Correct Concrete Mix For Driveway

Increasing the thickness from 4 inches to 5 inches will add approximately 20 to your concrete cost but will also boost your driveway s load carrying capacity nearly 50.

Correct concrete mix for driveway.

Alter the materials as the strength properties of the concrete are inversely proportional to the water cement ratio. When you need to support a fence or mailbox post or create a small concrete slab fast setting concrete makes a great choice. Because concrete is permeable it will draw moisture from the ground that it rests on. Mix water with the cement sand and stone which will form a paste that will bind the substances together until the mix.

This sets in just 20 to 40 minutes. As long as you re consistent you ll get a good strong mix. For information on testing fresh concrete see air contentand density unit weight. For a driveway you will want a much stronger mix of 4 000 psi with a 0 5 water to cement ratio which provides a denser concrete and hence increases the wear ability.

These are the actual concrete mix ratios for 3000 3500 4000 and 4500 psi concrete that i use to pour concrete floors patios pool decks and more. When durability is key high strength concrete makes a great choice. For driveway paving the slump or stiffness of the mix should be about 4 inches. Placing concrete at the proper thickness.

Place concrete at a minimum thickness of 4 inches. An overly wet mix can lead to finishing problems and a weak surface. Slumps greater than 5 inches should be avoided warns pca. You can use it for fence post footings deck footings and even small concrete pads.

In order to create high quality concrete it is critical that you have the right proportions of these materials. Thickness is the major factor even more than the strength of the concrete in determining a driveway s structural capacity. The mix ratio of 1 2 3 consists of 1 part cement 2 parts sand and 3 parts stone plus some water to make a concrete mix you can use for most any building project. Cement is the powdered dry material that is mixed in with gravel water and sand to become a binder for concrete.

For most small jobs around the home bagged concrete mix is the most convenient and least expensive way to go. The way you measure the ratio could be in shovels buckets or wheel barrows. This is ideal for foundations footers and heavy equipment. In areas with cold winters concrete mix should have a 6 percent.

I ll show you the actual concrete batch plant ticket with the cement sand and aggregate break downs for the yards we used. Concrete is a mixture of cement gravel and sand. To withstand the weight of vehicle traffic choose a concrete with a strength of 4 000 pounds per square inch for your driveway. For jobs requiring more than about 30 bags consider ordering ready mix concrete from a truck instead.