Step 3 Mix the concrete for about minutes, until a uniform, workable consistency is achieved. If additional water is needed, add small amounts of water sparingly.
Properly mixed concrete should look like thick oatmeal and should hold its shape when it is squeezed in a gloved hand.
Step 4 Keep the mixer running and dump the concrete into a wheelbarrow for transporting to your work area. The mix or ingredient portions depend on the job and the strength the concrete needs to have. So, you need to plan around the weather if you need a few days for your concrete to dry. You have the option of buying pre-mixed bags of concrete or mixing your own. Premixed concrete is the most convenient and arguably, the most cost-effective way to purchase concrete, especially for DIY jobs.
Pre-mixed bags can be purchased from your local hardware store and their staff should be able to advise which concrete mix is best for your job. Generally, premixed concrete comes in three to four main types which covers most concrete jobs, even through to professional level. Bags will show the MPa and will also outline the jobs the concrete mix is suitable for. If in doubt, chat to your friendly hardware store staff. This is a US site and while it gives the kg equivalent, it refers to the strength of concrete as Psi so here is a handy tool to convert Psi to the MPa metric measure used here in NZ.
You can then use this alongside your own measurements of your job to work out how many premixed bags you need. For example, a 20kg bag of concrete mix will make approximately 0. Water is the essential ingredient for binding your dry concrete ingredients together. Always read the instructions that come with your concrete mix as to how much water you need.
While some people tend to judge how much water is required by the appearance of the concrete, it can be deceiving. The amount of water added will also impact the drying time of your concrete, so always plan for that, too. Now you understand the core components of what you need for your concreting job — concrete mix, water and a concrete mixer - there are some other things that might be useful to make your job go as smoothly as possible.
If not, you might want to consider buying or hiring a hose. The power cord on the electric mixers is pretty short 10cm so you will need to make sure you have an appropriate extension cord.
Hirepool has a wide variety of lengths of extension cords available for hire. If using a petrol-powered concrete mixer having enough petrol is key to making sure you can operate as long as you need to get the job done and maximise your hire time. You can borrow as many of our 5 litre petrol containers as you think you will need and can either take them pre filled from Hirepool or fill at your local petrol station.
There are a couple more things that will make your concrete mixing job that much easier. A concrete wheelbarrow, on the other hand, is designed to do just that!
For heavier loads of concrete or uphill work, you may need a motorised wheelbarrow. A motorised wheelbarrow will reduce the manual labour required and help you complete your project much faster.
Shovel — for breaking open your concrete bags and shoveling the contents into the concrete mixer. Concrete mix is incredibly heavy and so shoveling the mix in as opposed to lifting the bags to empty them in will save your back! The number one safety rule for concrete mixers? Your dry concrete ingredients can also be ingested as dust and are quite corrosive to skin.
So, before you start, make sure you put on safety glasses, a dust mask and a pair of gloves. Ear muffs are also advised, especially with the noisier petrol powered concrete mixers. The drier concrete is, the stronger it is. Ideally it must only be wet enough so that it's workable. The quantity of water needed should be 0.
For a 25kg 4 stone approx bag, if we take a figure of 0. Now since 1 kg of water has a volume of 1 litre, this equates to Loose cement has a density of about 1. That's 1. So if we have 1 bucket of cement, it takes 1. Concrete shouldn't be excessively wet after mixing and should have minimum slump. A shovelful deposited on the ground should self-support itself without spreading out slumping. Concrete that is too dry is unworkable and also won't have sufficient water for the chemical reaction with cement to progress properly and the concrete to cure, therefore reducing its ultimate strength.
Too much water is also detrimental to the final strength because as excess water that doesn't combine with cement evaporates, it leaves behind micropores which are tiny air cavities.
The concrete is effectively a sponge. A barrel is more convenient than a hose because buckets can be filled quicker. Stone and sand can be wet, so using a separate bucket for cement keeps it dry and stops cement sticking to the sides.
A cement mixer allows you to mix concrete quickly and you can produce a wheelbarrow of concrete in about 10 minutes. Here are some tips to get the best results. Water added to concrete isn't just for making it plastic and workable so it can be formed into slabs and other shapes. Water or H 2 O combines with cement in a chemical reaction and actually becomes part of the concrete for all eternity well not quite, but as long as the concrete is in existence!
Any excess water evaporates over a period of weeks. Since water is necessary for this chemical reaction, it's essential that it is retained until concrete cures or hardens over days to weeks. So once you lay concrete, cover it with plastic to stop it drying.
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