we built the house in 2003/2004, I had to
break up the old step so I could pour the current 3'x8' walk between the
two buildings. You're right, it was real pain to break up that step, and it
was a lot smaller than the current walk. Still, it's doable if I decide to
go that route.

I have plenty of places I could bury the old concrete chunks if I tear it
out. So at least that's not an issue.

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Monday, June 30, 2014 11:56:26 AM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote:

When we built the garage back in 2001, I poured a small 2'x3' step in front

of the garage entry door. After we built the house in 2003/2004, I had to

break up the old step so I could pour the current 3'x8' walk between the

two buildings. You're right, it was real pain to break up that step, and it

was a lot smaller than the current walk. Still, it's doable if I decide to

go that route.
Concrete gets stronger for the first 50 years, other things being equal. I've seen some old concrete that was not so easy to break up.

On Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:05:49 -0700 (PDT), TimR
wrote:


Concrete gets stronger for the first 50 years, other things being equal. I've seen some old concrete that was not so easy to break up.

They mentioned that at the Panama Canal. They said if a ship hit the
lock walls, it was the ship that broke.

micky wrote:

They mentioned that at the Panama Canal. They said if a ship hit the
lock walls, it was the ship that broke.

Without special measures, Boulder Dam would have taken 125 years just to get to
ambient temperature. Actual curing never stops, although it slows down
considerably.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/His.../concrete.html

On Tue, 01 Jul 2014 16:41:14 -0400, micky
wrote:

On Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:05:49 -0700 (PDT), TimR
wrote:


Concrete gets stronger for the first 50 years, other things being equal. I've seen some old concrete that was not so easy to break up.

They mentioned that at the Panama Canal. They said if a ship hit the
lock walls, it was the ship that broke.
Back in 1965-66 I had the job of breaking out concrete stabling in
the barn. The sledge hammer weighed about as much as I did at the
beginning of the summer. The box stalls were the worst, but breaking
out the stable floors to put in the stable cleaner was not easy
either. The concrete was over 50 years old and had been mixed pretty
strong when it was put in.