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When is a concrete floor slab dry?

By Alide Elkink – 1 June 2009, Build 112

Natural drying of a concrete slab will take several months and it’s important to ensure fixed floor coverings aren’t installed too soon.

Slab-edge insulation

By Trevor Pringle – 1 June 2014, Build 142

A BRANZ slab-edge insulation detail has been revised, minimising the width of the thermal break.

Weatherproofing concrete block walls

By Alide Elkink – 1 June 2010, Build 118

A waterproof coating is essential to maintain the weathertightness of single skin concrete block walls since concrete masonry, and particularly the mortar joints, have little resistance to water penetration.

Reinforcing concrete floor slabs

By Graeme Beattie – 1 December 2011, Build 127

Lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes mean that all concrete floor slabs must now be reinforced with steel bars or welded mesh with a reasonable degree of ductility.

Concrete foundation wall reinforcing

By Alide Elkink – 1 August 2018, Build 167

Reinforcing is an integral part of all concrete and concrete masonry. We review NZS 3604:2011 requirements for foundation walls in timber-framed buildings so you can get this right.

Formwork

By Des Molloy – 1 October 2010, Build 120

Many builders have had a concrete and formwork failure that they would rather forget. It’s an area of construction where listening to the wisdom of experienced tradespeople is vital, but the following pointers may also help.

Tolerances tables

By Trevor Pringle – 1 October 2016, Build 156

In Build 155 Within tolerance, we outlined some of the allowable tolerances to work within for a quality result. Here, we’ve summarised that information into convenient tables.

Good vibrations

1 August 2013, Build 137

One of the keys to good-quality cured concrete is correct vibration after it’s poured. This compacts it and consolidates the mix by removing trapped air. But how do you get it right?

Site-bending of reinforcing steel

By Des Molloy – 1 October 2004, Build 84

Do you know how to bend your steel to get the right curve for the size bar you’re bending? Perhaps you had better check how far you can bend that bar on site.

Reinforcing footings cover

By Trevor Pringle – 1 April 2016, Build 153

Do you know the minimum bending diameter for reinforcing steel and its cover requirements in concrete footings? This determines the minimum width you need to make your concrete footings.

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