Dr Bill Price, National Commercial Technical Manager at Tarmac Cement, discusses the importance of selecting the right cement products to reduce waste and save costs.
For housebuilders and property developers, saving time and money remain of paramount importance. However, as anyone with experience knows, opting for the cheapest materials and products could actually end up costing you more in the long run.
As build projects can vary enormously, how and where to save time and money will depend on a number of factors, not least the type of design and building materials required.
Thanks to its strong, durable and long-lasting properties, masonry construction remains the most common form of house construction in the UK. As such, the vast majority of builders are well educated on the specification of bricks and blocks. However, this often isn’t the case with other associated materials, where time and cost saving benefits could be overlooked.
“The guaranteed mix proportions of a ready to use mortar also help overcome many potential problems relating to site mixing.”
Cement, mortar and postcrete are often seen simply as commodities thanks to their proven track record and availability. This means that some builders will often not even have considered changing supplier. However, doing your homework to specify the best product for the job can reap numerous rewards.
Cementing a decision
In many instances it’s often not one big thing that differentiates one type of cement, mortar or postcrete from another. Rather, it is the sum of all the little things that can really make a big difference including improved health and safety, reduced wastage and a tighter control on spend.
Selecting the correct product for the job, based on its characteristics and benefits, is essential. For example, a cement that has enhanced resistance to a freeze/thaw attack will not only protect the reputation of your work, but will also help avoid costly mistakes further down the line. Likewise, whether the cement has a low water demand or how it compacts, spreads and finishes will also be taken into consideration to ensure ease of use on the job. However, there are also other factors that shouldn’t be ignored.
Reducing waste
Whilst it may not seem like a deal breaker, the type of packaging and size of the product, is also worth considering. The majority of cement available to buy as a packed product comes in 25kg bags for builders to split open with a spade and load up the mixer with half of the bag.
On a larger site, where there are multiple mixes to be made in one day, this isn’t an issue. However, smaller build projects may only require one mix at a time, which could result in the half-opened bag potentially going to waste or being spoilt. This is because of the other half of cement is often left lying around, meaning that cement dust gets into all sorts of unwanted places. Overall, the process is extremely wasteful.
Tarmac Cement’s Blue Circle Mastercrete 12.5kg Mixer Handy Pack is half the size of the traditional 25kg bag. Importantly, this means it has the exact amount for one mix of mortar, ultimately reducing waste. This means that money and cement can be saved with users on purchasing the exact size that they need.
Safe storage
It’s also important to look at storage, especially as products can remain outdoors and onsite for a number of months. With the unpredictable British weather, something as simple as waterproof packaging can increase storage space for water vulnerable products and eliminate wastage through accidental damage.
When looking for a high-quality mortar there are many qualities to look out for – from how it hangs on the trowel and spreads to its workability, compressive strength and appearance. For many builders, a pre-packed ready to use mortar is therefore a firm favourite.
The guaranteed mix proportions of a ready to use mortar also help overcome many potential problems relating to site mixing. These include the use of excess water and the addition of other inappropriate materials. This can result in reduced strength, increased permeability and reduced durability of the hardened mortar.
Pre-mix preference
As expected, a pre-mixed mortar eliminates all of these headaches. With improved quality and consistency, products such as Tarmac Cement’s Blue Circle Quality Assured Mortar are made to exacting standards in a controlled factory setting, meaning users don’t need to worry about colour change. Ready to use, with the addition of water, this dry mix already includes selected sands, lime, cement and admixtures, which have been blended together to produce an ideal product.
For housebuilders, products that make them feel confident about the task at hand are essential, and the onus is on manufacturers to equip them with the best quality products that can reduce waste and worries, whilst also saving costs.
