concreteing

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ruddez

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anybody recommend a suitable mix for a concrete path i have been using a 4-2-1 mix 6mm chippings/sand/cement but i find it difficult to get a good finish with the edgeing trowel as it seems theres to much chippings in the mix would a 3-2-1 be more suitable for a path
 
you want a bit of limestone dust in with that or ballast youve too much chippings going in.
whats the path taking just foot traffic?
 
yes its a private path and just for pedestrian use and 15ms long x .9 wide,excuse my ignorance but does ballast and limestone dust come under a different name as ive never come across it at my local builders yard and what ratio do you then mix the materials,thanks
 
use ballast...
run a stanley across the middle of a bag of cement, pick it up and split it..
3/4 bucket of water in the mixer, then 1/2 bag of cement then fill the mixer (belle minimix size, bout 15-17 shovels)...
add some more water if it needs it, depends how wet the ballast is...

otherwise its 3;2;1...

you can either chuck it in dryish and finish as you go but youll need some fat up or wang it in wet and tamp off some shuttering, finish it as it firms up...
its the fat you want for a finish but as its a path i'd prolly brush finish at 90 degrees to the path and just run a trowel round the edge so you got some grip in the winter..
 
its basically 20mm gravel down to dust, ton bags or loose if you take a trailer, bout 30 quid a ton- ish
 
youve never heard of ballast?

and stick a bit of polytheme over it this time of year whilst its curing,frost will kill it.
 
is 20mm gravel to big as thought 6mm was the right size but i will take your advice and give it a go,thanks
 
its a path mate, not a road bridge pillar or a 60,000 sq ft truck depot...
normal ballast from the builders merchants will do you for 99% of the concreting jobs youll come across.... including house footings etc...
6mm gravel is something youll chuck at wet render on a wall to make it look retro style :RpS_blink:

20mm down means 20mm and anything smaller than 20mm - like 14mm, 10mm, 6mm, 4mm, 2mm, 1mm, 0.5mm.... in other words, ideal for what you need, its only ever used for concreting and possibly blinding off 3" clean.... (blinding - filling in the gaps and whacking down so as not to puncture a membrane)
 
just thinking on mate, the fact youre thinking 6mm gravel is the right stuff to use etc...

what is this path for, how thick are you planning putting the concrete down, and what prep have you done prior to concreting?
you can get this really really wrong y'know, whether or not you use the right gear....
 
the concrete path is approx 75mm thick is used for light pedestrian use and will be laying it over an existing concrete path which is sound and solid,so do you think that is ok,thanks
 
mmm should be ok...
why do you need to lay another 75mm of concrete over it if the old one is sound and solid?
 
the existing path is years old there is no finish to it and also they must have put a red coluor in the mix which now after years of weathering it looks a bit untidy was going to put paving slabs over but the owner opted for concrete
 
now, y'see... theres more modern products avaliable that'll go on 20mm thick and make it look like anything you want from yorkstone to block paviours... bit like pattern imprinted concrete but a tenth the thickness...
 
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