concrete
Commercial Slabs On Grade
Large-format commercial slabs with laser screed finishing for distribution centers and warehouses
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Serving Johnson County
What Are Commercial Slabs on Grade?
Commercial slabs on grade are monolithic concrete floors poured directly on prepared ground, serving as the foundation and finished floor surface for warehouses, distribution centers, retail stores, and industrial facilities throughout Cleburne and Johnson County, TX.
Why Choose Slabs on Grade?
This construction method has become the preferred choice for large-format commercial buildings in North Texas due to: • Cost-effectiveness • Superior durability • Ability to meet stringent flatness requirements demanded by modern logistics operations
Cleburne's Logistics Hub
In the rapidly growing Chisholm Trail Parkway corridor, commercial slabs on grade are the foundation of choice for the distribution centers and warehouse facilities that have transformed Cleburne into a regional logistics hub.
Technical Specifications
These slabs typically range from 6 to 12 inches thick and are engineered to: • Support heavy forklift traffic • Accommodate racking systems • Handle dynamic loads • Maintain exceptional surface flatness measured by industry-standard Ff/Fl tolerances
Construction Process
The construction process begins with extensive site preparation, addressing Johnson County's characteristic expansive clay soils through: • Proper grading • Moisture barriers • Select base materials
Modern laser screed technology allows contractors to achieve flatness tolerances of Ff 50 / Fl 35 or better: critical specifications for automated warehouse operations with narrow-aisle racking and high-stacking requirements.
Reinforcement Options
Reinforcement options include: • Traditional rebar • Welded wire fabric • Synthetic fiber reinforcement
Selected based on load requirements and soil conditions.
Key Advantages Over Other Foundation Types
For Cleburne commercial projects, slabs on grade offer significant advantages: • Eliminate the need for costly crawl spaces or basements • Reduce construction time by weeks • Provide immediate access to utilities through sleeves cast into the slab • The thermal mass of concrete helps moderate interior temperatures in Texas's extreme climate • Proper vapor barrier installation prevents moisture migration through the slab
Our North Texas Expertise
Our commercial slab on grade services incorporate best practices for North Texas construction, including: • Pre-pour moisture testing • Proper joint layout to control cracking • Strategic reinforcement placement • Proven curing methods that account for Cleburne's hot summers and occasional winter freezes
Whether you're building a 50,000 square foot retail space or a 500,000 square foot distribution facility, precision slab on grade construction provides the foundation for decades of reliable service in Johnson County's demanding commercial environment.
Common Applications
Distribution Centers & Warehouses
Large-format slabs on grade are the foundation of choice for distribution facilities throughout the Chisholm Trail corridor. These facilities require exceptional flatness (Ff 50+) to support narrow-aisle racking systems and automated material handling equipment. Slabs range from 150,000 to 500,000+ square feet, designed for heavy forklift traffic and concentrated racking loads while maintaining long-term performance in Johnson County's challenging soil conditions.
Retail Big-Box Stores
Major retailers throughout Cleburne rely on slabs on grade for their large-footprint stores, typically 30,000 to 150,000 square feet. These slabs support retail racking, receive heavy point loads from merchandise displays, and provide the substrate for various finished flooring systems. The thermal mass of concrete helps reduce HVAC costs in Texas's extreme climate, while polished concrete options eliminate the need for additional flooring materials in back-of-house areas.
Industrial Manufacturing Facilities
Manufacturing plants in Johnson County require slabs engineered for heavy machinery anchoring, dynamic loads from equipment operation, and resistance to chemicals and abrasion. We design these slabs with enhanced thickness (8-12 inches), higher strength concrete (5,000+ PSI), and strategic reinforcement to support manufacturing equipment while accommodating utility trenches and floor drains. Proper joint layout prevents cracking under thermal cycling and equipment vibration.
Cold Storage & Food Distribution
Temperature-controlled facilities present unique slab challenges including thermal shock, moisture migration, and sub-slab insulation requirements. Our cold storage slabs incorporate vapor barriers, thermal breaks, rigid insulation layers, and enhanced reinforcement to prevent cracking from temperature differentials. These facilities require the highest flatness tolerances for automated storage and retrieval systems operating in sub-zero environments while maintaining structural integrity under extreme temperature cycling common in North Texas operations.
Technical Specifications
Slab Thickness
Commercial slabs in Cleburne typically range from 6 inches for light retail applications to 12 inches for heavy industrial use. Standard warehouse slabs are 8 inches thick, while distribution centers with high-density racking require 10-inch slabs. Thickness is determined by loading analysis, soil bearing capacity, and joint spacing requirements per ACI 360 standards.
Concrete Strength
Minimum 28-day compressive strength ranges from 3,500 PSI for light commercial use to 5,000+ PSI for heavy industrial applications. Distribution centers typically specify 4,000 PSI concrete with appropriate air entrainment for freeze-thaw protection. Higher strengths provide better abrasion resistance for forklift traffic and support higher allowable bearing pressures on Johnson County soils.
Reinforcement Options
Rebar reinforcement uses #4 or #5 bars in 12-18 inch grids positioned at slab mid-depth, providing crack control and structural continuity across joints. Welded wire fabric (WWF) in 6x6 W2.9xW2.9 patterns offers economical reinforcement for moderate-duty slabs. Synthetic macro-fibers at 3-5 lbs per cubic yard provide three-dimensional crack control and impact resistance for high-traffic areas.
Vapor Barriers
10-mil polyethylene vapor barriers are minimum for standard commercial work, with 15-mil cross-laminated materials specified for moisture-sensitive applications. Barriers are positioned directly beneath the slab, above the base material, with 6-inch overlaps sealed with compatible tape. All penetrations are sealed, and barriers are protected during reinforcement installation to prevent punctures.
Flatness Tolerances (Ff/Fl)
Ff (floor flatness) measures short-distance variations critical for racking and narrow-aisle operations. Fl (floor levelness) measures longer-distance variations affecting overall drainage and appearance. Standard warehouse specifications require Ff 25 / Fl 20 minimum, while high-bay facilities demand Ff 50 / Fl 35 or better. Defined-traffic applications can achieve Ff 70+.
Base Material Specifications
Crushed stone or select granular fill base material is placed in 6-inch lifts and compacted to 95% Standard Proctor Density per ASTM D698. Base thickness ranges from 6 to 12 inches depending on subgrade conditions. For Johnson County's expansive clay, we use free-draining materials that won't retain moisture and contribute to soil expansion beneath the slab.
Control Joint Layout
Joints are saw-cut to 25% of slab depth within 6-24 hours after placement, creating a weak plane that controls cracking location. Joint spacing typically follows square patterns 15x15 to 25x25 feet, with spacing-to-thickness ratios of 24:1 to 36:1. Column joints are cut to all interior columns, and isolation joints separate the slab from walls and foundations.
Curing Methods
Liquid membrane-forming curing compounds meeting ASTM C309 are applied at 150-200 square feet per gallon immediately after finishing. For critical applications, we supplement with wet-curing using soaker hoses or cotton mats, or insulating blankets for temperature control. In Cleburne's climate, proper curing prevents surface cracking and ensures concrete achieves design strength and durability.
Project Timeline
Site Preparation & Grading
Remove topsoil and unsuitable materials, establish final grades, install erosion controls, and compact subgrade to 95% Standard Proctor Density. For projects on Johnson County's expansive clay, we excavate deeper to remove unstable soil and install moisture barriers at appropriate depths.
3-5 days for typical warehouse project
Vapor Barrier & Base Material Installation
Place and compact 6-12 inches of crushed stone or select fill base material, verified by density testing. Install 10-15 mil cross-laminated polyethylene vapor barrier with 6-inch overlaps, sealed at penetrations. This critical phase prevents moisture migration from Texas clay soils.
2-3 days
Reinforcement Installation
Position rebar, welded wire fabric, or integrate structural fibers per engineering specifications. Install vapor barrier protection, set grade stakes, and coordinate utility sleeves and embeds. Reinforcement placement is inspected before concrete placement approval.
2-4 days depending on slab size
Concrete Placement
Continuous concrete pour using coordinated ready-mix truck cycles from local batch plants. For large projects, we maintain pour rates of 150-250 cubic yards per hour, requiring multiple concrete pumps and finishing crews working in coordinated zones. Temperature monitoring ensures quality in Cleburne's climate extremes.
10-16 hours for 100,000 SF slab
Laser Screed Finishing
Laser-guided screeds achieve specified Ff/Fl tolerances by precisely leveling concrete to within 1/8 inch across the entire slab. This technology is essential for warehouse slabs supporting high-bay racking and automated material handling systems. Final hand-finishing addresses perimeter areas and penetrations.
Concurrent with concrete placement
Curing & Protection
Apply liquid membrane curing compounds or install wet-curing methods to retain moisture for proper hydration. In Cleburne's summer heat, additional measures like fogging or insulating blankets prevent rapid moisture loss and thermal cracking. Traffic restrictions protect the slab during strength gain.
7-14 days minimum
Joint Cutting & Sealing
Saw-cut control joints within 6-24 hours after placement to guide cracking to predetermined locations. Joint layout typically follows 15x15 to 25x25 foot patterns based on slab thickness. After curing, joints are cleaned and sealed with polyurethane or silicone sealants to prevent moisture and debris infiltration.
3-5 days
Cleburne & Johnson County Considerations
Expansive Clay Soil Mitigation: Johnson County's Eagle Ford shale and expansive clay soils are the primary geotechnical challenge for slab construction. These soils can exert uplift pressures exceeding 5,000 PSF during wet cycles and shrink during dry periods, creating differential movement that cracks slabs. We address this through deep excavation to remove highly plastic clays, installation of select granular fill that won't expand with moisture, comprehensive vapor barriers to control moisture migration, and robust reinforcement systems that allow the slab to bridge over localized soil movements rather than cracking.
Chisholm Trail Parkway Development: The Chisholm Trail Parkway corridor through Cleburne and Johnson County has driven explosive growth in distribution and logistics facilities, creating unique site challenges. Many new projects are on virgin farmland with minimal previous development, requiring extensive site preparation, utility extensions, and coordination with TxDOT for access roads. The corridor's proximity to DFW markets while offering lower land costs makes it ideal for large-format warehouse development, but requires contractors familiar with greenfield construction on North Texas soils.
Extreme Temperature Variations: Cleburne experiences summer temperatures regularly exceeding 100°F and winter freezes down to 20°F, creating challenging conditions for concrete placement and curing. Summer pours require careful moisture management using evaporation retarders during finishing, aggressive curing to prevent rapid moisture loss, and sometimes evening/night pour schedules to avoid peak heat. Winter work requires insulated blankets if temperatures drop below 40°F, and frost protection measures ensure concrete gains adequate strength before freezing. This 80+ degree annual temperature swing also creates thermal stress in slabs, requiring proper joint layout and reinforcement.
Local Concrete Supply Logistics: Johnson County is well-served by multiple ready-mix concrete suppliers in Cleburne, Burleson, and Fort Worth, enabling the high-volume continuous pours essential for large commercial slabs. However, coordinating 200-300 truck loads for major warehouse pours requires advance scheduling and sometimes using multiple batch plants simultaneously. We maintain relationships with all area suppliers to ensure adequate capacity, backup sources for emergencies, and competitive pricing. Local aggregates from North Texas limestone quarries produce quality concrete while minimizing transportation costs.
Permitting and Inspection Requirements: The City of Cleburne Building Inspections Department requires comprehensive plan reviews for commercial slab projects, including structural engineer certification that designs meet International Building Code requirements as adopted by Texas. Inspections occur at multiple stages: subgrade preparation, base material compaction (verified by third-party testing), vapor barrier installation, reinforcement placement, and during concrete placement. Johnson County requires separate permits for site grading and drainage work. Working with local inspectors familiar with area soil conditions and climate challenges ensures smooth project approval and completion.
Frequently Asked Questions
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