Plasticizer for concrete own hands. Additives in concrete

Virtually any construction, whether the erection of buildings, structures, fences or roads, involves the use of concrete or cement mortars. Along with a huge number of newfangled mixtures and materials, they still remain the most in demand. The secret of their relevance is simple: the material is available, easy to use, durable and economical.

Plasticizers in construction

To improve the quality of concrete solutions they add plasticizers - a mixture of chemicals. Their task is to lower the water content and stabilize the solution, thereby improving its properties. Builders add plasticizer for concrete with their own hands during the preparation of the solution. Manufacturers of similar compositions can be both our factories and foreign ones, because their cost may vary, but they are all available for free sale.

When large-scale construction, as a rule, ready-made solutions are purchased. Additional introduction of plasticizers, they do not require, the compositions are added in the manufacturing process. Often these are expensive and high-quality plasticizers for concrete, their price, of course, will affect the total cost, but such material will be guaranteed good. The desire of manufacturers to provide construction companies with a quality solution is fully justified, competition today is very high.

With private construction, when the costs of concrete are small, buying a ready-made mortar is expensive and not always reasonable. In such cases, either purchased formulations are used, or a self-made plasticizer for concrete is added. With your own hands, it's quite easy to make, and still it will save you a lot on buying materials.

Tasks of plasticizers

The main goal is to stabilize by reducing water consumption and improve the plasticity of the solution. The composition of the plasticizer includes elements that interact with other substances and form an elastic mobile mixture. This helps the mortar to better bond with the base and other components, thereby increasing the strength and density of the concrete.

The solution does not separate into constituents and water. The terms of its use increase due to the fact that the mass grasps more slowly. It becomes possible to correct the admitted shortcomings when pouring or finishing the structures.

The layer dries out evenly, and therefore the appearance of cracks is reduced to a minimum. Increases resistance to temperature changes.

Plasticizers in production

In addition to using masonry or pouring, cement mortars are also involved in the production of building materials. These are various reinforced concrete products, foam blocks, aerated concrete and others. In their production, the use of plasticizers is also irreplaceable. The technology of production obliges to adhere to certain quality standards for obtaining the most effective and safe material. So, all used plasticizers, additives in concrete and other components must comply with the norms:

- to be chemically stable;

- do not contain toxic elements;

- do not include volatile compounds;

- decompose at a higher temperature than the processing temperature.

How to make a plasticizer yourself

Inquisitive and resourceful building masters have long found a way to make a plasticizer for concrete with their own hands, without resorting to buying specialized mixtures. This option is economical and completely safe environmentally. Its secret is simple: during the preparation of the solution, lime or detergent compositions are added to it. It can be anything: washing powders, liquid soap, shampoos, or dishwashing detergent. Such plasticizers for concrete, the price of which is cheap, can achieve excellent results, not yielding to their specialized twinnings. The solution will be laid easily and will allow to obtain a uniform and even surface. The quality will noticeably improve, the density and strength of the structure will increase. Adding such simple components will avoid a lot of trouble with concrete solutions.

Techniques for enriching solutions with detergents

If you want to make plasticizer for concrete with your own hands, it will be useful to listen to the advice of experienced construction workers.

Here are the main recommendations:

- Dry detergents (detergent) should be added to the solution, previously dissolved in water.

- Add the tool at the very beginning of the process. This will allow him to better envelop additional additives in concrete (expanded clay and others), and due to this, the components will better communicate with each other.

- The proportions are purely individual for each type of concrete. But, as a rule, add liquid detergent at the rate of 1 glass per bag of cement.

- The time of hardening of such a solution will increase to three hours.

- Try to use funds that do not give a lot of foam. Otherwise, you will need to wait until the foam settles, and only after doing the work.

Adding lime

Solutions with lime content are often used in places with a humid environment. They play the role of waterproofing, they are applied to the lower or outer parts of the building, which are most often exposed to moisture. Basically, this is the foundation and the base of the house.

Lime serves as a kind of plasticizer, improving the quality, wear resistance and resistance to temperature changes from heat to cold. The solution becomes plastic, easily lays on vertical surfaces, after drying on it does not form a grid of cracks. Lime - a natural and non-toxic material, will serve as an obstacle to the development of fungus on the walls and other troubles. The cost of lime is minimal, but the result will pleasantly please.

How to add lime to solution

The amount of lime is applied individually for each of the solutions, depending on its purpose. The ratio can vary from 1 to 1 (for indoor spaces) to 1 to 6 (for facades).

Before adding it to the solution, it must be dissolved in water. While lime is infused, a dry mixture of sand and cement is prepared, and only afterwards it is necessary to introduce a lime solution. Work with such material you need in gloves, otherwise you can damage the skin of your hands.

Other additives

Along with plasticizers, there are other additives in concrete. They allow you to specify the properties necessary for a given situation in solutions, optimizing and making it easier to work with them.

- Reducing the time of solidification (accelerators). They are irreplaceable when working in the winter season or in areas with a cold climate. It happens that at the time of the construction of complex structures it takes time to dry out the individual elements, and this greatly hinders the work. At such times, accelerators are simply irreplaceable.

- Increasing the time of congealing (retarders). Plasticizers do not always cope with the tasks set, in such cases, heavier artillery is used - water divers. They are used in cases where it is required to transport ready-made solutions over long distances.

- Air-entraining compositions. Saturate solutions with air bubbles. You need to improve frost resistance and water resistance. Used in solutions with low content of cement.

- Antifreezing. It is simply necessary when working in low temperature zones up to -15 degrees. The mortar not only does not freeze and allows to perform the front of the work, but it also hardens well and has excellent strength. Such compositions allow construction to be carried out all the year round, without interruptions for the winter seasons.

Such additives are purchased from manufacturers and have a significant positive impact on quality and work with materials. It is almost impossible to reproduce them with your own hand.

Draw conclusions

We examined several options for enriching mortars in order to improve their properties. In the case where the construction is small, it is possible to use these little tricks for their own purposes. The cost will be almost zero, and the result will certainly be pleased.

If you distrust the advice of this kind, you can always buy a ready-made plasticizer for concrete. The instructions to each of them will provide clear recommendations on how to correctly add the composition to the solution and get the result with the result.