Concrete - Using Quickcrete, how much to mix?

: snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: : :> Rough sides: :>

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:> Is there something I can do to fill in the sides? I figure it will :> hold up, it just looks lousy. :> :> Forms: :>

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:> Net effect: :>

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:You needed more water. Oh well, live and learn. It will work just fine. : :Let the concrete cure for a few weeks (or months if you want) until it :gets its final color, then apply some sanded mortar. The store will :have a color chart you can use to get the best match. I have a Mapei :(brand name) chart that must have 60 different colors, so there's bound :to be one that will suit you. : :Heck, go wild and cover the whole border with the nice turquoise color. :;-)

I have some Quikcrete mortar, 60 lb that I've been storing in plastic, sort of like drywall mix containers to remortar my external brick walls. I'll maybe use that or if I don't like the color go for a color match. Thanks!

Dan

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Anonymous
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: snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: :... :> Next time I'll look for slower stuff. I was in no hurry. It seems set OK :> now. The sides are very rough, though. Since they were against the forms :> I had no chance to smooth them with the trowel. I did try to force the :> mix down very will with a narrow tamping tool, but even so, the sides :> are just stones exposed. Only the top is smooth. :> :> Here are some pictures: :> :> Rough sides: :... : :Too dry--it's got to have enough liquidity that it will flow and this :obviously didn't. : :> Is there something I can do to fill in the sides? I figure it will hold :> up, it just looks lousy. :... :Now you can use another Quikrete product! :) : :Either the vinyl patching concrete or the surface repair will work. I'd :do either right away, however, while the other is still green and damp :for better bonding. : :I've had good success on the old barn foundation w/ some chips, etc., :that weren't very deep w/ it holding using the vinyl patch. : :The stucco overcoat isn't bad idea other then doing whole thing rather :than patching the new section only...of course, that has the advantage :of it then does all have same finish.

Well, this was a good lesson in how to and how not to. I'll go down to that hardware emporium (OSH) and I'm sure they'll have those products.

The Quikcrete bags said to start with 2 qt water and add more a little at a time and in no circumstances use more than 3.5 qt. I started with a gallon jug, starting with 2 qt and used about 2.5-2.75 qt all in all, sort of in between their min-max values.

I suppose since it was mixed dry, proper curing is even more important. I've been spraying a few times a day with a mister.

Dan

Reply to
Anonymous

:On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:51:37 -0500, snipped-for-privacy@invalid.com wrote: : :>I have always felt that Quickcrete (all brands), never contain enough :>raw cement. It's weak. : :Not true at all. This is typically 3500 or 4000 psi

OK, so I guess my problem was that I didn't add enough water.

Dan

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Anonymous

I intended to comment on this before -- the earlier comment that "all" Quikrete products are fast-setting is simply not so--"Quikrete" is a registered trademark for the Quikrete companies' products. Everything is branded w/ the trademark. They do have quick-setting products, but they (iirc) come in red bags and are easily identified.

I judge based on mixing and how stiff I want the mixture for a given purpose--a little practice and you'll learn. It shouldn't be exceedingly runny, of course, but as you learned it does need to be able to flow sufficiently to fill voids.

No larger a pour than you have and since you've said the weather hasn't been hot, there's no concern over excessive drying out too quickly on this.

Get whatever you choose for the patching/surfacing and go ahead while it's green so it'll bond better than if you wait a month...

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Reply to
dpb

On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:13:18 -0500, dpb wrote:

: snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: :> On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:46:51 -0500, dpb wrote: :> :> : snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: :> :... :> :> Next time I'll look for slower stuff. ... : :I intended to comment on this before -- the earlier comment that "all" :Quikrete products are fast-setting is simply not so--"Quikrete" is a :registered trademark for the Quikrete companies' products. Everything :is branded w/ the trademark. They do have quick-setting products, but :they (iirc) come in red bags and are easily identified. : :> Well, this was a good lesson in how to and how not to. I'll go down to :> that hardware emporium (OSH) and I'm sure they'll have those products. :> :> The Quikcrete bags said to start with 2 qt water and add more a little :> at a time and in no circumstances use more than 3.5 qt. I started with a :> gallon jug, starting with 2 qt and used about 2.5-2.75 qt all in all, :> sort of in between their min-max values. :> :> I suppose since it was mixed dry, proper curing is even more important. :> I've been spraying a few times a day with a mister. : :I judge based on mixing and how stiff I want the mixture for a given :purpose--a little practice and you'll learn. It shouldn't be :exceedingly runny, of course, but as you learned it does need to be able :to flow sufficiently to fill voids. : :No larger a pour than you have and since you've said the weather hasn't :been hot, there's no concern over excessive drying out too quickly on this. : :Get whatever you choose for the patching/surfacing and go ahead while :it's green so it'll bond better than if you wait a month...

I'm doing it today. It's going to rain some tonight. I figure that's OK if I get this done ~10 hours earlier. I could easily tarp, otherwise. Should I tarp? Thanks.

Dan

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Anonymous

snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: ...

No need, no...it'll have nearly cured by then being such a thin application.

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Reply to
dpb

"Dan Musicant" wrote

Ok thanks! Not the same project we need but interesting thread to me! Kind of the 'learn something new each day'.

I am wondering if those quickcrete molds (see, about 2x2) work well. They let you use quickcrete to make a sort of faux brick or stone walkway. I need something all along the ground level sunroom addition we made, or the mud from rain drops splatters the screens and glass. I was thinking in our case, a double wide set (about 4ft out) would meet our needs. The other idea was a 3ft or so suround of ground level trex decking but we havent the money for that just now.

I liked the look best of the simple 'brick' mold where you add their colorant to make it terra cotta. I am lucky as they have a store near me.

Now, to see (possibly in a separate post so as to not mess up yours) if any have any experience with this sort of need, and what they found.

Reply to
cshenk

:"Dan Musicant" wrote : :> :Dan, I was hunting up thre quickcrete site and noted the forms for making :> a :> :brick-look. Seemed easy. Is that what you are doing? I may do it here. :> :The simple standard brick look seems right for this project. :>

:> I'll try to describe what I did. Just next to my house there's a small :> rectangular patch of ground with plants. It's about 3.5 feet by 12 feet. :> On one long side is the side of the house, red brick. On the other 3 :> sides is a concrete surround, raised about 4 inches above the concrete :> patio. For some reason, one of the shorts sides was missing, and a very :> short portion of the long side. I put in the missing concrete today. : :Ok thanks! Not the same project we need but interesting thread to me! Kind :of the 'learn something new each day'. : :I am wondering if those quickcrete molds (see, about 2x2) work well. They :let you use quickcrete to make a sort of faux brick or stone walkway. I :need something all along the ground level sunroom addition we made, or the :mud from rain drops splatters the screens and glass. I was thinking in our :case, a double wide set (about 4ft out) would meet our needs. The other :idea was a 3ft or so suround of ground level trex decking but we havent the :money for that just now. : :I liked the look best of the simple 'brick' mold where you add their :colorant to make it terra cotta. I am lucky as they have a store near me. : :Now, to see (possibly in a separate post so as to not mess up yours) if any :have any experience with this sort of need, and what they found. : My back yard has some faux brick concrete work.

A tip or two: I used my wheelbarrow, a nice big 6 cubic footer. Use a garden hoe to mix, mix, mix the Quikcrete (or any other concrete mixture, even one you make yourself from Portland cement, sand and aggregate) with the water. I have 3 hoes, and one was perfect. The corners are rounded, so it doesn't scratch up my wheelbarrow. I cleaned the thing out afterward. I don't want my wheelbarrow looking like the one the plumbers used when they did my sewer lines!

My little project here came out pretty well. The portion I did actually looks a lot better than the stuff it was completing, which wasn't too sharp.

Dan

Reply to
Anonymous

Good! That seems the cheapest easiest way to go for us. Thats a high concern as we've had $25,000 in repairs since since return (would be closer to $50,000 had we not been handy folks able to do much of it ourselves). Just bad luck of the draw with tenants but at least they kept us with enough from rent that we still own a house.

Grin, good point. I have a cat liter bucket I was going to try to use. One of those tidy-cat plastic things but it may be hard to mix properly in that. My only wheelbarrow is plastic and cracked at the bottom. My own fault there, when stacking the 2 cords of wood, I dropped some pieces from too far up and it caused that. Still works for all other needs.

Thinking... I have lots of construction grade (thick mill) plastic in big pieces I can use to line that wheelbarrow. If a little seeps though, it wont be a problem. Alternative is a bonus left from the renters, a large cat litter pan we found tucked in the rafters in the garage last week (grin). Seems that would work too.

Hehehe sometimes, thats the way of it. I've not done *much* work with cement but I have done small odd jobs over the years with little batches. Most 'recent' (if you can call 2000 'recent') before this was a nearby neighbor who's retired (limited fixed income), and crumbled back steps. Quite elderly with arthritis in the hips so this was both dangerous for him, and beyond his ability to fix. Other than replacing his steps with pre-made 'blocks' and just mortaring them in with a little cement we mixed up, all my other projects have had others do the 'cement detail' while I sorta watched if not doing some other task.

(OT but a sideline of mine from 1989-2001 was about 10 hours a month helping people with disabilities, make adaptions they needed but couldnt pay for. Mostly I built or adapted computers for the blind with screen reader software but i also did a fair amount of making ramps and things like that as part of a group. Many fine memories of working with and for people but (grin) not much personal cement work on my own part. Oh and yes, one of the members was a proper certified inspector and would run the permits for us if the particular job in his estimation required one. Like many things, you do what you can).

Reply to
cshenk

On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 19:23:06 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:

:"Dan Musicant" wrote :> "cshenk" wrote: : :> :Ok thanks! Not the same project we need but interesting thread to me! :> Kind :> :of the 'learn something new each day'. : :> My back yard has some faux brick concrete work. : :Good! That seems the cheapest easiest way to go for us. Thats a high :concern as we've had $25,000 in repairs since since return (would be closer :to $50,000 had we not been handy folks able to do much of it ourselves). :Just bad luck of the draw with tenants but at least they kept us with enough :from rent that we still own a house.

I used to rent this house along with other renters. After a while I was the senior guy and handled the interactions with the property managers. Our rent was cheap compared to the rest of the town because the house is old (just shy of 100 years), and not really kept up. Now that I've bought the house it's my hurculean task to get the house into shape to sell. It wouldn't be so tough if I had the money, but even if I did have the money to make this place ship shape, experienced GC's tell me I wouldn't get my money out, so I'm trying to be judicious in what I do. This house isn't the best for me to stay in, so I'm looking to sell. : :> A tip or two: I used my wheelbarrow, a nice big 6 cubic footer. Use a :> garden hoe to mix, mix, mix the Quikcrete (or any other concrete :> mixture, even one you make yourself from Portland cement, sand and :> aggregate) with the water. I have 3 hoes, and one was perfect. The :> corners are rounded, so it doesn't scratch up my wheelbarrow. I cleaned :> the thing out afterward. I don't want my wheelbarrow looking like the :> one the plumbers used when they did my sewer lines! : :Grin, good point. I have a cat liter bucket I was going to try to use. One :of those tidy-cat plastic things but it may be hard to mix properly in that. :My only wheelbarrow is plastic and cracked at the bottom. My own fault :there, when stacking the 2 cords of wood, I dropped some pieces from too far :up and it caused that. Still works for all other needs.

If you can swing it it might be a good investment to get a good steel wheelbarrow. I got mine on sale for $30 back around 2002. Might cost you almost twice that nowadays, but if on sale, probably cheaper. I use mine very frequently, and it was way worth the investment. Usually I haul yard waste, sometimes stone and brick, and just now, mixing and moving concrete. : :Thinking... I have lots of construction grade (thick mill) plastic in big :pieces I can use to line that wheelbarrow. If a little seeps though, it :wont be a problem. Alternative is a bonus left from the renters, a large :cat litter pan we found tucked in the rafters in the garage last week :(grin). Seems that would work too.

I have plastic sheeting too, but I wouldn't try to use it for concrete work. Just too messy, too much of a problem to mix, remix, adjust water/mix content to get the proper balance, remix, etc. : :> My little project here came out pretty well. The portion I did actually :> looks a lot better than the stuff it was completing, which wasn't too :> sharp. : :Hehehe sometimes, thats the way of it. I've not done *much* work with :cement but I have done small odd jobs over the years with little batches. :Most 'recent' (if you can call 2000 'recent') before this was a nearby :neighbor who's retired (limited fixed income), and crumbled back steps. :Quite elderly with arthritis in the hips so this was both dangerous for him, :and beyond his ability to fix. Other than replacing his steps with pre-made :'blocks' and just mortaring them in with a little cement we mixed up, all my :other projects have had others do the 'cement detail' while I sorta watched :if not doing some other task.

Concrete work isn't all that hard, but I started late in the afternoon (after 3 PM), had never done any concrete work before and wasn't at all sure I was going to get done before darkness (~7 PMish), and so I felt rushed. Besides, I had no realistic idea how much time I had to work with the mixture before it would start going off. Also, I was nervous about mixing two different batches, working in the first before mixing the second and worried that this strategy wasn't wise. All in all it made me work more feverishly than I normally would and I sure felt the strain by the end as I worked and worked to smooth the cement, which was all the tougher becuase I mixed much to dry. So, my back was really hurting by the time I was done. I just wanted to do the work last Wednesday, made up my mind to do so and did. It came out OK, all in all. Not perfect, but OK for this. : :(OT but a sideline of mine from 1989-2001 was about 10 hours a month helping :people with disabilities, make adaptions they needed but couldnt pay for. :Mostly I built or adapted computers for the blind with screen reader :software but i also did a fair amount of making ramps and things like that :as part of a group. Many fine memories of working with and for people but :(grin) not much personal cement work on my own part. Oh and yes, one of the :members was a proper certified inspector and would run the permits for us if :the particular job in his estimation required one. Like many things, you do :what you can).

There are programs like that around here. I could probably even get them to help me, but I haven't contacted them. I've been a DIY guy for years and years and tend to just dig in and do things myself. It's actually pretty amazing some of the projects I've managed to do on my own.

Dan

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Anonymous

Understood. Perhaps you might be able to rent it out? Then again you probably have too much of your cash tied up in it to really do that.

Naw, not enough things need it that the old plastic one can't handle. Cement mixing is about the only thing it's no good for now. Looks like the deep cat liter pan would turn the trick well enough. It's one of those overtall ones.

Hey, that works fine!

Habitat for Humanity. Yes, might be able to get some help there!

Mom's way to make money raising us 3 kids (divorced) was what is today called 'house flipping'. She didnt go too crazy moving us around, but we'd often move to another part of the same school district to another house etc.

As a result, I'm more handy than most in some projects. What I know nothing about, I just read up on here, but when I can help, I give detailed as I can reports. Some things are just too hard to describe (how to set in a window, how to rebuild a kitchen cabinet) but I do lots of stuff or have, before the back problems kicked in.

Projects I have done: wallpapering (including the insides of round cornered medicine cabinets which is a pesky thing but tells a seller *quality* right away is in all the details of the house), painting (especially detail work), wood staining, cabinet building or rebuilding, antiquing, chair railing, faux wainscot (chair rail with a box framed below to look like wood panels and whole bottom in a contrasting paint), refinished wood floors, built exterior decks, laid floor tile, built non-load bearing walls to frame out rooms in a (once we were done) 'finished basement', installed or replaced toilets (traps put in by by plummer as well as some of the water leads if new ones being added), built in floor to ceiling shelving, helped hang doors, upholstery, rescreened just about anything or added screening where there was none to many a porch, installed screen doors, and probably at least 50 other things that dont come to mind just now.

Generally if it was made of wood or paper or needed fine painting, it was my job (grin). It never even occured to me when I became an adult, that I could have applied for jobs using those skills. Then again, it was kinda hard back then for women to get work doing such. Times though have changed. I still get a snicker about how Mom would :schmooze: the guys at the hardware stores until they caught on that she wasnt dumb at all and start asking her for advice on stuff!

One truely classic memory. Fellow who'd been house hunting had come to see one we were selling but he didnt have enough money for it. He wanted to put in the same sort of faux chair rail and we met him quizzing the store fellow who was frustrated as he wasnt sure about the details. Then he saw me. Eyes lit up and he said, 'so simple, even a child can do it'. I laughed as he knew those boxes were mine (Mom was never bashful about showing off what parts were done by which kid). I took him to show the right wood and they let me have enough to frame out one box so I measured and cut one then brad nailed it to some broken drywall. Took about 20 mins to make a perfect one and had a small sorta 'crowd' watching this 13YO kid show how to do it. I even showed him how to cut the inner corners of a chair rail spot where the corners meet, then how to do one where the corner juts out (same skill as baseboards, just shows more to the eye so gotta be neater).

And here at my home? My husband put up the ceiling molding. I didn't have the heart to tell him he put it up, upside down (grin). I turned it into a feature with another bit of trim! So much more peaceful that way!

Reply to
cshenk

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