Not knowledge on the "French drain", but I would say that a 4" floor reinforced
with just chicken wire would make a decent floor for a chicken coop, but not a
shop. Al least, dig the edges deeper like a trench, 6-8" so it acts like a
beam. Use rebar in this trench and mesh throughout the floor. That way, the
concentrated load of a floor jack or engine stand won't want to crack it as
fast.
If you can't do this now, you will feel pretty frustrated later.
Mark V.S. in Austin, TX
P.S. I, personally, would make the floor thicker than 4" concrete.
-----Original Message-----
From: LBC286@aol.com [mailto:LBC286@aol.com]
OK, guys, I am getting ready to pour a new concrete floor in my shop area.
The garage has a good floor, but the shop had a hardwood floor, which was
rotten and is now waiting for a dumpster to take it to the happy hunting
ground.
The shop is an L shape, 328 sq. ft. I have cleared the dirt down 4" from the
top of the cinder block foundation. (No. I am not installing floor heat
pipes, despite the fact that I think it's a good idea. It's just not in the
budget, nor is on-going fuel expense.)
My question is about a floor drain. I would like to have one. Can I dig a
hole, and make a French drain for it? Install a 4" plastic pipe down there?
How deep? I have no experience with pouring a concrete floor! (Yes, I know
a French drain is probably not code. But this is a hypothetical question,
regarding historical accuracy. How's that?) About how much lower should the
top of the drain pipe be than the edge of the floor (the long wall is 18
feet) to promote drainage? How do you keep concrete from filling the drain
pipe when they are floating it?
Also, I am just getting plain concrete, not fiberglass reinforced. Is a grid
of chicken wire good for strength, or is it not required for this small
space?
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