Solid Concrete: How You Get the Right Mix

When you have small projects in your home, such as driveway or concrete slab repairs, it is always important to ensure that you do it right so that you don't destroy the concrete even more.  One of the challenges you may face in such projects is mixing concrete. Since the procedure is not just about mixing water with cement or any other materials, you need to identify the tools and materials you have and understand how these materials should be mixed to give the right mixture that will enable you fix your damaged concrete like a pro.

Components

When mixing concrete, you can use the materials that you have on-hand. However, it is always vital to consider the effects on the finished concrete if you use the wrong materials. For this reason, here are a few things to bear in mind:

• Water: For concrete, be sure to use only clean and fresh water. Sea or bore water has a high mineral content that can affect the quality or the mineral content of concrete and this may degrade it.
• Coarse aggregate: Crushed stone or river gravel is the ideal coarse aggregate you should use because standard gravel has fine particles or clay that make it unsuitable.
• Sand: You should only use sand that is clean and free of salt, clay, and organic material. Sand with such materials or plasterer's sand will not work well with concrete because of the high clay content.
• Cement: Portland Type I is a general-purpose cement that will suit all your needs. If you had stored some of this cement in a poorly ventilated and wet area, there are high chances it will be lumpy or hardened. In such a case, it would be better to buy another bag rather than breaking it because this will only lead to concrete of poor strength.

Mix Ratios

A shovel is not a preferable tool to use when measuring the amounts of cement and sand. Instead, use a measuring bucket. For light shed floors, paths, or driveways, try to maintain a cement to sand to coarse aggregate ratio of about 1:2:4. When mixing start with about half of the water followed by coarse aggregate, sand and then cement. After cement, you need to add the remaining water until you reach the desired consistency. The mixing can take place in a mixer or bucket depending on the degree of damage on the concrete.

For assistance, with concrete crack injections, talk to a professional.