Fine concrete - information about properties and prices

• Everything about fine concrete
  • Grades of fine concrete
  • Creative with dyes
  • Other materials
  • Processing of fine concrete
• Tips for quick readers

Fine concrete is a material that allows particularly fine contours and promises the same weather resistance as normal concrete. This makes this artificial stone an ideal material for creative design. However, it can not be processed directly, as with baked clay, but only indirectly. How to do that and what it costs, you will learn in this guide.

Concrete is tough

Concrete is generally speaking a mixture of sand, gravel, cement and water. It differs from the mortar by the grain size and that it lacks a Kalk-Klebeanteil. Normal concrete is mainly used to absorb large pressure forces. This absorption capacity depends on the cement used and especially on the additives used. The "fatter" a concrete is, the more durable it is. The more pressure-resistant the aggregates are, the more resilient the resulting component will be. Normal concrete has different Quarzkiese as surcharge. Particularly solid concrete used for safes or high-rise foundations has blast furnace slag as an aggregate.

Everything about fine concrete

Very fine concrete

In contrast to its high load capacity normal concretes, on the other hand, the fine concrete presents itself. He uses a fine aggregate aggregate with a maximum grain size of four millimeters. Thus, the fine concrete technically counts to the cement mortar and can also be used for walling or grouting outdoors. But he is not meant to. Fine concrete is used to be poured into molds. It is not used for the construction of buildings but of objects that must be highly stable and particularly weather-resistant. Typical applications for fine concrete are:

• Flowerpot
• flower boxes
• garden figures
• herbal pyramids
• unusual paving stones
• ornamental fountains
• bird baths

Spatula and repair work

A particularly creative way to work with fine concrete is the textile concrete. In this way, flowing, organic structures can be created that are nevertheless in no way inferior to normal concrete elements in terms of durability. The fine concrete is also particularly popular for repair work. Concrete restoration is big business. Many buildings from the 1970s had been built very carelessly: Cement was often saved and the concrete cover of the reinforcement was not sufficient. In order to effectively cover rust-resistant structural steels and thus preserve the structure, fine concrete is an outstandingly suitable material.

light concrete

If glass fibers are included in the aggregate of fine concrete, something fabulous is created: fine concrete allows the production of particularly thin wall elements. This material, called "light concrete, " is a new application whose capabilities have not been fully explored. These elements are not viable, but can achieve particularly interesting effects: The light is passed through the Lichtleiterfasen quasi "Around the corner". Thus, with the help of light concrete panels, a particularly efficient and fascinating illumination in a room can be achieved.

Grades of fine concrete

For fine concrete, there is not a particularly large selection of different varieties. It's basically simple concrete with a fine aggregate. You can also make fine concrete with quartz sand and cement yourself. Mix both components in the ratio 1: 4, add sealant and you get fine concrete. If you prefer ready-made solutions, ideally you are working with good planning. Fine concrete is becoming cheaper as a ready mix, the larger the container you buy.

For comparison:
A 2.5 kilo bucket ready mixed concrete from the craft shop can cost 15 euros.

In contrast, a whole 25 kilos sack of a brand company costs just under 6 euros. However, concrete is very demanding when it comes to its storage: cement always needs absolute dryness. Already the room humidity is sufficient to start the process of setting. If you have concrete left, sell or give it away. If you store it, it will harden into an unusable lump in a matter of weeks, no matter how well you preserve it.

Creative with dyes

More interesting than the question of the different grades of fine concrete is therefore the list of additives.

Fine concrete is used for outdoor applications. Therefore, it makes sense to make him weatherproof with sealant. One kilogram of sealant, known in technical language as "WU-Beton", costs 8 euros and is enough for 50 kilograms of fine concrete.

But it gets especially creative when you work with dyes. To this end, the trade offers a range of metal oxide-based coloring agents. Since these dyes are made of corroded metal, do not wash out by rain. They are durable and stain the entire structure through. Repainting is no longer necessary. They are added in a proportion of 3-5% to the concrete mix. The more color pigments are added, the darker the color becomes. As with fine concrete itself, the price of color pigments differs enormously, depending on which container size is chosen. Common are the following prices:

• 200 g tin: 8, 00 EUR = 40, 00 EUR per kg / enough for 4 kg concrete
• 1 kg can: 24, 30 EUR = 24, 30 EUR per kg / enough for 20 kg concrete
• 2 kg bucket: 37, 30 EUR = 18, 65 EUR per kg / enough for 40 kg concrete
• 25 kg bag: 238, 80 EUR = 9, 55 EUR per kg / enough for 500 kg concrete

The density of lightweight concrete is 2000 kilograms per cubic meter. You can easily calculate how much concrete and how much dye you need. Bear in mind, however, that fine concrete is very rarely processed into solid material. As a rule, this material is used for thin-walled filigree products. The volume information can therefore be deceiving.

A limiting factor is the durability of the metal oxide pigments. They clump with time, especially when they are in a humid environment. Manufacturers usually give a shelf life of two years on an unopened package.

Other materials

If you want to use fine concrete for repairing and filling damaged old concrete, you need a suitable adhesive. New cement does not readily adhere to old concrete, so you need an intermediary. The eight-kilo container in the dry mix costs about 25 euros. Keep in mind that it should be used up as completely as possible when the container is open.

So that you do not experience a nasty surprise when stripping your artworks, do not spend too much money on release agents. The formwork is wetted with concrete before filling with it. You can use a spray bottle or just a brush. As with all building materials, the prices here fall with the container size.

• A 100 ml vial costs 2.50 euros, which is equivalent to 25 euros per liter
• A 2-liter canister costs about 17 euros, which only costs 8.50 euros per liter
• A 10-liter canister costs only 35 euros

After all, a 20-liter canister is already available for $ 2.60 per liter.

But since only very little oil is needed for a formwork, the purchase should exactly meet the needs here.

Fiber mats for thin-walled, freely curved elements are for fine concrete professionals. They provide great opportunities for the free development of one's own creativity. However, you should not dare to approach this art form without training. Otherwise you run the risk of producing nothing meaningful except a lot of waste.

Glass fiber mats for textile concrete have the following price range:

• 3 sqm mat: (about 100 x 300 cm) = 18, 20 EUR / equals 6, 07 EUR per m²
• 6 sqm mat: (about 100 x 600 cm) = 31, 10 / corresponds to EUR, 5, 18 EUR per m²
• 100 sqm roll: 98 cm wide = 349.00 EUR / equivalent to 3.56 EUR per m²

Again, you see that you save a lot of money if you order economically. Working with ultra-fine concrete is well suited to finding a team of like-minded people. So the hobby is also particularly nice by the joint savings.

Processing of fine concrete

Except for working with textile fibers, making concrete figures is very easy. If you are looking for a formwork you like, spray it with release agent and fill it with concrete. After one day you can open the formwork and you have your new garden cultivar, planter or whatever else you want to have on fine concrete products.

Fine concrete is mixed in a mortar trough. These are available for 12 euros in every hardware store. Always use a new tub so that no old remains can spoil the result. With a whisk and a strong drill, the concrete mixes best. First, fill the prescribed amount of water in the tub and gradually sprinkle the ready-mixed concrete into it. To avoid the formation of lumps. Fine concrete is workable at 15 ° C outside temperature for about 25 minutes. Nevertheless, hurry up. Once dressed, fine concrete is no longer suitable for filigree structures.

If you want to get creative yourself, you can also make your own concrete molds using plaster and silicone. However, this is a very creative challenge that requires some time of practice. You are in the trend of the times when you use a 3D printer to manufacture the positive cores. However, this is not all that cheap in terms of the size that concrete concretes usually have.

Tips for quick readers

• Buy fine concrete and other building materials always in the largest possible containers
• only buy as much as can be processed - pay attention to durability
• Process, sell or give away leftover substances as quickly as possible
• Pay attention to safety: always use eye protection when handling liquid concrete
• Emergency kit, especially eyewash always have at hand
• If the eye is injured with cement, call the ambulance immediately - otherwise there is a risk of blindness
• Use hare wire to reinforce thin-walled molds