Cement mixing

bigfoot125

My garden fence has come a cropper in this weather so i need to bolt it to 2 wooden posts,for extra reinforcement i will put them surrounded by concrete.
never mixed befiore,whar ratio of sand to cement is it ,not making a huge amount by the way,any tips are appreciated

txs

weekendwarrior

There is a guide here- Mixing cement


But to be honest you are better off getting a product from one of the sheds called post fix, this is ready mixed, pour it into the holes and then wet it with a watering can and leave it to set. It works a treat!

Volcano

You really need concrete (sand, gravel and cement) rather than mortar (sand and cement). If you have some cement left over from another job then you can get a bag or 2 of sand and gravel (also called ballast) from a DIY shop, mix it 5 sand/gravel to 1 cement, or 3:1 for a stronger mix.

For small jobs I buy ready mixed concrete in 25kg bags from B&Q, no mixing and no waste.

ictmad

why not get a bag of postcrete? just pour the mix in the hole,add water and bingo ,great stuff stuck my washing line poles in with it,great stuff,we sell it in 20kg bags isnt to expensive and saves mixing concrete/cement

bigfoot125

can i get this kinda ready made stuff in b and q or focus diy
cheers and thanks

roger56

bigfoot125 wrote:

can i get this kinda ready made stuff in b and q or focus diy
cheers and thanks

Here you go...
http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/221100

zkeithz

I would be inclined to use metal spiked shoes for the bases of the posts and set them into the concrete. This will help extend the life of the bases and make future replacement a lot easier.

K

plumb1_2

2-1-1

2 stone, 1 sand, 1 cement, either spades full or bags

andrewmoorcroft

My neighbour does fences for the council. they use 3/4:2:1 - gravel:sharp sand (concrete sand):cement. They use tanalised timber to last longer or better still concrete a godfather in and bolt the post to the godfather. posts always rot at ground level so using a metal spike does not help. you only want to do the job once so if ur old use tanalised, if ur young use a godfather! its also a good idea to lift any main fence timbers/panels off the ground and use a replaceable board at the bottom.

ictmad

depends how much u want to spend as i said postcrete does the job and a bags less than £4,if you want better u would have to buy cement(usually £4+ a bag)either trade packs of sharp sand,or trade packs of ballast which are about same price as cement,so if u can get away with it cheaper using postcrete and it will last for years

wobbley

As said previously bagged "postmix" is far easier but do check the 'packed' or 'manufactured' date on the bag. It's best to go for bags that are weeks or days old rather than months. The additives in it to make it 'go off' faster mean it has a much shorter shelf life than normal bagged cement. I recently had to dig out 8x 25kg bags of the stuff and take it back for a refund because it didn't set properly.
Also if the fence is vunerable to the weather, take the time to set the posts as deep as you can. And make sure that the concrete isn't 'dished' where it meets the post. This will collect water and rot the post quickly even if it's treated.