Having just poured the slab for a tool shed which will be built out of
100mm dense concrete blocks I find myself with a pile of ballast left over. It occurs to me the most effect way of disposing of the agregate is to turn it into blocks. Has anyone made blocks before?Wet mix or dry mix? Wooden form or metal form? I know it'll be tedious but probably better than trying to lose the ballast around the garden !
AWEM
At the current cost of oil to act as a releasing agent,it would be cheaper to dump the ballast.
Ah, but what about the cost of the fuel needed to transport said ballast to the dump?!
David
I've seen a production line doing this but making paving slabs. Wood formers made from iirc rough 2x4, cavities lined with polythene gives easy release and a nice smooth finish. The mix was wet to make work easier. 1:3:8 is a quality mix.
of the mould right on, a slight skew makes life a pain later. I expect this would not be a significant prob with blocks.
You can make the blocks decorative by arranging bits of stone in the mould before pouring gently, or spirinkling it with a little glass to give sparkle, putting a very thin layer of white cement in first, or mixing scrap paint with mortar and piping it decoratively before the main pour. This is good if youve got kids - or can be.
Hollow blocks are cheaper. Many sorts of rubbish can be lost in crete blocks, eg rubble, ash (how much depends on which type), polystyrene, silt, broken bricks, shredded synthetic cloth, etc. Most rubbish will give you less strength, but plastic fibres increase it.
NT
How about concrete dwarf walls for the shed? ;-)
John, yes that was my first thought but I rejected it as not knowing exactly how much is there I'll end up buying more of the d*** stuff to finish the walls, and then have another pile to get rid of !!!
AWEM
Perfect excuse for a 4 storey shed. 'Well honey, I guess I'm not much good with working out volumes, and I couldnt waste it could I'
NT
Try and work out what volume you can make and if it is worth making a large former do so with a spare 2x4 to allow you to make an insert if there is a shortfall. Otherwise it's merely a matter of buying one or two bocks and putting 2x4's around them with screws or clamps if you have them.
Then you can make the blocks at your leisure. With a little more clever planning you can make them in situ. Pour them straight onto the course below. In which case you are able to lay a full course at a time and get the levels spot on.
It's going to want whitewashing or rendering afterwards though, as the colours of the various mixes and the different levels will look odd.
Thats the one downside of poured walls, they dont look very good. I wonder if attaching little bits of half round moulding to the former to break the appearance up into block shapes would work.
NT
Just render them afterwards.... then work out what to do with all the sand you have left over! ;-)
Yes breaking up the facet is what brick work is all about stylistically. Every brick is at a slightly different angle to the next one. That and the gaps between them give a pleasing appearance. It's difficult to reproduce.
Scouring with a wire brush and/or a jet of water when it is still quite soft less than a day after the pour might perhaps get a nicer finish than if left alone. Placing some battons on it after would also help. And growing something on it too.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.