Concrete from bag vs. ready-mix?

B wrote:

If you intend to make or pour a batch of concrete beyond a certain
amount, then making/mixing your own concrete is out of the question
anyways.

Because you are even considering bagged pre-mix, I assume you don't
have your own mixer (because if you did, you'd be considering making
your own concrete out of sand, stone, and bagged CEMEMT, which is a
lot cheaper than pre-mix).

4 square yards (I assume 4" thick) is 12 square feet.  About 1/3 of a
cubic yard.  That's a small job for a ready-mix delivery.

Even with a (small) electric mixer (making 1.25 cubic feet per batch)
it will take 15 minutes per batch to mix and pour.  If you're very
fast and work full-tilt, you're looking at 2.5 hours of continuous
mixing and pouring.  And you'll have to work fast - you don't want
part of the slab to set while you're still mixing the last few
batches.

If this is going to be 1 solid slab, then you're going to have a hard
time finishing it unless you've got some help (that know how to finish
concrete).

If you're going to do it yourself, and you're going to use bags of
pre-mix, you'll probably need 31 bags (each being 50 lbs).  I'd rent a
5 or 7 cubic-foot mixer in this case.

In alt.home.repair on Sun, 17 Oct 2004 20:07:10 -0400 Concrete guy


You make me feel a lot better.  When they were doing sidewalks for the
homeowners association, from a cement mixer, I bought a couple wheel
barrows worth to make the floor.  Then things interfered and I never
built the shed itself (customized to fit the space and match the
house).  I was kicking myself that I didn't wait until I was ready to
go, and use Sackrete.  But you make it sound like a lot of work.  And
the guy threw in some heavy wire mesh.

Of course mine is just for a shed, only 2 to three square yards, and
only two inches thick.  I still should have used Sackrete maybe, but
at least now I know why I thought it was a better idea to buy some
when it was right there in front of my house.  All I had to do was put
in the wood boundaries, bend the legs for the wire mesh, and shovel it
out from his wheel-barrow.

(Now my deck is falling apart, and if I replace it with a bigger one,
the floor might not be the right size anyhow.  :)  Or it might be,
still.  )
P&M

Meirman
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Actually, 4 square yards is 36 square feet...

In alt.home.repair on Sun, 17 Oct 2004 20:07:10 -0400 Concrete guy


I think you meant 12 cubic feet.  

Almost a half of 27 cubic feet, a cubic yard.

Meirman
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B wrote:


Ready mix truck stuff is customized for the job.
Out of bag is for general purpose.
Tony

Bagged concrete, (at least the brand Home Crapo sells), is pretty low
quality.  It's generally long on aggregate and short on Portland
cement.

If you ever use bagged concrete get some Portland cement to spike it
with.  Adding one of two coffee cans of cement to the concrete mix
helps increase it's strength.

I'd also be leary of buying the "haul your own" batches available at
rental yards.  They generally don't take very good care of the
ingredients and the bozos that work there don't have any concept on
how to mix it.  (ex: dirt in the aggregate, varying moisture levels in
the sand, etc).

For small batches, I'd recommend buying it from a supplier that mixes
it right on the truck vs. ready mix.

I don't know if you have it in your area, but I'd suggest the "U-Cart"
idea. Small batches of ready mix in a trailer. Research the yellow
pages under "concrete suppliers". One of my local rental yards now
offers this.

DJ

Some places have a truck that comes on site with dry mix and uses your
water. They will do small jobs too. Maybe  1 yard minimum.

Jimmie wrote:


The Mitsubishi dry mix truck that came to pour a 3' x 20' sidewalk in
front of my sister's house a few years ago carried its own water for
mixing and cleaning. Carrying its own water is necessary for the mixer
to dial in the proper amounts of water/mix according to the size of the job.

  GEEZ  what a rip off !  Here in BC Canada, you get a cubic meter (about
1.3 cuyd) for $130.00 CDN delivered
..about $ 105  US !  ..but delivery to New Jersey is EXTRA.

12 square yards is 96 square feet (9 sq/ft in a sq/yd) 81 square feet is a
cubic yard. I say get a truck.
Anything over a yard is tough to mix and place without a lot of manpower, even
with a mixer.
You won't save any money. It's about 64  60# bags of concrete (.5cu/ft per bag)
Look around and see where else you want some concrete. At this point you are
paying as much for the truck as much as the product so you might as well buy
some..

?????

Get a new calculator:

Even if  there were 12 sq yd @ 9 sf/syd, that would be 108 SF, not 96.

But, he said FOUR square yards (not 12)  Thats 36 sf @ ~4" = 12 CUBIC FEET
or (12/27)  .44 Cu.Yd.

Thats 24 (.5 cf) bags. Otherwise, depends what 'truck' delivery costs in his
neighborhood.

1/2 cu. yd, of "Ucart" sounds like a good idea.  I'm picking up a yard of
Ucart myself tomorrow for my back garage step.

There are no square feet in a cubic yard.

A yard is 3'.  A square yard is 3 * 3 = 9 square feet

A cubic yard is 3 * 3 * 3 = 27 cubic feet.

81 square feet @ 4" deep is a yard.

gfretwell@aol.com (Greg) wrote in message

Don't confuse 'square' with 'cubic'  Your example is actually giving
'cubic' ft (after converting inches to ft)

Harry K

<< In terms of color, texture, and cost, please compare and contrast the
concrete that comes in a bag with the ready-mixed concrete from a truck. >>

Can't be done without knowing the cost and specs on the original pour. You're
looking at  mixing and pouring about 15 bags  of Sakcrete or similar. Buy the
highest strength product you can find, do a little archival search in this NG
and prepare for a real workout if you DIY. Good luck.

Joe

B wrote:

    Get the truck.  It may even be cheaper.  BTW don't expect it to match
what you have either from the truck or the bag.  The sand and other
materials used will make for some difference.  The finish you put on it will
make a bigger difference and the age of the concrete will also make a
difference.  Just accept it will not match now and you will be a lot
happier.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1  It's Irish Math

Stain the concrete after it ages for about 6 months. This will go a long way
to making the colors match.

This is Turtle.

Small job , the bag stuff is cheaper but you mixing it and you deciding on the
moisture level to pour at , The Curing rate of the bag stuff, and just plain
having the right mix for the weather and climate of your area. The Cement
Company have it down to a Tee on mix types, moisture at the time of pour for
weather and climate of your area, and everything is just plain RIGHT for the
pour. You can't beat the Cement company for quality. I have had to get cement
poured 3 or 4 times in the last few years and I would have to bite my tongue and
pry out my bilfold with a craw bar and get it mixed right the first time by the
Cement companys to come pour it. Now I form it and set everything up myself but
get them to get the mix right the first time. I have seen a bunch of crumbly
slabs in the past but not one was bought from a Cement company that was used. I
have a Friend of mine that live by me that poured a 24' X 24' slab out back of
his house and used Bag cement and he regreets it everysince. The bag stuff
requires rebar or screening to stop it from cracking and if you use the Concrete
companys they can bring you fibre concrete or Fibrecrete where you don't need no
screening or rebar at all. It lets the concrete dry even and moisture stays
where it should be without you working with it. The Bag Concrete was so ruff and
crumble that he had to build a Cypress board decking to cover it up and the
decking material cost alone was more than the concrete from a company would
cost.

Also if your going to pour a slab you expect to last a 100+ years , I would get
the concrete companys to pour the good stuff and leave the bag stuff for some
fellow to regreet it for years to come.

TURTLE