Cement floor for old barn

[kharakterc]

I have an old barn on my property that is structurally sound..Probably about 35 yo. It was originally three horse stalls so is 12x36 with a saltbox style roof. It was built with a concrete block perimeter foundation and has dirt floors. I would like to use it only for hay storage in two of the stalls with the 3rd as a tack room. we are in the desert so it is very dirty inside and squirrels dig in and make a mess. I can't really store tack in there because it is just filthy. Does anyone think it would be possible to put in a concrete slab at least in the stall I would like to convert to tack storage? If so....How would it be done?
Thanks

 

[Taylortractornut]

We did this 2 times. One on our old small shop and the other was in the 40 b 50 main shop later. When I was 14 and learnted to weld and bought a welding set Dad let me use the old shed. It had a ramp do into it and then a flat area. For Christmas the next year he and mom got me a concrete floor. Dad took the sight level and set it up and nailed the forms to the walls. We then set up a string line across the forms and then shoveled out the high spots till it was 4.5 inches al lthe way across. We then went in and set built a trough to move the mix down the ramp to the floor. It made a nice shop then. Later we did the same when we built the 40 by 50. To save cost ww had the building made then Then put our form boards up on the inside of the poles. We ran our rollers and a loaded 12 yard scraper though it and then Rechchecked the grades. We ran the motor grader through it and then set the string line up and got out the flat point shovels. Its both simple and easy to do it this way.

 

[BHD]

If one uses a string level, put the level in the center, and then switch ends, and double check it,

a water level works very well, (basically a small clear tube, with water in it, attach one end and put a Mark for the water level to set at and adjust the other end, to match, one can put a mark on the tube and do it by your self, (no air in the tube),

set up some forms or screed boards and pour, if not driving on it 4" floor should be plenty, use a 2x4 with ears on it to level the sub grade and that way you will not wast much concrete in an unleveled grade, use gravel no dirt for leveling, dig out any straw or organic materials bet back to some thing solid, or that is not full of organic materials, they will continue to rot away and you floor will sag and crack,

Took me an nearly entire summers spare time digging out the barn floor to pour concrete in it center section which is now my shop,

 

[Attono]

Why do you say 4" is good if you're not driving on it? Aren't most driveways and garages 4" with the fiber amendment?

 

[MattMc]

Fiber amendment ? Have only ever seen it used in sprayed gunite. Here every home I've ever seen done was 4" stone, heavy plastic and then 4" slab with 4"x4" square hole steel panel in it. You can drive on it no problem. Heavy machinery, not so much but normal vehicle yes.

 

[300UGUY]

Fiber amendment ? Have only ever seen it used in sprayed gunite. Here every home I've ever seen done was 4" stone, heavy plastic and then 4" slab with 4"x4" square hole steel panel in it. You can drive on it no problem. Heavy machinery, not so much but normal vehicle yes.

I put a crete floor in my barn, 20 years after I built it. We used fiber reinforced crete. Pretty good stuff, and we had a vapor barrier put in. Looks real good, and driving on it is no problem. Lots of folks around here like it, it seems to last better than the steel rebar stuff, and is cheaper.

 

[jimmysisson]

Not sure your exact locale but in a humid climate a 1" layer of xps foam under a slab cuts 'way down on condensation. +2 on 4" gravel under, so water does not affect the concrete.
Jim

 

[Oliver1655]

If I read your post correctly, you are just wanting to concrete the floor of a stall to use for a tack room. If so, you might find it cheaper & simpler to put in a wood floor. If you do use concrete, unless you have had a problem with water in the barn, one of the simplest methods would be to:
1 - Attach pressure treated 2x4 to the walls of the stall at ground level using a level. These boards will be your concrete forms & will greatly simplify the process.
2 - You will need a straight 2x4 to use as a drag/leveling board for pouring the concrete. This board can also be used to help you find the high & low spots on your floor by use a scrap piece of 2x4 on edge to slide under it. A 3.5 inches slab will be plenty strong. When cutting this 2x4, you want it about 1.5 inches less than the width of the stall so it will stay on the 2x4s you attached to the walls but be able to move freely as you use it to drag/level the concrete.
2 - Now that you have the floor level, you can set the reinforcing material. If using 1/2" rebar, simply start 2 inches from the edge of the slab & drill 5/8" holes in the 2x4s you attached to the walls then every 2 feet drill the next set. When you are done & inserted the rebar, you will have a roughly 2 foot on center grid system. You can then wire or zip-tie the rebar intersections together. I have also used cattle & hog panels, woven wire fence, re-enforcing mats. The whole point of the re-enforcing material is to keep the concrete aligned if/when it cracks. On some small jobs I have also poured the concrete without any re-enforcing in it then dropped the re-enforcing material onto the concrete & pushed it into the concrete.
3 - To figure the amount of concrete: multiply the width (in feet) time the length (in feet) times .35 (a 2x4's thickness = 3.5") to find the sq ft. Then divide the sq ft by 27 to find out the cubic yards which is how you order the concrete. (Or you can give the measurements to the concrete plant & they will do the math for you.)
Example: 12' wide x 23' long x .35' thick = 96.9 sq ft. Then 96.6 / 27 = 3.58 cubic yards
4 - To pour the concrete, wear rubber boots & you can use a concrete come-along or garden rake to roughly spred the concrete then use the drag board sliding from side to side while working it from the back of the stall to the door way to level & rough smooth the concrete.
5 - To further smooth the concrete & work the stones down into the concrete, you can use a "bull float" which you can find at most tool rental areas. If you look at "YOUTUBE" you should be able to find teaching videos to help you out.

 

[Domush]

An added note, you may wish to keep the hay storage as a dirt floor, as you don't want the hay to get overly dry. Dirt floors are great for humidity control.

Also, being in the desert, beware the moisture barrier, as your tack will crack if it you keep the moisture out. Leather needs moisture. The concrete should absorb enough moisture to keep things pretty well stable in the tack room without a moisture barrier. You simply won't be able to keep paper items (boxes) on the bare floor. This can be worked around in a variety of ways, like pallets or just a couple of pieces of 2x4 with plywood on top for a floor level shelf.

If you just plan to walk in the tack room, I'd opt to simply rent a mixer and put a 2-3" layer down. My workshop meant for cars has 4". There is no need for overkill in a tack room.