Are there any concrete experts here?
I'm going to cast footings and have calculated that I need about 300 liters of finished concrete.
If I've understood correctly, I can either buy ready-mixed dry concrete that is mixed with water or cement that is mixed with water + sand + gravel.
Option 1:
582 liters of dry concrete, price 1080 SEK
water
Option 2:
87 liters of cement, price 200 SEK
195 liters of macadam 12-16, price 100 SEK for a trailer
195 liters of sand, 0 SEK (I have 5m3 left since I built the sandbox, "it might be good to have extra.")
water
Total 300 SEK
Are there any disadvantages with option 2? Lower strength, harder to mix, etc.?
How difficult/labor-intensive/time-consuming is it to mix concrete by hand? What is the best way to mix it? (A proper cement mixer is probably not an option.) Can you use a drill with a mixer attachment or is a drill too weak for this? (How powerful does it need to be?)
I'm going to cast footings and have calculated that I need about 300 liters of finished concrete.
If I've understood correctly, I can either buy ready-mixed dry concrete that is mixed with water or cement that is mixed with water + sand + gravel.
Option 1:
582 liters of dry concrete, price 1080 SEK
water
Option 2:
87 liters of cement, price 200 SEK
195 liters of macadam 12-16, price 100 SEK for a trailer
195 liters of sand, 0 SEK (I have 5m3 left since I built the sandbox, "it might be good to have extra.")
water
Total 300 SEK
Are there any disadvantages with option 2? Lower strength, harder to mix, etc.?
How difficult/labor-intensive/time-consuming is it to mix concrete by hand? What is the best way to mix it? (A proper cement mixer is probably not an option.) Can you use a drill with a mixer attachment or is a drill too weak for this? (How powerful does it need to be?)
it's hard to say how strong it needs to be it depends on the gearing and such but you should probably use a tombola
Depending on what you are going to use the concrete for, hand-mixed concrete is just fine. However, it is a considerable job to hand mix concrete and it is difficult to get it just as good as a cement mixer, but the question is whether it is necessary.
The majority seems to vote for mixer, we'll see if I change my mind on that point. (It's just that I have some kind of built-in aversion to renting stuff...)
What about dry concrete + water versus cement + sand + gravel + water then, does anyone have any opinions if there's a significant quality difference in the finished concrete or if it's equivalent?
What about dry concrete + water versus cement + sand + gravel + water then, does anyone have any opinions if there's a significant quality difference in the finished concrete or if it's equivalent?
As long as you mix in the right proportions, it doesn't differ from the ready-mixed version, and you control the strength yourself. If you trust your own mixing ability, it's up to you. Then the question is whether it's worth the effort. All the materials have to be scooped and measured and shoveled into the mixer. It's quite laborious when instead you can have a forced mixer and just crack the bag on top, and the only things you need to measure and consider are the water and mixing time.
The foundations are for a shed (15m2).
Ok, apparently it's tough to mix concrete but how tough? I'm not afraid to work hard, but time is scarce. Will I need to spend 5-6 hours hand-mixing 300 liters? If that's the case, it might be better to use a mixer... If we're talking about an hour or so, then it would be quicker than borrowing a trailer and renting a mixer. (The rental seems to be about 150 SEK/day, so it's not like you'll go bankrupt.)
Ok, apparently it's tough to mix concrete but how tough? I'm not afraid to work hard, but time is scarce. Will I need to spend 5-6 hours hand-mixing 300 liters? If that's the case, it might be better to use a mixer... If we're talking about an hour or so, then it would be quicker than borrowing a trailer and renting a mixer. (The rental seems to be about 150 SEK/day, so it's not like you'll go bankrupt.)
I would guess somewhere in between. If you're making concrete one bag at a time, I would guess it takes about 20-30 minutes to get the concrete reasonably good.
I hand-mixed the concrete for the first L-element I made, the next day I bought a mixer.
It paid off since I was casting for 31 more days in a row
I hand-mixed the concrete for the first L-element I made, the next day I bought a mixer.
It paid off since I was casting for 31 more days in a row
300 liters is about 18-19 25-kilogram concrete bags
You mix it with a hand mixer in a bucket easily
(did it last weekend)
if I had a cement mixer I would have chosen that, but that little crappy besttool mixing machine is still working
You mix it with a hand mixer in a bucket easily
(did it last weekend)
if I had a cement mixer I would have chosen that, but that little crappy besttool mixing machine is still working
To be precise, it's actually 23tiggre said: