I am planning on building a 26' x 20' shop and am thinking about pouring the foundation in sections using my 5 cu. ft. mixer. My first question is, will it be possible to either "rock" the seams smooth, or otherwise seal them to allow the rolling of equipment around on the finished floor? My other question is would it be cheaper (in terms of money and labor involved) to just have cement brought out and work it myself?

Thats too large to do yourself, even in small sections.

You will be better off doing it in one pour - have it delivered.

Are you talking about pouring the footing, the foundation walls, the floor slab, or a slab with a turned down footing?

Glenn

I am still researching the best method. We have checked out numerous books from the library and each gives pointers on the different ways of pouring a foundation. I personnally would prefer a "monolithic" pour.

Dude from experience, dont do the mix by yourself, have it trucked in. I mixed an 8 x 12 patio by hand with a mixer and the concrete started to setup before I could finish pouring and I couldnt get the texture I was looking for. I was going to press colored stones into the surface and go for the washed look, but it setup too quick for me. A 20 X 26 floor doing it by hand would not be easy to do with a mixer and you will wind up with a ver uneven floor and would look like a patch job no matter how good a troweler you are. Get a bull float with a long handle, a couple guys with wheel barrows and order ready mix if you want to do it yourself.