Concrete Slab Installation in Dallas

Types of Slabs We Pour

Garage slabs get daily vehicle traffic, so we pour them at 4 to 6 inches thick with 4,000+ PSI concrete and rebar reinforcement. We slope the floor toward the garage door for drainage and cut control joints to prevent random cracking.

Shop and workshop slabs need to handle heavy equipment, tool cabinets, and stored materials. We pour 5 to 6 inches thick with rebar on 18-inch centers. If you're putting a car lift in your shop, we thicken the pad under the lift anchor points to handle the concentrated load.

Shed pads, storage building foundations, and equipment pads are straightforward pours. We size the thickness and reinforcement to the load the slab will carry. A garden shed pad is different from a pad for a backup generator or HVAC unit.

Thickness: 4 Inch vs 6 Inch Slabs

4-inch slabs work for light-duty applications — shed pads, patios, walkways, and standard parking areas. The slab handles foot traffic and light storage loads without issue.

6-inch slabs are the right call for garage floors, shop floors, RV pads, and any surface that takes repeated vehicle traffic or heavy concentrated loads. The extra 2 inches of concrete plus rebar makes the slab significantly stronger.

We don't recommend going below 4 inches for any slab that sits on grade. Thin slabs crack under their own weight during soil movement. In North Texas, 4 inches is the minimum for a slab that lasts.

Rebar vs Fiber Mesh

Rebar is steel reinforcement that holds the slab together if it cracks. It doesn't prevent cracking — it keeps the pieces connected so the slab stays functional. We use #4 rebar on 18-inch centers for most residential slabs.

Fiber mesh is small synthetic fibers mixed into the concrete. It helps with surface cracking during curing but does nothing for structural cracks. Fiber mesh is fine as a supplement to rebar, but it's not a replacement.

For garage floors, shop slabs, and equipment pads, we use rebar. Period. Fiber mesh alone won't keep a garage slab from cracking and separating under vehicle loads. We've torn out plenty of slabs that only had mesh and failed within a few years.

Vapor Barriers and Grade Prep

We install 10-mil poly vapor barriers under slabs that will be enclosed (garages, shops, living spaces). The barrier prevents ground moisture from wicking up through the concrete, which causes dampness, mold, and floor coating failure.

Open-air slabs like RV pads and equipment pads don't typically need vapor barriers since the surface is exposed to air circulation. We make the call based on how the slab will be used.

Grade prep includes excavating to the right depth, compacting the native soil, and adding a layer of crushed stone base where needed. Proper grade prep is the most important step in the process. The concrete is only as good as what's underneath it.

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