To mix concrete by hand in a bucket, wear a dust mask, add about 3/4 of the recommended water to the bucket first, then add the dry mix, creating a well in the center to gradually incorporate the rest of the water and mix thoroughly with a hoe or paddle until it's a smooth, oatmeal-like consistency, ensuring no dry pockets remain.
How to do it: Dump the required amount of bagged mix into the bucket, form a depression in the middle of the mix, and then slowly add about three-quarters of the amount of water called for per the package directions. (If you don't need to use the entire bag, remember to adjust the amount of water accordingly.)
This material is typically produced at a utility sluice pond site by dumping raw ash into the pond and allowing it to hydrate and harden into a working platform. Additional raw ash is placed on top of the platform in thin lifts, watered, compacted, and allowed to hydrate and harden.
The 20/30/40 rule in concrete is a simple guideline for mix proportions, suggesting roughly 20% cementitious materials, 30% water + admixtures (for workability), and 40% aggregates (sand and gravel), providing a good balance for quality and economy. While often linked to a broader 10-20-30-40 rule (10% cement, 20% water/air, 30% sand, 40% gravel by volume), the 20/30/40 emphasizes the key component percentages for a practical mix, especially for achieving good strength and pumpability.
The "90-minute concrete rule" was a standard guideline (ASTM C94) requiring ready-mix concrete to be discharged from the truck within 90 minutes (1.5 hours) of mixing to ensure workability and quality, but this rule has been updated, allowing for custom time limits to be set by the purchaser and producer, acknowledging modern admixtures that extend working time, though the original principle of limiting time to maintain quality remains crucial.
Recommended mix proportions for C40 concrete (e.g., 1:1.5:3 cement:sand:gravel, water-cement ratio 0.35) To achieve the strongest standard concrete mix for heavy-duty applications, use a C40 mix with a 1:1.5:3 ratio of cement, sand, and gravel, along with a water-cement ratio of 0.35.
The addition of sugar or Coca-Cola can slow down the hardening of the concrete and can increase the compressive strength up to a certain percentage. If add too much sugar or Coca-Cola, it will make the concrete brittle and unusable.
Supplementary Cementing Materials
Typical cementing materials include fly ash, slag, silica fume, and other natural pozzolans. These materials are used to make concrete mixtures more economical, reduce permeability, increase strength, or influence other concrete properties.
Treat the concrete stain with baking soda
The term “deadman anchor” has long been used in the construction trades to describe a block of concrete, or similar object, buried in the ground for the purpose of holding down a connected structure.
The chemical process for hydraulic cement was found by ancient Romans who used volcanic ash (pozzolana) with added lime (calcium oxide). Non-hydraulic cement (less common) does not set in wet conditions or under water. Rather, it sets as it dries and reacts with carbon dioxide in the air.
Therefore, the preference of people who want to make concrete cheaply should be to buy ready mix concrete. Thus, its own material purchasing and mixing cost and the labor cost spent for it are saved.
For very small projects like patching or minor repairs, a concrete bucket and mixing hoe or a wheelbarrow with a shovel can be enough. This low-cost method works best when you only need a small batch of concrete. Pros: Simple, no power required.
Washing-up liquid
Washing up liquid is commonly used as a plasticiser in cement mortar.
Using the mixing hoe, begin incorporating the water using long back and forth strokes. Mix for three (3) minutes to thoroughly consolidate the mix, slowly adding the rest of the water along the way. Let the mix rest for one (1) minute. Consolidate the mix by tapping the pan or wheelbarrow with a rubber mallet.
While it may seem like an unnecessary step to some, gravel plays a critical role in ensuring the longevity, stability, and structural integrity of the concrete. Failing to include this foundational layer can lead to a range of costly and damaging consequences.
The strength and longevity of Roman 'marine' concrete is understood to benefit from a reaction of seawater with a mixture of volcanic ash and quicklime to create a rare crystal called tobermorite, which may resist fracturing.
PVA ADHESIVE & SEALER can be used with plaster, cement, timber, gypsum wall boards and paper. Properties as an adhesive include fast drying. It is also a readily dilutable primer for sealing applications or addition to cement and plaster to improve adhesion and cure.
Sugar can prevent concrete from setting too quickly and becoming unusable.
🤔 Interestingly, the sugar content in Coke can actually slow down the setting time of the surface, allowing the concrete underneath to harden properly. In just four to five hours, you can rinse off the surface and reveal beautifully finished exposed aggregate concrete!
For 1 cubic meter (m³) of finished concrete, you typically need around 100 to 110 bags of 20kg pre-mixed concrete; however, if you're mixing your own general-purpose concrete, it's about 10-14 bags of 20kg cement plus sand and aggregate, with the exact amount depending on the mix ratio (e.g., 1 part cement to 2-2.5 parts sand). A single 20kg bag of pre-mix yields roughly 0.01m³ of concrete.
The 10-20-30-40 Rule for concrete is a simple guideline for mix proportions by volume: approximately 10% cement, 20% water and air, 30% sand (fine aggregate), and 40% gravel (coarse aggregate), acting as a good rule of thumb to achieve a strong, cost-effective mix where aggregates fill voids, reducing cement paste needed. While actual proportions vary, this rule emphasizes using as much inexpensive aggregate as possible, with just enough cement paste to bind it, using well-graded aggregates to minimize empty spaces.