There are various concrete mix ratios for certain jobs around the home, in the garden on a public road. In this answer, we will reveal the best ratios for DIY jobs around the home and in the garden. You must get these ratios correct or you might find that your pathway cracks or crumbles. When concreting you must be consistent because if the ratio changes the colour and strength will also change.
Top Tip: When mixing your concrete always dry mix before adding the water this way you do not get pockets of sand sitting at the back of the mixer! You will also use less water which will make your concrete set even harder!
The 1-2-3 Concrete Mix ratio
1 PART CEMENT – 2 PARTS SAND AND 3 PARTS AGGREGATE
The 1-2-3 Concreting Ratio
We use the 1.2.3 mix ratio because it’s simple, easy to remember and it provides strong and durable concrete. You can use this ratio on all DIY jobs around the garden and in the home. Here are a few examples for using the 1-2-3 ratio:
- Pathways and outside areas
- Wall and fence footings
- Decking footings
- Patio base before bedding the slabs
- Conservatory base and footings
- Shed bases
- Concrete steps
- Garage Floors
You can measure your ratio with shovel loads or bucket loads, but you must be consistent throughout the concreting process. There is a lot of discussion around ratios when you come to concrete, but the 1-2-3 ratio has never let us down before.
Top Tip: Always use a membrane when concreting, this protects the concrete from rising damp which
willbreakdown your DIY concreting job.
Remember the more sand you add to the mix the weaker the overall (pounds per square inch) PSI of the set concrete. When adding your water use the same each time we would recommend you measure the first load and work from there. The less water you add the better but make sure you add enough water to bring the ingredients together!
Happy Concreting 😉
Leave a Reply