Garage Slab

Nev,

I'm with Mick above, I recon you should try to do all the prep work and get someone with experience in to help you lay it. I need to do the same soon and i've got a couple of friends who do this for a living who are going to come over and help me. I expect i'll pay them an hourly rate for an many hours that they work. i'll let them be the foreman for the work.

/M

Nev, I layed some concrete slabs when building some extra sheds on our property a few years ago. Despite a lot of preparation, time and effort using all the right equipment the results were "OK" given they were by an amateur and served the purpose they were meant to. A few dips in the floor here and there was not going to affect how well stuff could be stored on it!

When it came time to build a garage in our new place in the city I thought about doing the slab myself but got a good deal from the shed mob to do the slab and erect the shed. I must admit it was great seeing 3 guys doing over 2 half days what it took me weeks to do by myself. And the final result was far superior to my best efforts - flat, level, square with a nicely finished surface.....Also, as they were also erecting the shed there was no 'blaming the other tradies' when it was being put up.

If this is going to be something that will affect the value of your home its worth considering getting the pro's in as the results will be around for quite some time.

im knocking down my old carport now and getting getting the site ready for my 9x6m garage.

what sort of finish can i have for the crete? i was thinking polished aggregate? will it bee too slipery?

As stated above, it's easy enough to produce a hard surface that will do the job, but with no experience you can expect it to resemble hard,grey roadbase more than finished concrete. If that's all you want then you'll be ok. If you want something that you can actually sweep and walk on without losing a toe, that's another story. 6 x 9 foot, you may stand a chance, but i think your talking meters so... It won't wait for you to learn, your more likely to regret doing it every time you step foot on it. If you have just one grano you could help him, but with no one there to guide you.... lookout!

Legacy,
to answer your question, if the floor will always be kept dry and relatively clean then traction won't be a problem. A polished slab might be a bit 'flash' for a garage though. But hey, if you want something that looks great then go for it. I've done a heap and the variety of finishes are endless. Coloured concrete with an expensive stone looks nice, but my favorite was a standard mix of grey conc, which we sprinkled regular orange pea-gravel over as we poured it. It looked a million bucks after it was ground and polished. Just keep in mind that the grinding,polishing and sealing will probably double the price of your slab.