Correct Concrete Mix For Driveway

For most small jobs around the home bagged concrete mix is the most convenient and least expensive way to go.

Correct concrete mix for driveway.

For driveway paving the slump or stiffness of the mix should be about 4 inches. Slumps greater than 5 inches should be avoided warns pca. 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. Mix water with the cement sand and stone which will form a paste that will bind the substances together until the mix.

In areas with cold winters concrete mix should have a 6 percent. A standard concrete mix is 2 500 psi. As long as you re consistent you ll get a good strong mix. By using these materials they follow these steps.

To help ensure a problem free driveway use the following list for information about proper construction. You can use it for fence post footings deck footings and even small concrete pads. The way you measure the ratio could be in shovels buckets or wheel barrows. 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.

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. Alter the materials as the strength properties of the concrete are inversely proportional to the water cement ratio. To withstand the weight of vehicle traffic choose a concrete with a strength of 4 000 pounds per square inch for your driveway. Thickness is the major factor even more than the strength of the concrete in determining a driveway s structural capacity.

In order to create high quality concrete it is critical that you have the right proportions of these materials. 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. An overly wet mix can lead to finishing problems and a weak surface. For information on testing fresh concrete see air contentand density unit weight.

Place concrete at a minimum thickness of 4 inches. This sets in just 20 to 40 minutes. Because concrete is permeable it will draw moisture from the ground that it rests on. When durability is key high strength concrete makes a great choice.

I ll show you the actual concrete batch plant ticket with the cement sand and aggregate break downs for the yards we used. Placing concrete at the proper thickness. For jobs requiring more than about 30 bags consider ordering ready mix concrete from a truck instead. Concrete is a mixture of cement gravel and sand.