WHAT KIND OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE CAN I USE ON THE SECOND FLOOR

Question

WHAT KIND OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE CAN I USE ON THE SECOND FLOOR

Answer 1

Cellular light weight concrete.  It contains fibers in the mix to keep the concrete from breaking up.  The standard installation thickness is 1.5".

Responding to Rutger's post:  I was merely answering the question on the type of Light weight concrete to use on the second floor.  Substituting regular concrete for light weight will impose additional cost on the structural system as well as depth to the assembly.  Without any further detail of the basis of the question, I can only address the original question.  But I can make a couple of assumptions, it is not a steel frame construction because that information would have been specified by the UL ratings book and it would have specified for regular concrete on metal pan anyway.  Therefore, the other uses for light weight concrete are to use as a medium to embed in floor heating coils and also to minimize flexure in the plywood assembly in wood frame construction.  Cellular lightweight concrete works better than regular lightweight concrete because it resist the tendency to crack.

Answer 2

Lightweight concrete is used to obtain a specific fire rating - one that avoid using fireproofing.  The actual weight savings is minimal. You should hire an architect to review your needs who should hire an engineer to discuss you loading criteria.

Cheers and good luck!