Tips for Working With Concrete

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Find out DIY Construction Projects With Concrete

Concrete work ("cement" work) can be satisfying when you step back and see a finished construction project that worked. But concrete work can also be frustrating for beginners who "make the leap" without proper preparation. In the tutorials that follow, I discuss concrete job tips that will help make DIY construction projects for beginners run smoothly.

First, a bit of terminology, for the defenders. Although "concrete" and "cement" are used interchangeably by many DIYers, there is, in fact, a difference between concrete and cement ("mortar" is also part of the "mix"). Essentially, concrete is the true building material. Cement is just one of the ingredients in concrete: it is what binds the other ingredients together (i.e. aggregates and sand). Therefore, although it is a very important concrete element, "cement" is not synonymous with "concrete". Usually when people say they need to go out and buy "cement" for a DIY project, what they really mean is "concrete."

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Concrete Work Tips: How to Mix Concrete

For beginners, preparation for concrete work begins with learning how to mix concrete. Adding enough water to the mix and curing the concrete properly are two main concerns when working with concrete. Check out the following resources for more information:

How to mix concrete
Tips for mixing concrete: the importance of water
Concrete curing

Concrete Work Tips: How to Build Concrete Patios

A common DIY project that involves concrete work is building concrete patios and landings. This type of concrete work can be stressful on the muscles, but homeowners can reduce fatigue a bit by renting concrete mixers.

Concrete Work Tips: Resurfacing Concrete

But what do you do when your concrete patio starts to show its age? Well, there is a product available at hardware stores that is exactly suited to this particular type of job.

Concrete Work Tips: Garden Stepping Stones

Perhaps you think that building a concrete landing or patio is doing more damage to concrete work than you can chew through as a beginner? In that case, start with a smaller project and make stones in the garden. Plant lovers will find this type of concrete work more to their liking, as they can later plant-soil covers between the stones in the garden.