How do I mix up a sand & cement slurry for beam & block floor?

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

I’m looking to put another layer of sand & cement wet slurry mix on our beam & block floor before starting the DPC & PIR. This would just take out a couple of imperfections (fortunately the beam lengths are short, so we haven’t got difficult cambers to cope with).

The b&b floor had some slurry put on it initially, but a lot has happened since then and l’m looking for it to help make sure there aren’t any noticeable air gaps under the PIR board.

 

I don’t have a cement mixer and would like to do. This without having to call the builder in for this part.

 

Grateful for some specific practical advice / instructions.

[Nickfromwales]

You just throw 8:1 sand/cement down in a heap, make a void in the centre after mixing it up, and fill that with water. You then just mix it in on itself until it’s a consistency like thick soup.

 

Bring a hose in and wet all the floors next. Not quite so it’s puddling but very wet. You’ll see it drying as you go, so just wet the areas you’re actually doing.

 

Then just push it around with a stiff brush, going back and forth in opposites and diagonals.

 

Watch you don’t flick it up the walls though!

 

Do a small room / area first to gauge quantity and get the hang of it, then do a bigger mix / area next and so on. Dead easy to do. 

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

just throw 8:1 sand/cement down 

Measured by bucket or bag, not by shovel until you have a total feel for how much a shovel holds. 

If you shovel the mix to different spots there is less brushing.

It's not hitech but very important so that blocks are locked really solidly.

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

4 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Measured by bucket or bag

Useful tip - TY

[Temp]

For small qty I'd use one of those big blue flexible buckets and a plasterers whisk in a drill.

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

a plasterers whisk

Does that work for sand and cement?

 

For a large area I'd use our cement mixer, but it's dreadful for getting loads stuck to the rear and the paddles.

Edited 6 hours ago by saveasteading

[Oz07]

3 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Does that work for sand and cement?

 

For a large area I'd use our cement mixer, but it's dreadful for getting loads stuck to the rear and the paddles.

The best thing about slurry you could pretty much add the wash out contents of the mixer to the slurry.

 

Just use shovel if no mixed. Bit of elbow grease its a sloppy mix anyway. Don't add all your water at the start get it mixed first then keep adding water to get consistency you want. 

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, Oz07 said:

Just use shovel if no mixed. Bit of elbow grease its a sloppy mix anyway.

Not just a building trade trick 😉