CONCRETE FLOOR AND SLAB CONSTRUCTION 302.1R-3
The design of slabs-on-ground should conform to the
recommendations of ACI 360R. Refer to ACI 223 for
procedures for the design and construction of shrinkage-
compensating concrete slabs-on-ground. The design of
suspended floors should conform to requirements of ACI 318
and ACI 421.1R. See Section 1.2 for relevant work by these
and other committees.
This guide identifies the various classes of floors as to
•Use;
• Design details as they apply to construction;
• Necessary site preparation; and
• Type of concrete and related materials.
In general, the characteristics of the concrete slab surface
and the performance of joints have a powerful impact on the
serviceability of floors and other slabs. Because the eventual
success of a concrete floor installation depends on the
mixture proportions and floor finishing techniques used,
considerable attention is given to critical aspects of
achieving the desired finishes and the required floor surface
tolerances. This guide emphasizes choosing and propor-
tioning of materials, design details, proper construction
methods, and workmanship.
1.1.1 Prebid meeting—While this guide does provide a
reasonable overview of concrete floor construction, it should
be emphasized that every project is unique; circumstances can
dictate departures from the recommendations contained herein.
Accordingly, contractors and suppliers are urged to make a
thorough review of contract documents before bid preparation.
The best forum for such a review is the prebid meeting. This
meeting offers bidders an opportunity to ask questions and
clarify their understanding of contract documents before
submitting their bids. A prebid meeting also provides the
owner and the owner’s designer an opportunity to clarify intent
where documents are unclear and to respond to last-minute
questions in a manner that provides bidders an opportunity to
be equally responsive to the contract documents.
1.1.2 Preconstruction meeting—Construction of any slab-
on-ground or suspended floor or slab involves the coordinated
efforts of many subcontractors and material suppliers. It is
strongly recommended that the designer require a precon-
struction meeting to be held to establish and to coordinate
procedures that will enable key participants to produce the
best possible product under the anticipated field conditions.
This meeting should be attended by responsible representa-
tives of organizations and material suppliers directly involved
with either the design or construction of floors.
The preconstruction meeting should confirm and docu-
ment the responsibilities and anticipated interaction of key
participants involved in floor slab construction. Following is
a list of agenda items appropriate for such a meeting; many
of the items are those for which responsibility should be
clearly established in the contract documents. The following
list is not necessarily all-inclusive:
1. Site preparation;
2. Grades for drainage, if any;
3. Work associated with installation of auxiliary materials,
such as vapor barriers, vapor retarders, edge insulation, elec-
trical conduit, mechanical sleeves, drains, and embedded plates;
4. Class of floor;
5. Floor thickness;
6. Reinforcement, when required;
7. Construction tolerances: base (rough and fine grading),
forms, slab thickness, surface configuration, and floor flatness
and levelness requirements (including how and when
measured);
8. Joints and load-transfer mechanism;
9. Materials: cements, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate,
water, and admixtures (usually by reference to applicable
ASTM standards);
10. Special aggregates, admixtures, or monolithic surface
treatments, where applicable;
11. Concrete specifications, to include the following:
a. Compressive strength, flexural strength, or both,
and finishability (Section 6.2);
b. Minimum cementitious material content, if appli-
cable (Table 6.2);
c. Maximum size, grading, and type of coarse aggregate;
d. Grading and type of fine aggregate;
e. Combined aggregate grading;
f. Air content of concrete, if applicable (Section 6.2.7);
g. Slump of concrete (Section 6.2.5);
h. Water-cement ratio (w/c) or water-cementitious
material ratio (w/cm); and
i. Preplacement soaking requirement for lightweight
aggregates.
12. Measuring, mixing, and placing procedures (usually
by reference to specifications or recommended practices);
13. Strikeoff method;
14. Recommended finishing methods and tools, where
required;
15. Coordination of floor finish requirements with those
required for floor coverings such as vinyl, ceramic tile, or
wood that are to be applied directly to the floor;
16. Curing procedures, length of curing, necessary protec-
tion, and time before opening slabs for traffic (ACI 308R);
17. Testing and inspection requirements; and
18. Acceptance criteria and remedial measures to be used,
if required.
Additional issues specific to suspended slab construction
are as follows:
1. Form tolerances and preplacement quality assurance
survey procedures for cast-in-place construction;
2. Erection tolerances and preplacement quality assurance
survey procedures for composite slab construction (see
ANSI/ASCE 3 and ANSI/ASCE 9 [Section 12.1]);
3. Form stripping procedures, if applicable; and
4. Items listed in Section 3.3 that are appropriate to the
structural system(s) used for the project.
1.1.3 Quality assurance—Adequate provisions should be
made to ensure that the constructed product meets or exceeds
the requirements of the project documents. Toward this end,
quality control procedures should be established and main-
tained throughout the entire construction process.
The quality of a completed concrete slab depends on the
skill of individuals who place, finish, and test the material.
As an aid to ensuring a high-quality finished product, the