Debate: fiber mesh vs wire mesh for residential slabs - which one do you trust more?

I went with fiber mesh on my last driveway pour after the supplier swore it'd hold better, but it cracked along the edge anyway, and now I'm wondering if the old wire mesh method was the safer bet - anyone else had this kind of split decision go south on them?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant9017d ago

...especially when it's the edge that goes first, right? I hopped on the fiber mesh bandwagon for my patio slab a couple years back cause the contractor at the supply house swore it was the new hotness. Ended up with hairline cracks all over the place, not just one big one like you'd get with wire. I'm pretty sure the fiber just doesn't give enough structure when the ground shifts a little, feels like it's mostly for keeping minor shrinkage cracks in check not for real holding power. Wire mesh is a pain to set right but I'm leaning back towards it for anything bigger than a walkway now.

the_patricia7d ago

Man, I read something from a concrete engineer once that basically said fiber mesh is just there to stop plastic shrinkage cracks while the concrete is setting. It's not structural at all. That matches what you saw - all those hairline cracks instead of one clean split. I think wire mesh gives you that continuous reinforcement that actually ties things together when the ground does move. Fiber just scatters little strands through the mix and hopes for the best.