What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.
Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix? If lime is required, can I
use a plasticiser instead? If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?
TIA

Use a ratio of three parts sand to one part lime. The best lime to
use is lime putty, sold wet in plastic tubs, but dry bagged hydrated
lime from any builders merchant will do for most purposes. Buy it from
a merchant with a rapid turnover and if you are not using it straight
away empty it into a plastic dustbin of water. It will then keep for
ever but the dry powder carbonates with contact to the atmosphere and
gradually becomes less useful.

Don't use ordinary Portland cement - it is ugly, too hard, brittle,
strong, liable to crack, sticks to bricks too firmly so they can't be
recycled, and uses more energy to produce and gives off carbon dioxide
during manufacture. Bad for the planet, bad for the people. Use lime
instead and remember that most of the world's best buildings were built
before cement was invented.

In article ,
"BIGEYE" writes:
What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.

The ratio depends on the properties required for
the application, so there isn't just one mortar
mix. 1:3 or 1:4 would be fine for this application.
You don't want the thing to fall over of someone
leans against it, so for this application I would
go nearer the 1:3 and/or add a small amount of PVA
to the mortar mix to improve its tensile strength
(about one teaspoon per two shovel loads of sand
is what I use).

Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix?

No. It's important when working on a lime mortar house,
but is a bad idea for BBQ. It will create a weaker
bond, which isn't what you want for this application.

If lime is required, can I use a plasticiser instead?

Plasticiser will make the mortar nicer to handle, but
certainly isn't essential. Unless you've done a lot
of work with mortar, I doubt you'll notice the
difference though.

If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?

B&Q, Wickes, builders merchant, ...

What are you doing about foundations? If you don't feel
like digging a trench and pouring a proper foundation
for a brick wall, something I have seen done is to lay
lintels instead of the bottom row of bricks, which you
could dig a small trench for if you don't want to see
it. Concrete lintels are dirt cheap from a builders
merchant.

--
Andrew Gabriel

BIGEYE wrote:

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.

For that job, anything from 1:3 to 1:6 by volume.

Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix?

no

If lime is required, can I
use a plasticiser instead?

if you want

If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?

Tesco, Sainsburys, etc. The rock bottom price washing up liquid at 15p
a litre does the job.

If you use lime to plasticise instead, use the same volume of lime as
cement, as other proportions tend to fail prematurely. 1:1:6 is
popular.


NT

BIGEYE wrote:

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.
Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix? If lime is required, can I
use a plasticiser instead? If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?
TIA



Anything from 2:1 sand:cement to 5:1 or even 7:1 will hold bricks together.

Opinions are divided between the '2:1 will be imprevious, and therefore
won't suffer water penetration and frost cracking' (but the bricks may)
to 'i'll use something with lime that is so soft that it won't crack
even if water does get in'


I ended up with a sort of 6:2:1 mix of sand:white portland:hydrated lime
for a visually pleasant mortar. One time I ran out of cement almost and
it ended up 8:1:2 and it set all right ;-)

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

In article ,
"BIGEYE" writes:

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.


The ratio depends on the properties required for
the application, so there isn't just one mortar
mix. 1:3 or 1:4 would be fine for this application.
You don't want the thing to fall over of someone
leans against it, so for this application I would
go nearer the 1:3 and/or add a small amount of PVA
to the mortar mix to improve its tensile strength
(about one teaspoon per two shovel loads of sand
is what I use).


Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix?


No. It's important when working on a lime mortar house,
but is a bad idea for BBQ. It will create a weaker
bond, which isn't what you want for this application.


If lime is required, can I use a plasticiser instead?


Plasticiser will make the mortar nicer to handle, but
certainly isn't essential. Unless you've done a lot
of work with mortar, I doubt you'll notice the
difference though.


If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?


B&Q, Wickes, builders merchant, ...

What are you doing about foundations? If you don't feel
like digging a trench and pouring a proper foundation
for a brick wall, something I have seen done is to lay
lintels instead of the bottom row of bricks, which you
could dig a small trench for if you don't want to see
it. Concrete lintels are dirt cheap from a builders
merchant.

Good tip

I have used concrete blocks on their sides in a 6" deep trench bedded
onto a fairly strong mix.

Never thought of lintels..

In article . com,
" says...
BIGEYE wrote:

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in the
near future.

For that job, anything from 1:3 to 1:6 by volume.

Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix?

no

If lime is required, can I
use a plasticiser instead?

if you want

If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?

Tesco, Sainsburys, etc. The rock bottom price washing up liquid at 15p
a litre does the job.

Salt in washing up liquid can weaken the cement as it interferes with
the curing process.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anything from 2:1 sand:cement to 5:1 or even 7:1 will hold bricks together.

Opinions are divided between the '2:1 will be imprevious, and therefore
won't suffer water penetration and frost cracking' (but the bricks may)
to 'i'll use something with lime that is so soft that it won't crack
even if water does get in'

Mixes stronger than 3:1 shrink during cure and microcrack extensively.
This makes them porous and prone to frost damage. The numerous
microcracks undo the advantage of the stiffer mix.

3:1 is extra strong for apps where the mix can shrink without
cracking, but bonded to bricks isnt one of those. 3:1 performs beter
than 2:1 with brickwork.


I ended up with a sort of 6:2:1 mix of sand:white portland:hydrated lime
for a visually pleasant mortar.

The old 9:2:1 mix fails routinely, as do many other cement/lime mixes.
AFAIK 1:1:6 is the only cement:lime proportion that has been found to
be ok. Cement and lime are uneasy bedfellows.

For the sake of completeness I suppose one could mention clay mortar,
or even the old lime mud and straw recipes.


NT

wrote in message
ups.com...
The old 9:2:1 mix fails routinely, as do many other cement/lime mixes.

Agreed - you usually need equal lime and cement


AFAIK 1:1:6 is the only cement:lime proportion that has been found to
be ok. Cement and lime are uneasy bedfellows.

As is ignored so often, this really depends on the sand. 1:1:6 is quite
strong and if the sand particle is large you could still get cracking.

Err, reality check here. The chap wants to build a BBQ. Strength is
not important. Portland cement with careful attention to ratios is
what you use when building multi-storey carparks, motorway bridges and
runways for Jumbo jets. Not for BBQs. Lime is kinder to the planet
than cement. Come to think of it, we'd be better off without
multi-storey carparks, motorway bridges and runways for Jumbo jets so
lets just drop this whole cement addiction thing.
In fact, for a BBQ, I wouldn't even bother about the lime. Bond the
bricks with a sand / clay mix roughly 3 to 1. For the clay you could
dig it up from your garden. Remove the topsoil and use whatever is a
foot down. (You'll be half way to a water feature at the same time)
Most non-timber houses in the world are earth bonded with no cement.
Earthquakes can be a nuisance but shouldn't trouble an English BBQ
overmuch. Relax and enjoy the summer without stressing on mortar.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Andrew Gabriel wrote:

In article ,
"BIGEYE" writes:

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in
the near future.


The ratio depends on the properties required for
the application, so there isn't just one mortar
mix. 1:3 or 1:4 would be fine for this application.
You don't want the thing to fall over of someone
leans against it, so for this application I would
go nearer the 1:3 and/or add a small amount of PVA
to the mortar mix to improve its tensile strength
(about one teaspoon per two shovel loads of sand
is what I use).


Is it necessary to add lime to the mortar mix?


No. It's important when working on a lime mortar house,
but is a bad idea for BBQ. It will create a weaker
bond, which isn't what you want for this application.


If lime is required, can I use a plasticiser instead?


Plasticiser will make the mortar nicer to handle, but
certainly isn't essential. Unless you've done a lot
of work with mortar, I doubt you'll notice the
difference though.


If I can use, where can I buy plasticiser?


B&Q, Wickes, builders merchant, ...

What are you doing about foundations? If you don't feel
like digging a trench and pouring a proper foundation
for a brick wall, something I have seen done is to lay
lintels instead of the bottom row of bricks, which you
could dig a small trench for if you don't want to see
it. Concrete lintels are dirt cheap from a builders
merchant.

Good tip

I have used concrete blocks on their sides in a 6" deep trench bedded onto
a fairly strong mix.

Never thought of lintels..


Foundation is already poured. Made a concrete mix, cement/sand/gravel 1:2:3
ratio, six inches thick, with some hardcore at the bottom.

In article .com,
writes:
Err, reality check here. The chap wants to build a BBQ. Strength is
not important.

Yes it is, more so than a brick wall in a house.
You don't want the thing to fall over when someone
leans up against it. Unlike a house, the brickwork
doesn't have several tonnes of bricks on top of it
to help keep it in place when your 15 stone relative
decides to prop himself up against it.

--
Andrew Gabriel

What is the cement/sand ratio for brickwork. I will be building a BBQ in
the
near future.

I just buy readymixed sand/cement mortar (usually by Hanson) and mix it up
with water. No idea of the ratio of the mix.

Christian.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Err, reality check here. The chap wants to build a BBQ. Strength is
not important.

Lime is kinder to the planet than cement.

Of his BBQs are anything like our old neighbours than raw sand would be best
so the whole lot collapses at the first go :-)