Every person at least once in his life performed construction work. As soon as it comes to buying building products, people try to pre-purchase the necessary products. However, there are situations when the stock of a product such as cement is too large. As a result, it is necessary to take a number of measures to ensure its worthy storage and at the same time not to violate its quality characteristics. As a rule, people buy building materials in winter, as they are much cheaper at this time of the year. Therefore, we will consider the correct storage of cement in the winter and how you can save it for the next year or two.

What are the technical characteristics of cement grade 500 indicated

How to save cement until next year

Garage storage

When you have a garage space, it is quite possible to store the building material in question there. But this does not mean that it is enough to put it in the garage and forget until spring. Then all the quality of the material will be lost, and it will no longer make sense to use it in the spring.

Naturally, it can be very difficult to detect such a defect as a puncture, but everything is possible if you listen to the advice that will be discussed now.

Manufacturers pack the material in paper bags, and sometimes combine paper and plastic packaging. If the bag is combined, then you can not worry about the integrity of the cement. Such a product can be stored for 6-8 months and at the same time not lose its qualities.

About how much cement in 1 cube of concrete, you can find out from this

Arrangement of the premises

If you are going to store the bulk mixture for a longer time, it is necessary to properly prepare the room. Bags should be laid on a special flooring. Be sure the room where the cement bags will be located must be dry and well ventilated. In the absence of ventilation, moisture will begin to accumulate in the room. To ensure the necessary ventilation, you can use the simplest supply ventilation.

How the walls are plastered with cement mortar can be seen in the video

When there is no ventilation in the room, two pipes can be brought out. One should be installed 0.5 m above the floor, the other - 0.5 m above the ceiling. Thanks to such measures, it will be possible to ensure excellent air movement, because it is better to spend time on arranging ventilation than to buy new cement later.

In addition to arranging your premises, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. It is impossible to store cement of different brands nearby, because they contain different amounts of moisture. Otherwise, you may degrade the quality of the cement.
2. For those who plan to store the material for more than 6 months, it is necessary to wrap each bag in 2-3 layers of polyethylene. Thanks to such measures, you can additionally protect the product from moisture. Thus, it is possible to maintain the quality of cement even when stored for more than a year.
3. If you are a custodian of cement for a long time, then during the preparation of the solution it is necessary to increase the consumption by 1.5 times. For example, if you take 2 kg of a fresh product, then in this situation you will need 3.5 kg.

Construction Materials

Additives in mortar for laying bricks - features of work in winter

From the author: hello, our dear readers! Today we will talk about additives in mortar for laying bricks in winter. Where did this topic come from? It's just that right now some of my friends are suddenly ripe for construction, which they have been putting off for a long time.

Of course, by the New Year holidays, many have a desire to finish what they started or create something new, so that during the winter holidays they can safely enjoy their handiwork, and not spend the long-awaited weekend on hard work.

This is all understandable, but in the case of construction, difficulties may arise. Particularly when it comes to low temperature conditions. Moreover, these difficulties sometimes manifest themselves not immediately, but later, in spring or summer, when it becomes warm. Let's first analyze what exactly winter styling is fraught with, and then let's see how you can competently get around all these troubles.

Features of winter masonry

First of all, let's remember what masonry mortar consists of. It usually includes: cement, sand, water. In order for the bricks to be qualitatively fastened together, thereby giving the masonry strength, the mortar must dry well. When it is warm outside, this is not a problem.

But what happens to the constituents of freshly laid masonry mortar when the ambient temperature drops below zero? With cement and sand - nothing, but the water turns into ice.

Of course, as long as it's cold outside, everything will be fine. But as soon as the thaw begins, the water will begin to thaw. And then we will have two unpleasant consequences at once:

• shrinkage. Frozen water, as we know, is more voluminous than liquid water. Therefore, as it thaws, the thickness of the masonry mortar will decrease. Therefore, the rows are omitted. And it happens rather unevenly. As a result, the structure will not only be lower than intended, but will also be bent, become unstable and unreliable;
• deterioration in the quality of the solution. Even after the thawed composition dries, it will not be as strong as it is required from it.

As you can see, in conditions of negative temperatures, it is not advisable to put a regular solution. I have seen this from personal experience. In ancient times, when there was no talk of a construction career yet, I decided.

It was December outside, and with the theory of construction, I decided not to bother. In general, in order not to bother you with details, I will go straight to the result: my lovingly folded fence in the spring took on a very intricate shape of a dragon's back.

But before I had time to rejoice at my involuntary sculpting art, the whole structure fell - first partially, and then completely. It's good that it was just a fence, not a residential building.

However, we often see a professional winter process, and nothing subsequently collapses. How does it work? Let's turn to the best practices and experience of people who have been doing this business for many years.

There are three options for how to successfully deal with the problem:

• the introduction of special additives into the solution, which make it possible to harden the solution even at low temperatures;
• artificial heating of masonry during operation and solidification of the mortar;
• special freezing method.

Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, all of the above methods can solve our problem. Let's take a look at each of them in detail.

Additives

The easiest way is to modify the masonry mortar so that it does not lose its properties at low temperatures. This method is the least expensive and does not require any extra gestures, the entire masonry process is carried out as usual.

So what to add to the solution? In our country, professional builders most often use technical sodium and calcium formates, potassium carbonate, technical sodium nitrite and calcium chloride for this purpose.

Any of these substances gives the desired result. But the choice of solution is also quite important: you need to take a brand of at least 50 C. Let's take a closer look at what effect we get if all the means are correctly selected.

The main function of antifreeze additives is to enable the solution to harden faster even at sub-zero temperatures. True, not any - the street thermometer should show above -15 ° C.

The effect of accelerated hardening is achieved due to the hydration of the cement, while the largest possible part of the water is involved. Simply put, the freezing point of the composition decreases, which allows you to achieve the desired result. But there are some caveats.

Firstly, immediately after the construction, the strength of the structure will not be the same as planned, but two-thirds less. It will reach the required indicator only after the whole thing freezes and then thaws. This factor must be taken into account and not to impose premature heavy loads on the structure.

Secondly, be sure to take into account the level of humidity where you build masonry. Too high a rate will cause efflorescence to form on the bricks. Therefore, this option is not suitable for the construction, for example, baths.

In addition, antifreeze additives themselves, in particular sodium chloride or calcium, can increase the humidity in the room. For this reason, they are not used in the construction of residential buildings.

Before preparing the solution, you should pay attention to the instructions from the manufacturer of the mixture with additives. There, the proportions of additionally introduced substances are indicated without fail, and for the construction of which buildings this tool is suitable.

Antifreeze additives for bricklaying mortar

The construction of buildings is carried out at an accelerated pace and does not stop in winter, despite the worsening weather conditions. Winter construction has a number of advantages, as materials become cheaper and it is easier for vehicles to move on solid ground. However, there is a serious problem associated with the delayed hardening of the mortar used for masonry. Experts say that if bricklaying is done in winter, additives are necessary. They lower the water crystallization threshold and accelerate hardening.

Antifreeze additives for bricklaying in winter - varieties and advantages

The need to introduce additives is associated with the crystallization of water at a low temperature. Water increases in volume, causing the destruction of the structure of the array. The solution hardens for a long time and becomes covered with a network of cracks, which negatively affects the strength. You can easily solve this problem. Professional builders have no doubt that it is advisable to introduce additives into concrete in winter.

Very often, workers have to deal with the situation of completing construction in severe frosts, which is especially important for the northern regions of the country.

The antifreeze additives used are classified into the following types:

• compounds that provide accelerated hardening. This group includes mixtures with organic components, as well as special solutions in which acids are present;
• additives with antifreeze characteristics. They are made on the basis of calcium chloride. Provide accelerated setting of the mixture used for the construction of walls;
• ingredients that reduce the temperature threshold of water crystallization. The introduction of components such as sodium nitrite and potash makes it possible to build brick walls at low temperatures;
• additives, the introduction of which provides significant heat release with simultaneous acceleration of setting. This is provided by the addition of sulfates based on iron and aluminum.

If performed, the additives included in its composition allow the use of the solution at a negative temperature.

Antifreeze additives have a complex of serious advantages:

• lower the temperature threshold of water crystallization. This makes it possible to provide a planned set of hardness and guarantee high performance characteristics of the cement mixture, as well as the strength of the brickwork;
• provide accelerated achievement of the strength of the solution and increase its water-repellent characteristics. Brick walls erected using modified mortars have a high service life;
• increase the plasticity of the cement composition. This greatly facilitates the implementation of construction activities for laying brick walls, since it is much easier to lay bricks on a moving mortar;
• protect reinforcing cages and metal meshes from destruction as a result of corrosion processes. Some additives contain special ingredients that provide anti-corrosion characteristics of the modifier.

The experience of using special additives confirms their high efficiency.

Brick laying is possible in any weather, subject to special technologies and taking into account certain nuances.

Along with an increase in strength characteristics, accelerated hardening and a change in the freezing threshold, additives provide:

• significant money savings. The characteristics of antifreeze ingredients allow the use of low grade Portland cement, which is much cheaper. This does not affect the strength of the binder composition;
• increased resistance to moisture. Due to the water-repellent properties, there is no need to use waterproofing agents. This has a positive effect on the durability of the structure;
• allow you to perform construction activities with a significant decrease in temperature. Mortar for laying bricks can be painlessly used when it gets cold down to minus 25 ⁰C without compromising the strength of the erected structures.

To ensure the antifreeze properties of the cement mixture, apply:

• ready-made compositions manufactured in an industrial way. This is a guarantee of quality and avoids errors caused by incompatible components. When preparing the factory composition, the manufacturer's recommendations should be followed;
• self-prepared solutions, in which components with plasticizing properties are added. The performance of work requires a comprehensive consideration of many factors. The risk of error is quite high.

The following substances are used as the main ingredients of the frost-resistant composition:

• sodium nitrite;
• potash;
• sodium chloride;
• potassium carbonate;
• calcium nitrate;
• potassium chloride.

These additives prevent freezing of water, providing the necessary level of resistance to temperature drops.

The following components are widely used in the construction industry:

• sodium nitrate. It is also known as sodium nitrite and is added to the mixture if construction work is to be carried out at temperatures down to minus 15 degrees Celsius;
• calcium carbonate (potash). Features of potash - the absence of salts on the hardened surface and anti-corrosion properties. It allows you to build walls when the temperature drops to minus 30 degrees Celsius.