If you’re planning to build a new garage, one of the most important details to get right is the concrete slab that supports it. Concrete garage slabs are horizontal structures that can withstand the weight of the structure and vehicles. It’s the most critical piece of the construction puzzle, and the Pana Paving team is ready to do things right and set your project up for success. Pana Paving serves clients in Austin and the surrounding communities in Central Texas, including Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville and more.
How Do Contractors Prepare Your Site for Concrete Garage Slabs?
Before building your garage base, contractors must spend time preparing the site. Preparation involves clearing and grading the land like any other paving or construction project. However, this step also involves careful planning and engineering.
Contractors perform soil tests to understand the soil’s existing load-bearing capacity. Depending on the testing results, teams may take steps to strengthen the soil, ensuring it can support the concrete slab and structure. These steps can include amending the soil with aggregates and performing thorough compaction.
Once the soil goes through adequate preparation and grading, contractors can build the form for the concrete according to project specifications. One important detail of form-building is including a vapor barrier or damp-proof membrane. These barriers prevent moisture from flowing up through a porous garage floor slab.
What Is the Standard Garage Slab Thickness?
Superior site prep is vital, but so is proper engineering. Garage slab thickness directly impacts load-bearing capacity. Significant damage can occur if your slab isn’t thick enough to support the garage structure and vehicles you plan to store. Failing to engineer the slab based on your needs could lead to frequent concrete repairs later.
The standard garage slab thickness is four to six inches. Residential driveways do well with four-inch slabs. Meanwhile, commercial garages require six inches or more. Discuss what you plan to store in your garage with your contractors. Garages that will hold heavy-duty vehicles, including RVs and machinery, may need a thicker concrete slab to avoid damage and concrete repair.
What Does Concrete Slab Construction Entail?
After building the form for your garage floor slab and installing the vapor barrier, it’s time to add reinforcements. While not all garage base designs need traditional reinforcements, especially when the soil and sub-base are in good shape, many contractors will include wire mesh or steel rebar to prevent cracking. These reinforcements are ideal for larger concrete garage slabs, reducing the risk of cracking and eventual concrete repair.
Next, teams pour the concrete. Then, they level and smooth it using tools like hand trowels, screeders, etc. After curing, contractors inspect the concrete slab to ensure it’s ready for the next stage of garage construction.
Why Trust Pana Paving to Build Your Garage Base?
When you need a well-built garage floor slab, Pana Paving has you covered. We’re concrete experts with over three decades of experience serving clients throughout Central Texas. We’re well-versed in code requirements, applying our expertise to do things right and deliver a finished slab that lasts. We’ll also work closely with you to ensure we construct a garage base that meets your unique needs. Pana Paving offers many paving, repair and maintenance services. You can turn to us for concrete driveways, patios, sidewalks, block paving and retaining walls. We also do residential and commercial paving, milling, overlays, general repairs, crack repair, sealcoating and parking lot striping.
Get your free project quote for your garage floor slab today by calling Pana Paving at (512)920-7452. Alternatively, you can email panapaving@gmail.com or use our online form below.