DIYbanter - View Single Post

pe wrote:
On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 15:35:49 -0400, Tennessee Tony
wrote:

Lets say my brother in law, yep definitely my brother in law, not me, I
wasn't even there.....

While he was making a footer or base for a porch support, he grabbed a
bag of "Dixie Type N Masonry Cement" instead of the "quickcrete".
Poured some cement and water into the hole a little at a time and mixed
well, (also adding stone and small rocks, but no sand or lime). This
seems to be curing quite slow. It has been kept wet, actually it was
covered with a pool of water, but it's not "green" at all like I'm used
to seeing with concrete. 20 hours later it is set up but just rubbing
my finger on it will easily cause it to wear away. Small dry splatters
can be ground up to dust in my fingers.

The porch itself has supports but in between it is developing some
sagging, hence the extra support. So in the worst case, it's not like
it's going to fall. So, is this going to be worth using or do I dig it
out and redo it? The 4x4 is not in the cement, I planned on using the
metal "feet" so it stays dryer.

I happen to have a few more bags of the same type of cement left here

from the old owner. When using it for something like this, how much of

what should I add to make concrete? (it was being used to make mortar
for a block wall and/or stucco)

Thanks, my "brother in law" appreciates your guidance.

Too much water.
It will eventually cure but it might not be super strong.
Mortar mix has added lime (also slows the cure) so it will be weaker than
regular Portland.
Any concrete ready mix can go bad and lose strength over time, especially if it
can get damp.

I think that is the problem. It's been in a crawlspace for some time.

Don't be a cheap ******* and buy yourself a $8 bag of Portland and add a part or
two of that to four or five parts of your bags of old product.

The less water you use the stronger the concrete. If it runs off the shovel you
used way too much water.

It didn't run off the shovel, it was thick. (The pool of water came
hours after it should have been cured.)

Thanks,
Tony