rebar vs. wire mesh for garage slab

what are the pro&#;s & con&#;s of re-bar vs. wire mesh for a 350sq. ft. garage slab poured 4&#; thick? are they even necessacary? am also doing a 750 sq. foot great room with stained concrete & radiant floor heating&#;what are my best bet&#;s to prevent the inevetable cracking of the concrete (would like to avoid cutting the slab if possible)? get a different answer from each concrete sub I talk to about these issues&#;would anyone be kind enough to lead me in the right direction? thanks!

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My only qualm with this line of thought is that when the concrete cracks it will have a tendency to separate and even worse the two edges may settle slightly differently creating an edge that juts up. My own garage has a large crack line running down the center with this exact problem. The mesh or bar would prevent this. Additionally if there are voids beneath the slab the added reinf. should help the concrete bridge these voids. In my opinion a good quality slab should have some reinforcement.

Realistically though I don't think a residential slab needs to comply with the .002 or . ratio, this is probably overkill unless the client has an open check book or has some serious load requirements.

My thinking is mesh is garbage and an outdated method, too hard to place properly and for that reason too easy to mess up. Mesh at the bottom of the slab may be slightly better than no mesh at all but how do you quantify this and why design a defective product from the start.

#3 rebar @ 24" o/c for a 4" residential slab and #4 rebar @ 24" o/c for a 5" or 6" residential slab would probably be my recommendation. Bars need to be placed on chairs or dobie blocks prior to the pour, none of this lifting things up or hooking I've read about. For 4" slab I would place the bar in the center of the slab. For 5" or 6" slab place the bar about 2" from the top. Fiber reinf. conc. with low moisture content, psi min., use a 6 mil vapor barrier on all interior slabs (living space,garages etc...) In a hot dry environment make sure the concrete stays wet as it cures (ie. burlap).

A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE

The consensus seems to be that SOG for residential work is non-structural and no requirement exists for reinforcement.My only qualm with this line of thought is that when the concrete cracks it will have a tendency to separate and even worse the two edges may settle slightly differently creating an edge that juts up. My own garage has a large crack line running down the center with this exact problem. The mesh or bar would prevent this. Additionally if there are voids beneath the slab the added reinf. should help the concrete bridge these voids. In my opinion a good quality slab should have some reinforcement.Realistically though I don't think a residential slab needs to comply with the .002 or . ratio, this is probably overkill unless the client has an open check book or has some serious load requirements.My thinking is mesh is garbage and an outdated method, too hard to place properly and for that reason too easy to mess up. Mesh at the bottom of the slab may be slightly better than no mesh at all but how do you quantify this and why design a defective product from the start.#3 rebar @ 24" o/c for a 4" residential slab and #4 rebar @ 24" o/c for a 5" or 6" residential slab would probably be my recommendation. Bars need to be placed on chairs or dobie blocks prior to the pour, none of this lifting things up or hooking I've read about. For 4" slab I would place the bar in the center of the slab. For 5" or 6" slab place the bar about 2" from the top. Fiber reinf. conc. with low moisture content, psi min., use a 6 mil vapor barrier on all interior slabs (living space,garages etc...) In a hot dry environment make sure the concrete stays wet as it cures (ie. burlap).A confused student is a good student.Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE

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