Evening all,
I am after some advice/guidance on concreting over soil.
Basically I am in the process of renovating a re-opened fireplace. The bottom of the fireplace was uneven and had tiles in the bottom. I have pulled most of the tiles up to reveal a sandy cement mixture that has crumbled, on top of a soft soil top which I suspect is why it has become uneven.
Because I need to make a constructional hearth, I am going to remove the remaining tiles and then dig up the soft soil until I get to more clayey or thicker soil.
My question is, once I get to that level, what is the best method of prep before concreting? I need around 10cm of concrete for my hearth, if I happen to be a fair amount deeper than this would it be advisable to add some polystyrene insulation prior to adding the concrete and if so what would be a good thickness?
If I don't need to use any insulation, what be the best prep before concreting?
cheers.
I am after some advice/guidance on concreting over soil.
Basically I am in the process of renovating a re-opened fireplace. The bottom of the fireplace was uneven and had tiles in the bottom. I have pulled most of the tiles up to reveal a sandy cement mixture that has crumbled, on top of a soft soil top which I suspect is why it has become uneven.
Because I need to make a constructional hearth, I am going to remove the remaining tiles and then dig up the soft soil until I get to more clayey or thicker soil.
My question is, once I get to that level, what is the best method of prep before concreting? I need around 10cm of concrete for my hearth, if I happen to be a fair amount deeper than this would it be advisable to add some polystyrene insulation prior to adding the concrete and if so what would be a good thickness?
If I don't need to use any insulation, what be the best prep before concreting?
cheers.
