Cement mix ratio debate started by a foreman in Nashville

Last summer on a job in Nashville, a foreman told me to stop using the standard 1:3:6 ratio for footings and switch to a 1:2.5:5. He claimed it saved on cracking after 6 months. I've been doing it his way since, but now my mortar is setting too fast for my liking. Anyone else had a boss push a mix change that messed with your workflow?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannaht295d ago

You ever have a buddy who tried a mix change and it backfired bad? My friend Dan works in Knoxville. His boss swapped their concrete mix for a leaner one. Said it was for "better shrinkage control." Dan's crew ended up with mortar that crusted over in like 10 minutes. They had to work twice as fast and still got crap results. Foreman blamed the heat but Dan knew it was the ratio. He quit that site after a month.

patriciam224d ago

Man I've seen something similar happen to a buddy of mine in Chattanooga. He worked for this small crew and the owner decided to cut the cement content to save money on a parking lot job. Said it would still pass inspection if they kept the water low. Well they poured it and within 20 minutes the surface was already starting to crack in weird patterns like a dried up mud puddle. Had to bring in a pump truck to add more water and mix it on the fly but it was too late the damage was done. The whole slab had to be ripped out two weeks later because it was crumbling from the inside out. My buddy said that boss never admitted it was his fault just blamed the batch plant.