Mix Good Concrete Properly

When you are mixing concrete you need to make the right mixture for the job of making concrete blocks. You want to make really good concrete which will form a solid, cohesive concrete block which will not crumble. To accomplish this you need to use the correct mixture of Portland cement,sand,gravel and water.

An excellent method for doing this is to make a wooden box 27 by 24 inches and 10 inches in depth. Then to get the right mixture use one bag of Portland cement and mix with it one boxful of sand and two boxes of gravel.

You can use a cement mixer or mix this batch by hand. To do it manually spread a tarp or a plastic sheet on the floor or do it on a sheet of plywood. Pour all the dry ingredients into a heap and then with a shovel keep turning them over till they are well mixed. Be sure that they are mixed well or you will not make a good homogenous concrete mix.

Make a hole in the centre of the heap and shovel the mix up round the hole. Then take precisely 14 gallons of clean water and pour a little at a time into the center hole and scrape the surrounding mix into it gradually. Gradually pour water into the hole till the whole batch is well mixed. Your concrete will now be ready for use.

Using a cement mixer of course makes the job considerably easier. You can put the same amounts of dry ingredients into the cement mixer the and turn it on till the ingredients are completely mixed. Then gradually add the water to the mix and run the machine till you have a smooth mixture.

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Your Concrete Products Business

When you make concrete blocks as a business you are producing a basic commodity. they are something that is always in demand and will be as long as building goes on.This is the basic product of your business and the one which will make the most money for you since the demand is huge and always growing.

There are however many other concrete products which you can add to your manufacturing line and they can be very profitable. Such things as concrete bird baths and fountains are extremely popular in todays gardens. You can buy commercial molds to make bird baths and fountains or you can make your own molds. Some can in fact be made without using any mold.

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Sizes And Shapes Of Concrete Blocks

Concrete blocks are made in sizes which are always in fractional form.The reason is that the standard mortar joint is 3/8 inch in size and when added to the block dimensions this will come out an even number. For instance a standard stretcher block is 15 5/ 8 inches long. with a 3/8 inch mortar joint this gives an even 16 inches.This makes it easier to calculate the quantity of blocks needed for a job and makes walls an even number in height and length.

Concrete blocks are made in both heavy and lightweight types and in full length and half length sizes.The half lengths are necessary so that the joints in a wall can be offset by a half block length to ensure stronger construction.

The most commonly used block is the stretcher block which is nominally 8 inches by 8 inches by 16 inches in size. It has three hollow cores to make it lighter and to save on materials. The heavyweight block weighs 43 to 50 lbs as a rule. The lightweight block which is used only for non load bearing construction is about 10 lbs lighter.
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Materials For Making Concrete Blocks

Concrete blocks are made from a mixture of Portland cement,gravel,sand and water.The product is a light grey colored block with a finely textured surface and high compressive strength. Weight of the block depends on its size of course but the commonest variety weighs in at around 38 to 43 lbs.

The concrete mix used to make concrete blocks has less water and sand than concrete used for general construction purposes. This makes for a dry quite stiff mixture which retains its shape when emptied from the mold.

Cinder blocks are made by using coal cinders or volcanic cinders instead of gravel and sand in the concrete mix. The product is a dark grey colored block with a coarse to medium surface texture. compressive strength is less than that of standard blocks. Insulation qualities of the block are higher and sound deadening properties are improved with this type of block. A common cinder block weighs aboput 26 to 33 lbs.

Lightweight concrete blocks are maded by using expanded clay,slate or shale instead of sand and gravel. Expanded clay,shale and slate are made by crushing the raw material to small size then heating to 2000 degrees Fahreheit(1093 degrees centigrade).The heat causes organic material in the basic materials to vaporise and puff up the clay. a lightweight block of this type is used only in non load bearing walls and partitions and commonly weighs 22 to 28 lbs.

The concrete mix may also have chemicals added to hasten drying time,improve compressive strength or workability of the materials. colored pigments are sometimes added to produce colored blocks.The surface of the block is sometimes glazed for decoration or to prevent chemical dissolution.

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