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mixing concrete |
Mixing concrete for DIY use is not difficult but for critical applications such as building it is essential that the concrete is mixed correctly, so the correct quantities of ingredients including water must be mixed correctly.
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| Mixing concrete by hand | Mixing concrete using a cement mixer |
Concrete can be mixed by hand for small quantities but for larger quantities it is much easier to get the professionals in. You can often but quantities of 1 cubic metre and above from concrete firms that will mix the concrete and drop it off at your desired location, there are also some firms that mix the concrete on site and barrow the concrete to your desired location, this is especially useful if you need the concrete in an area that is not easily accessible by a large concrete mixing wagon.
Concrete for structural applications will be tested before it is poured, this is done by performing a slump test on the wet concrete using what looks like a large upside down funnel. The funnel is filled slowly and the contents are tamped down using a stick, the funnel is then lifted off and the slump of the concrete is measured. If the slump test is not satisfactory the concrete will not be used and the concrete wagon will be turned away.
When mixing concrete for non critical applications such as a garage base or footings for a garden wall you can easily mix the concrete yourself. Concrete can be mixed in different ratios depending on the use. For example a common mix for a garage base would be 1 part cement, two parts sand and three parts gravel. Different sized gravel can be used depending on the application. The ingredients for the concrete should always be measured accurately, in most cases this can be achieved by using a bucket to measure the exact quantities. A spade should never be used for measuring as some ingredients tend to pile higher on the spade so you will not get the correct quantities using this method.
When concreting in fence posts in the ground it is often much easier and faster to used a dedicated post mix which is bought in bags and simply poured into the post holes dry and then wet using a watering can. An example can be see here fixing decking posts
Patterned concrete
A popular choice for many driveways and paths is paterned concrete, below are two examples of paterned concrete. Before deciding on paterned concrete you should carefully consider the benefits and disadvantages of using patterned concrete.
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