Curb pour

[RWebb]

rebar?

[Mrmerlin]

If you get some rebar into the new concrete it should keep it from cracking,
I made 2 1/2 in hi ramp to my garage with redimix industrial grade with glass fibers in it and 3 sticks of rebar it was 1/2 in rebar

[BeyGon]

nobody puts rebar in curb.

[island911]

Yep. the concrete should be loaded in compression only. --transmitted to solid ground.

If it needs rebar (spanning a swamp?) then it will likely need rebar into the adjoining curb.

[island911]

"industrial grade with glass fibers " <- your best bet, IMO.

Tensile reinforcement is all about 'fiber' (rebar or other) aspect ratio. ..."pull-out length" and such.

Properly sized "rebar" (for a curb) would be some thin wire.

[island911]

Oh, and if you did have to plan for rebar, you would have to know how the curb would be adversely loaded . (span or cantilever?) . .to know where to place the rebar. --the glass fiber mix takes care off all that.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Can I just DIY it with bags of redi-mix?

Do I need any rebar in it?

First question: No, you shouldn't. I'd use real concrete.

Second question: Yes, you should. Rebar is cheap and it's there for a reason.

JR

[island911]

Right... and prestressed rebar is in concrete for a reason too. --Guess you had better do that too.

[island911]

Since no one else has mentioned it; the depth of pour is important. ...don't think that 2" tall section will be enough (rebar or not) ...I would guess that 10+ ought to do it.

Also, the weakest region will be where your pour interfaces with any existing curb. That's where you want to (if you're OCD about cracks) put any reinforcement ... "dowels" relatively short chunks of #4 rebar bonded into existing, prior to pour.

[vash]

i think if you are going to drive over it...add rebar. island is right about doweling into existing. store sells a two part epoxy rebar glue for the job. it works great.

[look 171]

Is this the city curb? Around here, no rebar. If its my own driveway, then yes do put rebars in it. Can you call around to see if your local yard has a already mixed concrete in a buggy that you can haul to your place and pour then return the trailer. My concrete guy has done some small jobs for me like that.

[BeyGon]

NObody pours curb with rebar.

[island911]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that curb-cuts are usually something city's do ...since it's likely their property.

oh wait, "look' said it.

[HardDrive]

Not trying to be a stick in the mud, but is the city on board with this?

Here in Seattle, you don't just go hacking into curbs without a permit. Well, you CAN, but if a city employee happens by, you could be in for some expensive 'corrective action'.

[GWN7]

When you get the permit the city will tell you if they want rebar or not.

They might want you to use a concrete saw to make a clean cut edge along where you want to replace the existing curb. You would jackhammer the existing lip off then use the concrete saw to scribe a line along the curb and then remove the rest of the curb material down to the base. This makes for a smooth finished line against the roadway.

To tie into the existing roadway they make small concrete drills to bore into the existing slab and then rebar pins are inserted with grout. Then after those dry you can add rebar to the cut.

Mostly no to rebar, altho I have built curbs that were spec'ed for it and did put it in.

[dipso]

Here in California the curb and gutter are one piece.
If you jackhammer out the curb and gutter to widen the skirt, you need a permit.
If you saw cut the existing curb and don't touch the gutter you don't need a permit. Then pour behind the curb.
That's what a couple of concrete guys told me. Of course their my friends, so who knows.
Either way I'd do it on a Saturday.
Inspectors don't work Saturdays.

If it's a one day job on a weekend I would not bother with a permit.

[javadog]

You know, this whole "curbs have no rebar" discussion is kind of funny. He's taking out a section of curb (that likely has no rebar) and replacing it with a section of "driveway" that he intends to drive over in a car. Frankly, any concrete that has any sort of load put on it ought to have rebar in it, particularly since he's not likely to get the subgrade compacted very well, from his description of his methods.

It is easy to dowel into adjacent concrete, and this is important to prevent relative movement between two adjacent pieces of concrete, over time. Once you have a drill in your hands, this takes maybe three minutes to do.

Rebar is cheap. $10 ought to buy enough rebar. If he was local, I'd just give him what he needs.

Around here, the minimum order for concrete is either one or two yards. Less than 150 bucks, for sure. The crap that you get in a bag from home depot is not very good and you'll always need more than you think. A bag doesn't go far. They are fine, for a mailbox post. For this, no way.

Labor is free, so spend an extra hour with a shovel and do it right.

There's a right way to do this job and a cheap DIY way, like some of the idiots on TV.

JR

[BeyGon]

is there rebar in your drive way, is there rebar in your sidewalk, you drive over both, there isn't reabar in either one.

[javadog]

Dean,

There's rebar in my driveway. #4, on 12" centers, each way. And, 14 years after I poured it, it's still in perfect shape. No cracks, no movement, no spalling. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Don't have a sidewalk but, if I did, it would have 6x6 wire mesh in it.

Of course, I do concrete work for a living, so maybe I'm different.

JR

[BeyGon]

Maybe it's an Oklohoma thing, I have staked out and watched miles and miles and miles of curb and gutter, sidewalk poured without rebar or wire. It seems to last for years. Maybe you do it because it gets so cold, I don't know.