Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 Jul 20, 2010 7:49 pm Just looking through a few quotes for concreting my driveway and the sideways along the house. Wondering what the following means: Steel mesh f52 + f62 for driveway (I'm guessing this relates to the strength???) Concrete 25mpa strength (no idea about this one). I have quotes for stencil or diamond cut for the driveway and paths, with 2 coats of sealer. I read in another thread that the driveway (and maybe the rest??) would need to be resealed again every two years, is that right? Any advice appreciated... P. Re: Terminology question.. 2Jul 20, 2010 9:29 pm F62 = Square fabric mesh comprising 6 mm wire mesh at 200 mm spacing F52 = Square fabric mesh comprising 5 mm wire mesh at 200 mm spacing Concrete = 25 MPa means 25 Mega Pascal concrete a measure of concrete strength, 25 MPa is the minimum strength concrete you would use on a driveway. There are good posts by "davinci" and "onc_artisan" on concrete and minimum driveway specs. Re: sealer depends a lot on amount of traffic and quality of sealer. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Terminology question.. 3Jul 21, 2010 10:57 am Regarding sealer be sure that they mention what type. There are predominatley two types of sealer. One which will change the look of the surface (wet look) and one that won't (penetrating). If they use the one that won't my guess (and it's only a guess, all be it a good one) is that it will only be a very plain waterproofer. ie: will not give any real protection against oil, grease, dirt and other delaterious material. It's main function is to repel water and not much else. I say this because the life span mentioned is very very low. Sealers should last for anywhere between 3-5+yrs depending on traffic. Certainly my sealers will. I sealed the directors driveway a couple of years ago and looks as good as new. He spot cleans when required but not a tyre mark or oil stain to be seen. My advice, tell him not to worry about the sealer and go buy something yourself. You will get better quality if you spend a little more. We have instruction sheets that will help with seaing and cleaning. See how you go...hope this helps Jarrod Re: Terminology question.. 4Jul 21, 2010 12:25 pm Thanks all, some good advice. I'm actually finding this process harder than building the house. I have some quotes, but it's like a whole other language and it's just so hard to know whether someone is going to do a good job or not. P. Re: Terminology question.. 5Jul 28, 2010 9:33 pm Rory is a paying advertiser with Homeone. I missed this as he had not made many posts and I incorrectly removed his response. I've apologised to Rory. Here is his response. A bit of advice on the steel. To remain competitive, nearly all concretors will quote for F62 for driveways but it really is the bare minimum. My advice would be to offer $2/sqm to upgrade to F72 or even better $4/sqm to upgrade to F82. That cover the material cost and im sure the concretor would be happier laying a better quality driveway. Also the flimsy F62 tends to get trampled during the pour and being flimsy gets squashed to the ground and becomes fairly useless. F82 is far more rigid and will more likely stay sitting higher up inside the slab where itr should be. This steel gives you added protection against cracking and extra load bearing strength. Also it holds the concrete rigid and gives resistance to cracking sue to subcidence. And if it does crack it keeps it held together. His Site and information for those interested is as follows. Driveways and Exposed Aggregate Specialists, Melbourne's Eastern and Northern Suburbs http://www.theconcretefirm.com.au Re: Terminology question.. 6Jul 29, 2010 7:14 pm Totally agree that F82 is the way to go. Not because the concrete needs it, but becasue when it's stepped on it doesn't distort. And the concreters will step onit plenty! Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 You can really use anything you want the main consideration would be how it looks once painted/finished - or the look you want. Cabinetmakers use MDF because its cheap… 2 9960 I would say both styles you have pictured are steel. The lower chord of the first pic would be a massive lump if made using timber considering the size of the rafters. If… 1 6151 1 13125 |