What Is the Perfect Mix of Concrete for a Patio?
Concrete can be mixed any number of ways depending on what you need to use it for. For example, you can use it as a mortar or as grout to fill the joints between bricks, blocks, patio stones and beyond. The type of mixture you use for your patio depends on if you are installing patio pavers, flagstones, tiles or pouring it in slab form. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
For Tiles and Pavers
-
If you are installing some form of tile or paver on your patio you will want to use a thinset mortar, which is a special blend of concrete that also includes polymers for elasticity to help the patio pavers or tiles stand up to the elements. A creamy mixture of water, sand, cement, polymers and other additives are blended together to create thinset mortar.
For Flagstones
-
Installing flagstones on your patio is a fairly difficult manual task but the end results are an installation that will last for years. A specialized mud mixture is generally used, which is four parts sand, one part cement and enough water to create a damp-but-not-runny mixture. The damp cement is then packed into a base layer on which the flagstones are then installed and tamped into, with a slurry coat on the back of the stone.
-
For Grouts
-
Grouts mix up in a slightly different way than thinset mortars, but the results are the same. They are meant to be a mixed up so that the cement, water, polymers and colored pigments blend into a thick, creamy mixture that is then used to fill the joints between the paver stones, tiles or flagstones. The exact ratio depends on the manufacturer of the grout.
Slurry
-
If you are pouring your patio slab you will order a slurry mixture from a local concrete manufacturer, or you can mix your own. It’s a similar mixture to the flagstone mud, but more water is added to create a poured version that is the consistency of thick cake batter. Once it is poured into place it is moved around with tools until it is level and smooth, then left to dry for several days. Afterwards you have a concrete patio that will last for years to come.
-
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
