70L Cement mixer - any good ?

dal · 1 Sep 2020 at 12:52

Hi all, I'm considering buying a small cement mixer for mixing mortar to lay paving slabs on ( so sharp sand / cement & a FULL bed )
Do you think a 70L cement mixer would be suitable for this job.
I know I can hire one but my work / personal situation ( not to mention the British weather ) doesn't allow me to work continuously on the patio so I'll probably need the mixer for a good 3 weeks, possibly more .

Cheers

flea.rider · 1 Sep 2020 at 13:10

you could get a 140 for a few quid more .. might be easier to move on after £200 ish
would prob save time as bigger mix .. thinking on doing the same when i concrete the back .. last place with 1/4 size garden cost me £700 ..hoping this is a cheaper way

pp111 · 1 Sep 2020 at 14:11

Any cement mixer is a wonderful idea. You will be surprised how much better properly mixed cement is.

Bickaxe · 1 Sep 2020 at 15:07

If you are doing it in your spare time, it should be fine.
Be aware of its working capacity though, it may only hold 30kgs of material and you want something closer to 50kgs for each pour otherwise you'll be there all day.
We did this, much cheaper to buy than hire.
The missus fully intends to butcher it afterwards and use the motor to create a rotisserie thing over the bbq.

dal · 1 Sep 2020 at 15:20

Yeah i think buying is the better option and probably will go for a higher capacity mixer, cheers.

PAz · 1 Sep 2020 at 18:32

They are pretty cheap to hire, i guess it depends how much work you have to do.

We used to have one, but I find it easier to hire them now.

Danm54 · 1 Sep 2020 at 19:55

I bought the 134L one from Screwfix, I'll be needing it a lot for work on the house and the paths etc so it's definitely a worthwhile purchase.

They seem to hold good money second hand as well so keep it clean and sell it once you're done.

sovietspybob · 2 Sep 2020 at 08:31

If its just for one job like that wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a 2nd hand one from the likes of facebook marketplace? You'll probably be able to move it on again for no loss after a couple of months that way rather than taking the hit on buying brand new?

dal · 2 Sep 2020 at 09:32

sovietspybob said:
If its just for one job like that wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a 2nd hand one from the likes of facebook marketplace? You'll probably be able to move it on again for no loss after a couple of months that way rather than taking the hit on buying brand new?

Hi yeah just just one job but i never seem to find second hand ones anywhere close to me, then when you factor in hiring a van to get it back i think might as well just buy new.

sovietspybob · 2 Sep 2020 at 10:01

dal said:
Hi yeah just just one job but i never seem to find second hand ones anywhere close to me, then when you factor in hiring a van to get it back i think might as well just buy new.

Ah yeah good point i didn't think about actually getting it home!

I would say though getting a 'regular' size one is a good idea, i was lucky enough to get one from a mate when i needed to do a fairly small amount of concreting filling in some holes and even with a normal size mixer i was surprised how many mixes it needed in the end.

bainbridge · 2 Sep 2020 at 20:31

At least you aren't considering mixing up by hand, it's back-breaking!

dal · 3 Sep 2020 at 07:40

bainbridge said:
At least you aren't considering mixing up by hand, it's back-breaking!

It is, I've mixed some by hand and even a small amount is hard work.

rexehuk · 3 Sep 2020 at 21:34

Hey i have a cement mixer coming tomorrow... Believe it or not ended up with Aldi mixer, take a look with a 3 year warranty.

Might work for you too

j.col · 7 Sep 2020 at 19:28

dal said:
Hi all, I'm considering buying a small cement mixer for mixing mortar to lay paving slabs on ( so sharp sand / cement & a FULL bed )

Cheers

Can I ask what slabs are you going to lay?
As if you are laying sandstone, porcelain etc. You are better with building sand

200sols · 7 Sep 2020 at 20:32

j.col said:
Can I ask what slabs are you going to lay?
As if you are laying sandstone, porcelain etc. You are better with building sand

No you are not. Buding sand is too soft, 6:1 sharp sand cement mix is what you want. SBR slurry the backs and lay on full bed.

j.col · 8 Sep 2020 at 07:38

200sols said:
No you are not. Buding sand is too soft, 6:1 sharp sand cement mix is what you want. SBR slurry the backs and lay on full bed.

Fair enough mate, that's your opinion.
I actually lay paving for my living, and for most slabs building sand is better to lay slabs.
Building sand adheres better to the slab.
Sbr slurry is essential on porcelain slabs as these are waterproof and therefore won't stick to mortar without the slurry.
But on porous slabs, sbr slurry is not needed.
Also if using a ready made pointing compound eg. Easyjoint, your mix has to be 7:1 or even 8:1

dal · 8 Sep 2020 at 10:01

j.col said:
Fair enough mate, that's your opinion.
I actually lay paving for my living, and for most slabs building sand is better to lay slabs.
Building sand adheres better to the slab.
Sbr slurry is essential on porcelain slabs as these are waterproof and therefore won't stick to mortar without the slurry.
But on porous slabs, sbr slurry is not needed.
Also if using a ready made pointing compound eg. Easyjoint, your mix has to be 7:1 or even 8:1

I'm using porcelain slabs.
In every video I've seen they are using sharp sand, either 6:1 or 5:1 mix.

j.col · 8 Sep 2020 at 11:09

dal said:
I'm using porcelain slabs.
In every video I've seen they are using sharp sand, either 6:1 or 5:1 mix.

Are you going to use a jointing compound?
If so read the instructions first as most of the these require water to drain away for it to cure and usually recommend a 7:1 mix.
Don't be fooled into buying the marshalls vitrified jointing compound, it's silly expensive for what it is.
We use joint-it simple which is suitable for a 3mm joint.
Regarding the sand, we always use building sand for porcelain slabs, mixed wet nearly like brickies muck, and lay the primed slab on this, it's easier to get your height right and it sucks the slabs really well. So much so, it's quite difficult to lift the slab back up if it's too high or low lol.
Sharp sand may work, but from my own experience, it won't have the same suction as building sand.

But it's only a patio, nothing heavy driving over it, the most important part is to have a good base and fall to take the rain.
Good luck

200sols · 8 Sep 2020 at 15:20

j.col said:
Fair enough mate, that's your opinion.

Its not my opinion, its industry standard.

dal · 9 Sep 2020 at 09:31

j.col said:
Are you going to use a jointing compound?
If so read the instructions first as most of the these require water to drain away for it to cure and usually recommend a 7:1 mix.

Good luck

I've not got the grout yet and considering that joint it simple that you mentioned. I had a read up about it and it says

Before using Joint-It Simple, make sure that your foundation/hardcore is water permeable,

With this in mind should I be using SBR in the mortar mix as surely this would make it waterproof.

ALSO

Reading this :https://jointit.com/products/joint-it-simple/step-by-step-guide/

it says joint depth MINIMUM of 25mm deep, well porcelain is 20mm thick therefore joint depth is 20mm deep.