Roofing and Building Center

Using a Cement Mixer for Small Building Projects

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Samuel Cheeseman ----- Advertisement

A cement mixer or concrete mixer is a tool which is used to mix cement with sand and water. When combined these materials form concrete which has a huge number of applications in the building industry. Concrete can also be mixed by hand but this method should only be used where very small quantities are needed. Mixing by hand is labour intensive and will often lead to an inconsistent mix and weaker concrete. Cement mixers are available in various sizes which will suit different building projects. The largest are concrete trucks which can mix concrete on the move and are used on large construction sites. For builders working on small jobs or DIY projects at home a portable ‘mini’ cement mixer will be sufficient. These cement mixers combine the materials in a drum which is powered by an electric motor. It is still possible to purchase a petrol cement mixer or a diesel cement mixer but modern electric ones are far more common as they are more environmentally friendly. The device will be able to tip forward in order to pour the concrete. A mini electric cement mixer is a versatile tool which can be easily moved to different parts of a site by hand or by using a vehicle to tow it.

Using a Portable Cement Mixer

Small portable electric cement mixers are suitable for completing many types of small scale building work. Their uses include preparing concrete for installing fence posts, building garden walls and laying garden paths. An electric cement mixer will ensure that the concrete is well mixed and will not dry out too quickly. They cannot however keep the concrete in a condition where it is ready to be used for long periods of time. You will need to have some idea how much concrete you will need to complete specific tasks in order to avoid situations where too much concrete has been prepared and you are not ready to make use of it all.

There are many different ways you can mix concrete to provide varying levels of strength. You should find what kind of mix you will require and then obtain the correct amounts of cement, sand and water before beginning any work. The consistency of the mix can be affected by the way the materials are added into the cement mixer. One method you can use is to first add three quarters of the water needed for your mix and then half of the sand or aggregate. You will then add all of the cement followed by the remaining half of the sand and finally the rest of the water. This will generally provide good consistency for a medium strength mix such as C20 which can be used when building garden walls, installing fence posts or other small jobs in your home or garden.

Pricing

These devices can be purchased from suppliers relatively cheaply in building stores or over the internet. Replacement cement mixer parts are also widely available and it is worth shopping around before committing to buy anything. There are various respectable companies who produce these machines so you can choose something like a belle cement mixer or another brand name product and still pay a reasonable price. A mini belle cement mixer will start at around £250 or $400. If you would like to pay the lowest possible amount then you can approach a hire company or a buy a used cement mixer instead. If you will not need one again in the future then used cement mixers can easily be sold on to someone else when you have finished using them. You can use the internet or local papers to offer your cement mixer for sale and should be able find a buyer relatively quickly.