If you are purchasing a concrete mixer, look no further than BS Power to find the best construction tools for your needs. Whatever your specific requirements may be, we will most certainly have the right tools for the job.
A concrete mixer has a massive impact on the overall efficiency of construction sites. For those of you who have attempted to mix large amounts of cement by hand, you will have no doubt as to why a mixer can make life so much easier. Before we get to some of the most important benefits of utilising a concrete mixer, let’s look at where it all began.
The History Of Concrete
Without concrete, the developed world would look radically different. All types of infrastructure and buildings are constructed with this miraculous material, from sidewalks and roads to foundations and structures.
While commonplace in modern life, this building material has a long and impressive history that began thousands of years ago, even before the Egyptian pyramids. Its history spans through the time of the Romans’ unprecedented structures and reaches forward into modern construction.
A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components. One of the first concrete mixers was developed in 1900 by T.L. Smith in Milwaukee. The mixer already exhibited the common basic construction with a tiltable conical drum (as a double cone at that time) with blades.
We have come a long way since then, and now people have a large array of concrete mixers to choose from. Let us look a little deeper into the benefits and uses of a concrete mixer.
3 Ways A Concrete Mixer Makes Light Work When Building
Increased Capacity = Reduced Labour
Mixing concrete manually can be very time-consuming and, therefore, demands greater effort and time, along with more of your workforce. At the same time, a concrete mixer can handle a much more significant amount of concrete and has a far higher production capacity in a shorter time. The ability to process large amounts of concrete mixture quickly enhances the general efficiency of construction work by streamlining workflow and helping to meet project deadlines.
Consistent Mix Quality= Better Quality Control
A concrete mixer ensures consistent and uniform mixing of ingredients, such as cement, aggregates, water, and other additives. When one mixes concrete manually, there is far greater potential for variations in the mixture quality that result in imperfections and lead to issues during the drying process. With a concrete mixer, you will get a consistent, reliable mix, increasing the overall reliability of the construction work.
Greater Versatility = Practical Use
Concrete Mixers are very easy and practical to use. They have been designed with usability in mind and are pretty simple to operate effectively. On top of this, we at BS Power always recommend training and safety briefings, but effectively, our mixers offer intuitive mechanisms and controls that make the mixing process reasonably simple. This results in a significant proportion of your workforce quickly becoming proficient in handling a concrete mixer, decreasing downtime between concrete batches.
The mixer can also produce different types of cement mixtures, making them incredibly versatile tools for any building requirements. This adaptability assists construction sites to meet specific goals and increase efficiency by using the correct concrete mixture for each task that may be required.
What Is The Difference Between A Concrete Mixer And A Cement Mixer?
In many construction sites, cement and concrete mixers are used hand-in-hand. However, there are unique differences between the two– let’s take a look at what they are:
A concrete mixer is a versatile tool used to mix many ingredients together to form concrete. These mixers generally have a rotating drum that blends cement, aggregates like sand or gravel, water, and other additives. Our concrete mixers come in various shapes and configurations, such as stationary, truck-mounted, and portable. They can produce large volumes of concrete for several different construction projects simultaneously and are essential if you want to create a uniform, consistent mixture of mass – which is very important to achieve the required durability and strength of the concrete mix.
On the other hand, a cement mixer varies from a concrete mixer as it is a more specialised tool focusing primarily on mixing water and cement to create a paste rather than concrete. Cement mixers will typically be smaller and more portable than a concrete mixer. They are most commonly used on smaller construction sites requiring less cement. They also consist of a revolving drum or container that spins and blends the cement mixture. Therefore, cement mixers are more effective for plastering, bricklaying, or smaller-scale concrete work than their larger concrete mixer counterpart.
So, whilst both machines mix cement and water, concrete mixers are more versatile, as they can handle additional aggregates and ingredients that a cement mixer cannot control. This means that a concrete mixer is a far better option for more extensive jobs requiring a much higher volume of concrete.
Can A Concrete Mixer Be Used For Home Renovations?
Many homeowners who want to renovate their homes might consider a concrete mixer a daunting machine that only professionals should use. This is definitely not the case and can easily be used by homeowners.
A concrete mixer can be used to renovate the floors in your driveway, garage, outside patio, or entertainment area. In many home renovations, concrete mixers are used to renovate walls as well. Let us look at some of the many tasks your concrete mixer can be used for:
Foundation Concrete
The first port of call on home renovations is that it is imperative that the construction area be prepared. Once the site has been prepared, the concrete for the foundation of your driveway, garage, or patio floor can be made.
The concrete mixture needs to be absolutely correct, so if you are a novice or uncertain about whether you will get this right, we recommend hiring a concrete contractor or someone with previous experience to help you make the mix in the mixer.
Before you even get to this stage, you must have measured the exact area you are revamping and then follow the necessary ratios provided by your chosen cement. Also, one must take into consideration what colour of cement you want. A light grey cement is ideal if you plan to paint over it.
When you have decided on the above and done your area measurements, you can add the mixture to your mixer. Be aware of the ratios necessary to make the perfect concrete batch, and then let the concrete mixer do all the hard work on your behalf.
While the concrete mixer is doing the hard graft, if you haven’t done this already, ensure everything is removed from the area you are about to renovate. The site must be cleaned thoroughly before you can move on to the next stage of your renovation. You want your area to be immaculately cleaned without any residue or dirt before you reach the cement pouring stage.
Now, you have reached the stage where you can begin pouring the mixture onto the levelled area. Pour about a 2,54 cm layer of concrete onto the site and make sure that the area is evenly distributed.
You must check that there are no bubbles or bumps on the concrete surface, and if there are any, use a towel to smooth them out gently. It would be best if you then waited for the concrete to dry. Allow the area to dry correctly over at least a 24-hour duration.
Covering The Floor
Once the drying period has been completed, you may consider sealing the floor. This is an absolute must but will help maintain the concrete over an extended period. Sealing the concrete prevents cracks, stains, weeds or moss from ruining your newly renovated area.
Sealing concrete is also crucial if you live in areas with abundant wet weather during the year.
You will require paint or epoxy if you decide to coat your floor, and either of these options will add colour to the area and seal it off. Epoxy is a material that hardens using a chemical reaction and can be put on with a paintbrush.
Paint is a superb option if you think you may want to change the area’s colour at some stage in the future, as it means you can repaint the room as many times as you like. On the other hand, a cover is a layer of a specific material that is placed on top of the concrete.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Concrete Mixer For Home Renovations?
There is a vast array of benefits to having your own concrete mixer, especially if you are someone who regularly uses concrete for DIY home renovation projects. A concrete mixer is an excellent investment in this regard.
3 Benefits of using a mixer for home renovations include:
You Can Mix Concrete Anytime
If you have your own concrete mixer, you can easily make concrete at home whenever needed and within your own time bracket. This means not having to wait for concrete to be delivered by a third party and will save you time and costs on transport and labour.
Simple and Easy
If you are undertaking a new DIY project, you can be put off by the work and effort required, especially if most of the time and effort will go into making concrete. Investing in your own concrete mixer can save time and effort by focusing your energy on the more extensive aspects of your project instead of mostly focusing on producing concrete.
Improved Safety and Health
By utilising a concrete mixer, you will not have to go through the complex and time-consuming task of mixing concrete by hand. More importantly, using a mixer will protect you from inhaling harmful chemicals during the mixing process when you need to do it manually.
About BS Power
BS Power manufactures a wide range of high-performance construction equipment for the use of any individual involved in the agricultural, forestry, and construction industries, as well as any person who would like to know more about these and all the equipment that would be needed if they would like to begin their journey in these spheres.
BS Power also cares about the environment, so reducing waste and using environmentally friendly products is at the heart of our company. If you want to know more about construction products and tools such as buckets, trowels and concrete mixer, visit our website today.