Concrete – use landscaping lava rock as a concrete slab base

concretelandscaping

The side of our house if continually overrun with weeds. I'm thinking of fencing it in and laying some concrete to prevent the weeds and provide some storage area. Currently there is red lava rock over there (under the weeds). Pretty much this stuff (not my photo):

Lava Rock

I have never laid concrete for any reason, though I've dome some tiling and other stuff that makes me think I can handle it (famous last words, I'm sure). I haven't measured it yet, but let's say it will end up being a 4' X 30' slab, if that matters at this point.

The question I have is whether I can use the lava rock as a base for the concrete rather than using something I'd have to buy. I suppose there might be concerns given the size of the rocks (1" or so versus the smaller stuff I've seen used as a base) and the porous nature of the rocks.

I understand that I'd still have to remove the rocks and prepare the area by removing weeds, removing some soil, etc. before putting the rocks back as a base.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Best Answer

The key to a good base is compacting and stability. If you could compact the rock adequately there's no reason it couldn't work but appropriate concrete base is so cheap, and cracked concrete such a pain to repair that it makes no sense not to use exactly the base intended for the purpose.