Contents

– Practical info on dosing ingredients for mixing mortar

– Step 1: Dry mix the materials

– Step 2: Mix in the water

– Step 3: Mix the mixture

– Mixing Mortar in a Concrete Mixer

Mortar is used as a base for many renovation and construction jobs: sealing, plastering, mounting…

Mortar is made of water, sand, and binder (lime or cement), unlike concrete which contains gravel.

Mixing mortar means mixing all these materials to obtain a resistant and efficient preparation. It is easy, but the steps and quantities must be observed.

Note: For small jobs, there are pre-measured mortars.

The mortar can be prepared on the ground, in a trough, or a concrete mixer, depending on the quantity desired. Here are the steps to follow to mix mortar.

Practical information on the dosage of ingredients for mixing mortar

There are several types of mortar:

– firm cement mortar;

– Lime mortar is more ecological and easy to work with;

– mixed lime and cement mortar, a good compromise between the two.

To obtain equal quantities, use a bucket that will be equivalent to one volume in the calculations.

The dosage of the preparation depends on the amount needed and the use. Therefore, remember to adapt the volumes to the desired quantity.

Here are some indications:

– For the assembly of bricks: count 25 kg of cement, 25 kg of lime, 200 kg of fine sand (0.2 mm), 50 kg of medium sand (0.5 mm), and 25 l of water.

Note: these dosages can be translated into volumes: 1 volume of cement, 1 volume of lime, 8 volumes of fine sand, 2 volumes of medium sand, and 1 volume of water.

– For the assembly of breeze blocks: 50 kg of cement, 250 kg of medium sand, 25 l of water.

– For the sealing of stones: 50 kg of cement, 65 kg of fine sand, and 25 l of water.

– For sealing bricks: 25 kg of cement, 25 kg of lime, 65 kg of fine sand, and 25 l of water.

– For a screed: 50 kg of cement, 200 kg of medium sand, and 25 l of water.

– For a coating: 50 kg of cement, 150 kg of fine sand, and 25 l of water.

Equipment needed to mix mortar.

• Trough
• Concrete mixer
• Lime
• Cement
• Mixing nozzle
• Shovel
• Drill
• Sand
• Bucket
• Trowel

1. Dry mix the materials

Once the required quantities have been determined:

Place the sand in a mound in a trough or on the ground free of plants and other debris.

– Make a hole on top and insert the binder (cement, lime, or both).

– Mix well with a shovel or trowel to obtain a homogeneous and uniformly colored preparation.

2. Incorporate the water

– Form a mound with the preparation, not forgetting to dig a hole on top.

– Pour in ⅔ of the determined volume of water.

– Mix well and add more or less the remaining water without exceeding the amount: the preparation must remain dry.

Note: if you are short on space and working in a bucket, you can use a mixing tip mounted on your drill/driver.

3. Knead the mixture

To check the consistency of your mortar:

– Smooth the pile with the shovel or trowel: the mortar should not stick to the tools, and the water should come up.

– Make striations on the mortar: if they fill in, there is too much water; if they are not clear, there is not enough.

Blasting mortar with a cement mixer

If you’re doing big jobs, using an electric cement mixer can be a huge time saver:

In the concrete mixer:

– Lay out ⅔ of the volume of water first, then the binder.

– Let it run for a few minutes so that the binder is well moistened.

– Add the sand.

– Readjust the mixture by adding more or less of the remaining water.

– Let the mixer run until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, then pour the mortar into a wheelbarrow.

Hope this helps! Remember to write your comments below.