Recommended Standard Specification
for Concrete Floors on Grade


1.0 General:

1.1 	Qualifications:	All work shall performed by a member in good
	standing of the Concrete Floor Contractors Association of
	Ontario who shall conform to the requirements of CSA A23.1
	(current edition).  [a list of current members is available
	from the Association office at 905-582-9825 or the
	Association website at www.concretefloors.ca].
1.2  	Related work: Earthwork, Formwork, Reinforcing Steel and
	Miscellaneous Metals.
1.3  	Work included:	Concrete slabs on grade, slabs on metal deck,
	concrete fill to metal pan stairs including non-slip inserts,
	equipment pads, curbs, steel fibre reinforcing,  concrete supply,
	formwork including dowels, floor finishing, surface hardeners
	and treatments, curing, sawcutting, isolation joints, and
	caulking of floor joints.
1.4  	Quality Assurance and Warrantee:  It is the intent of
	this section to establish a single competent source, being
	the concrete floor finishing subcontractor, to be responsible
	to provide complete durable concrete floors including the
	provision of:  	formwork, reinforcing, concrete supply and
	finishing labour complete as specified herein.  Concrete
	floors shall have an extended guarantee against surface
	deterioration and cracking for a period of two years from
	substantial performance of the work.
1.5  	Pre-Construction Meeting:	No later than three weeks prior
	to the start of work on site, arrange for a special meeting
	of all parties including the Owner’s representative, general
	contractor, testing company, concrete supplier, floor
	finishing subcontractor, earthworks subcontractor and
	specialty material suppliers, to review the project drawings,
	specifications and site	conditions.  The floor finishing
	subcontractor shall submit a materials summary and a sawcut
	and construction joint shop	drawing for review and approval
	by the Owner’s representative prior to any work being
	performed on site.
	[Reference:  CFCAO Preconstruction Meeting Agenda Form]

2.0 Materials:

2.1  	Concrete shall conform to CSA A23.1 having a minimum strength,
 	of 25 MPa [or higher as required per the structural design],
	minimum 265 kg cement content, a maximum 0.55 water:cement ratio,
	60 mm ± 20 mm initial slump, normal setting plasticizing
	admixture to a final 130 mm ± 20 mm slump, 40 mm coarse
	aggregate for slabs screeded with a laser screed machine and
	20 mm coarse aggregate for slabs screeded by hand.
	All admixtures shall be normal setting and non-retarding.
	A maximum 10% slag or flyash cement replacement shall
	be acceptable in all weather conditions with up to 25% slag
	cement replacement or 15% fly ash in hot weather conditions.
2.2  	Steel fibre reinforcing: conforming to ASTM A820.
2.3  	Tolerances:  As specified by CSA A23.1 [to meet
 	the requirements of the operating environment].  Conformance
 	measurement shall be completed within 72 hours of floor
 	installation.
2.4  	Isolation joints shall be 6 mm thick flexible foam material
	for perimeter walls and 12 mm thick for column wrapping and slab
	penetrations.
2.5  	Bulkheads:  Steel or wood.
2.6  	Dowels:  Round or square smooth steel bars with bond breaker
	on one end to allow horizontal slippage.
2.7  	Dry Shake Surface hardeners:  Factory pre-mixed incorporating
 	plasticizing agents [traprock / silica-quartz / emery /
	metallic / coloured] applied at a rate [light duty: 3.0 Kg
 	per m˛ / medium duty: 5.0 Kg per m˛ / heavy duty: 7.0 Kg per
 	m˛] as shown on the drawings. [Note: Coloured hardener to applied
 	at a rate of 7 kg/m2]
2.8  	Surface Evaporation Reducers:  Confilm by Master Builders or
 	Eucobar by Euclid.
2.9  	Curing compound: Clear, water based, non-yellowing
 	conforming to ASTM C-309 with a minimum solids content of 20%.
2.10  	Polyethylene curing sheet to be a minimum of 0.05 mm thick.
2.11  	Liquid Hardeners:  penetrating hardening/dustproofing sealers
 	shall be applied at a 200 sf per gallon coverage rate in a
	single flood coat application. [Note: Liquid hardeners do not
	conform to ASTM C309 and are not to be used as a curing agent].
2.12  	Sawcut fillers:
		Type 1: for interior non-vehicular areas 12mm deep on a backer
		rod using a flexible 2 component epoxy/urethane material
		having a Shore "A" hardness of 25-35.
		Type 2: for interior vehicular areas filled full depth of
		the sawcut using a semi-rigid polyurea or epoxy filler having a
		minimum	Shore "A" hardness of 75.

3.0 Execution:

3.1 	Provide sufficient lighting as necessary for finishing
 	requirements.
3.2 	Inspect the granular base elevation for variations in excess
	of +/- 10 mm in accordance with CSA A23.1 (to be repaired by the
	earthworks subcontractor).
3.3 	Protect adjacent surfaces from staining.
3.4 	Install isolation joint for full slab thickness where slab
 	edges meet vertical elements (walls, columns, bollards etc.).
3.5 	Isolate through-slab penetrations with sonotube for the full
 	depth of the slab.  Fill with concrete no sooner than 28 days
 	after the adjacent slab has been cast.
3.6  	Bulkheads shall be constructed for the full slab thickness,
	straight and level with the finished floor elevation and shall
	be located outside of traffic areas where possible. Dowels shall
	be installed in the centre of the floor aligned to permit horizontal
	movement and de-bonded on one end. All construction joints shall
	be dowelled.
3.7 	Add steel fibre reinforcing at the specified rate in
	accordance with the manufacturers instructions. The concrete
	floor contractor shall certify that the total quantity of
	materials are added as specified. Steel fibre shall be added
	to the concrete mixer truck to the next highest half bag increment
	such that no less than the specified dosage rate is installed in
	each truckload of concrete. All personnel who add steel fibre
	shall have completed the CFCA Steel Fibre Certification Course.
3.8 	Place concrete in accordance with CSA A23.1.
3.9 	Finish concrete surfaces accordingly to specified tolerances.
3.10 	Apply liquid surface evaporation reducers by sprayer to
 	protect the concrete from pre-mature surface drying when
 	required.  Mix in accordance with the manufacturers
 	instructions and apply in a thin film following the
 	bull floating operation.  Do not work liquid materials into
 	the surface of the plastic concrete.
3.11 	Apply dry [pigmented] shake surface hardeners in multiple
 	applications to the total specified quantity [_____ Kgs/m˛].
 	Scrape any build-up of dry materials to achieve a uniform
 	coverage rate. Material manufacturer to certify that
 	materials are applied as specified.
3.12 	Curing shall commence as soon as possible.
	Type 1: Apply one coat of curing compound evenly across the
	entire floor surface at the manufacturers recommended coverage
	rate.
	Type 2: Wet cure with poly, burlap or geotextile fabric.
	Note: Surfaces to receive liquid hardeners or applied finishes shall
	be wet cured.
3.13 	Sawcut contraction joints at a maximum spacing of 4.5 lineal
 	metres on centre to a depth of 1/3 the slab thickness [38 mm
 	deep for Soffcut dry sawing] in approximately square sections.
 	Cutting shall commence as soon as possible, generally within
	12 to 24 hours of concrete placement, depending upon ambient
	conditions and the method of cutting.
3.14 	Fill exposed sawcuts subject to solid tire forklift traffic
	full depth with a load bearing polyurea or epoxy filler (without
	backer rod) a minimum of 120 days after floor installation.
3.15	Fill exposed sawcuts subject to foot traffic, where specified,
	with a flexible epoxy/urethane sealant 1/2" deep on a backer rod a
	minimum of 75 days after floor installation.