The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

I am looking to extend my pool deck and have what's there replaced as well. I spoke to a few neighbors who have done this in the recent past and each one has said who they have used but also said they would not reuse them at all. So I am looking for recommendations on a good concrete person/company that will do the work in a timely manner (actually show up).

Thanks!!

We used Schneider Concrete to do two patios and walkway out of 4'x4' squares, in out backyard.  We hired him, pretty much, because he actually showed up to give us a bid.  His price seemed reasonable to us and we really like the work he did.

Whoever you choose to do the work, I would ask that they add Fibermesh to the concrete. It is tiny polypropylene fibers that strengthen the concrete in every direction. Our driveway extension has Fibermesh and after nearly 20 years we have yet to have a single crack.

Still needs expansion cuts in the concrete even with the fibers.


Angies List has a few places listed with reviews if you are interested in that kind of reference....

Gillco Construction
Jeff Gillispie
918 625 1671

As good as they come...

Those would be called control joints...Nothing to do with expansion....

Tomaytoe.   Tumahto.

Wrong again...

I'm practicing being you.  It is just so difficult for me to be so consistently limited, though. 

Right.


Wrong.

Ayep....

Still gotta have 'em, no matter what ya call 'em....

And they can either be cut.  Or formed in place with spacer (wood, plastic, etc)

Unless you post-stress the concrete via cables, but that's potatoe.

Good lord...

Anope....

Ya don't gotta have 'em, but under certain conditions, "they" sometimes can be of great benefit, as can knowing what you're discussing before you hit the "Post" button.

"They" are not the same.

Hint:  Before typing another inane comment, look for a reliable source of information about subjects such as: concrete curing, contraction, control joints, expansion, and fiber reinforced concrete online* or in a printed glossary of very common, basic, elementary construction terms/concepts/methods.

Take your vorpal sword in hand and slay the manxome foe of ignorance.  Read.  Learn.  Enlighten yourself.  That's the very best, most concrete recommendation I can give you.   ;)

*Some online sources, such as the frumious Wikipedia and discussion boards frequented by ignorant trolls, can be misleading or even false.  Be cautious.  Use judgment.  Discriminate.  Discern.  Don't let your mind be polluted with tainted "facts" while you're standing (or sitting) in uffish thought.     

Remember Boo, some still people consider Wikipedia scholarly material when they want to chime in on someone else’s conversation...completely unarmed.

Yikes.  Thanks for the reminder, Conan.  I wasn't thinking about the perils of Wikipedia.  I'd better make an edit or two...

Or if you don't have real world experience don't comment....He will never learn...

That would cut this forum down to just about nothing.

So, are you saying you would pour a slab of concrete of the size to be a pool deck and would depend on fiberglass to keep it from cracking?  Ok...I will concede that if you do slabs smaller than say 8 ft by 8 ft you probably won't need any kind of cut or expansion joint.  Pool deck - and being extended as the original post said - just makes me think it is already bigger than that and going even bigger.   But maybe it IS for an inflatable kiddie pool, and I just scaled it up in my mind, and 8 x 8 or less is what is being planned.

But, if you pour something larger than that, and don't mind it cracking at random, then by all means, use neither cuts or joints.  But it will crack at random.  Even with the fiberglass.  And you could possibly have known that if you had ever poured concrete before.  Or even looked at concrete before.

And if you believe the fiber filled concrete won't crack....well then I know for a fact you have never seen a fiber slab of any size after just a few months.

Awww...really??

Do you have a recommendation for the OP...If not quit shitting on the thread while you show your ignorance on Concrete.....

What I'm saying is that your comments are lacking in both knowledge and in facts.  You are free to remain ignorant, however.

Best wishes for you...

Keep trying.  You might get something right sometime.  Not likely, but hey, miracles happen!!  I'm pulling for ya...!!



What does Jeff tell you about cuts or joints?   Not necessary??

And since you DO know so much - tell us about how concrete doesn't crack.  Show a specific example of a slab that hasn't.  If you wanna brings facts into the discussion, by all means, bring some.  Give us the facts about curing/cured concrete!  I would love to hear your facts!!  Will be waiting....

Talk to the concrete people you select - don't listen to the carp going on here in the thread.  They will get you on the right path.

BBB and Angieslist are still good.  And in spite of the recommendation by Breadbrain, Gillco Construction doesn't have any complaints and gets good marks from BBB.

Since I started the Fibermesh part...our slab, I'd say it's about 9' x 15' is nearly 20 years old, has zero cracks and has a car parked on it every day.

The deck will extend off the existing cool deck about 9x25 and I say about because it will have a rather large curve to it in order to match the curves already in place. The cool deck has joints and I would think for appearance purposes I would want to have the new portion match those, but as said here a concrete person worth any salt would know if I should do that or not. I have so far talked to three different concrete/pool deck companies and I am not impressed. I will take the Angies list and BBB advice though and continue my search. Thank you all for the responses.

How many yards of concrete have you poured in your lifetime....Whats the largest pour you have assisted poring/finishing....???

Just to keep this going, concrete & steel have the same coefficient of expansion.  That is why they work together so well in proving strength in beams and slabs from bending stress and in collums for compression.  Fibers are great for holding concrete together but cracks will develop most times... unless the slab is floating.

OSU Civil Engineering, BS Construction Management & 7-yrs. with an interior concrete company concreterevolution.com (http://concreterevolution.com)

One of my friends had a hangar built on a post-stressed slab but it still got some cracks.  To be honest, the cracks may have developed before the cables were tensioned.  I don't remember.  What is the supposed advantage of post-stressed vs. rebar?  It seems like anchoring a cable at each end of the slab would invite buckling.

Relevant credentials are not allowed on this forum.   ;D

Not sure on who's side this goes, but control-joints control for cracking, which again, usually will occur; expansion-joints control for expansion & contraction... such as buckling.  Control joints are only partially cut and so really don't help with buckling.

And the big suprise:  steel needs to be placed in the right portion of the concrete or it adds nothing (bottom side of a beam serving as tension).

Positioning the cable correctly is important.  A cable in the center of the slab height adds little to nothing to the flex-strength of a slab. Post-tensioning adds a tremendous amout of tension (check-out the bow-ness of post-tensioned beams) & with the added tension you can add more compression in the upper portion of the beams concrete which means it will support more load.

One of the coolest classes was Mechanics where mathmatical solutions can be drawn graphically.  Simple things like a²+b²=c² seem truthier when viewed graphically.