What is the ideal dosage for making concrete or mortar?

Depending on the work to be carried out, either concrete or mortar is used. It is very important to respect the dosages in order to prepare a concrete or a mortar worthy of the name and not see all your efforts fall through. Here are some indications to take into account before launching it, knowing that if you don’t feel up to it, it is better to entrust the task to a building professional…

Ideal dosage for making concrete

Concrete is prepared with sand, cement, gravel or grit and water. It is a structural element whose mechanical properties are extremes. Fire resistant, it also withstands loads. It is therefore very robust.

It is quite possible to prepare it yourself provided you own or rent a cement mixer. This represents a significant cost, either for purchase or for rental, and the task is not so simple. Plus it’s painful. If you are alone, you risk being a little overwhelmed by time, and having to deal with concrete that has already started to pull. Moreover, only basic concrete can be produced in this way. It should be noted that if one wishes to prepare a decorative concrete, fibre-reinforced or any other specific concrete, it is not possible to use a cement mixer because the mixing will not be sufficiently effective.

If one wishes reduce the hardship of the work you want to achieve, you can opt for ready-mixed concrete that can be delivered to the site.

There is not just one dosage but several, depending on whether the concrete is intended to seal stakes, to make posts or even foundations. The dosage therefore differs depending on the use of the concrete. However, it is necessary to know perfectly the ideal dosage to prepare a cubic meter of standard concrete, foundation concrete, reinforced concrete or clean concrete.

Ideal dosage for making mortar

The mortar has a lower mechanical strength than concrete. It’s a connecting element made up of sand, water and a binder which can be:

• Either cement: it is a cement mortar, very resistant,
• Either lime: it is a lime mortar, whose resistance is lower and the setting time is longer,
• Or cement and lime: it’s a bastard mortar.

The mortar can be used as a coating, or to seal tiles, assemble concrete blocks, stones, bricks or even to make a screed, a leveling… Here are some possible dosages depending on the type of use of the mortar.

A trick allows you to know if the amount of water in the mortar is perfect. Just make a small ball of fresh mortar and throw it. It must not fall apart when it is in the air. It can then be used.