Warning: Picked rebar over fiber mesh for my last driveway pour

I had to choose between fiber mesh and traditional rebar for a 40-yard residential job last month. Went with the rebar even though the fiber was cheaper and easier, and now I'm glad I did because a corner of the slab is already showing hairline cracks a week later. Anyone else had fiber mesh fail on them in high traffic spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_wells47d ago

My buddy Mike poured his 400 foot driveway with fiber mesh three years ago and its cracking bad by his mailbox where he turns his truck around every day. He told me last week he regrets skipping the rebar just to save a couple hundred bucks.

christopher_wells46d ago

Fiber mesh is basically a bandaid, not a fix for structural loads. That driveway sees real weight every day from the truck turning, so rebar or wire mesh should've been non-negotiable. Mike saved maybe 200 bucks upfront, but now he's looking at crack repairs or a partial repour that'll cost ten times that. Concrete needs reinforcement where stress concentrates, period. Fiber helps with surface shrinkage cracks, not with heavy traffic pounding.