Installed a Lathe pad today

Any wet concrete can be leveled with a concrete vibrator (sp?).
 
Question on this - doing it this way, does the grout come in contact with the machine? If so, how would the machine be removed? (for whatever reason)
Yes, it does come in contact with the machine. That's the idea it stays level and dampens vibrations. It can be released with a small electric jackhammer or by cranking it up with the jack (leveling) bolts. Thanks for your interest.

fixit
 
Yes, Although the thickness of my pour featherd to virtually nothing it didn't crack and release so I was happy. Mostly it is held in place by the wall + roof so if it's just a spacer thats fine (no way to anchor the sill plate on a soft brick foundation wall anyway)

During my research, my issue with all the other self leveling grout is that they have a low pressure rating. That's fine for a bathroom/kitchen/patio floor and probably most garages but I wasn't going to trust it under my wall + roof. I tend to feel the same way about a pad under a machine.

I'm very interested to know how level it turned out for you!
 
Yes, Although the thickness of my pour featherd to virtually nothing it didn't crack and release so I was happy. Mostly it is held in place by the wall + roof so if it's just a spacer thats fine (no way to anchor the sill plate on a soft brick foundation wall anyway)

During my research, my issue with all the other self leveling grout is that they have a low pressure rating. That's fine for a bathroom/kitchen/patio floor and probably most garages but I wasn't going to trust it under my wall + roof. I tend to feel the same way about a pad under a machine.

I'm very interested to know how level it turned out for you!
My first pour was not level, still off by 1/4” over 4’. I talked with our concrete guy (at work - we do a lot of concrete work all the time) about the ability to pour back over fresh and hard skinned non-shrink grout, he said go for it, so I mixed up the last 2 bags to a more flowable consistency. It’s almost perfectly level now. I’ll check it again after we get back from up north on Sunday.
 
Yeah, I was fighting with my dad over how thin we were supposed to mix it. He's used to standard concrete which you definitely don't want to add too much water.

I kept explaining that it's supposed to be thin enough to level itself without troweling it. I kept pointing to the word 'Fluid'... He couldn't get comfortable with it. lol
 
Yeah, I was fighting with my dad over how thin we were supposed to mix it. He's used to standard concrete which you definitely don't want to add too much water.

I kept explaining that it's supposed to be thin enough to level itself without troweling it. I kept pointing to the word 'Fluid'... He couldn't get comfortable with it. lol
I get it. With this stuff there is a very thin line between flowable and fluid. My last pour was in between it! LOL
 
Any wet concrete can be leveled with a concrete vibrator (sp?).
yep, and a rudimentary vibrator can be made with a sawsall, you can just let it rest against the wooden frame, or add a blade that you don't care about and have it just touch when going back and forth, allowing it to lightly hammer the frame. cheap and effective.
 
yep, and a rudimentary vibrator can be made with a sawsall, you can just let it rest against the wooden frame, or add a blade that you don't care about and have it just touch when going back and forth, allowing it to lightly hammer the frame. cheap and effective.


Exactly. Self leveling, no need for smoothing or a level.
 
So far so good I think. I did have some vertical expansion, not shrinkage, that lifted the edges a little bit. I’m ok with this as I wanted the pad able to be easily removed if we move. (This will not be our last home as initially thought, unfortunately… long story there) I have checked level on the pad with a 4’ Constructuon level and it’s less than 1/8” off. Good enough. The rest of the leveling can be done on the machine. This is EXACTLY what I wanted.

IMG_2149.jpeg
 
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