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OT - Concrete and Blockwork - anyone in the trade?
mcerd1 - 27/10/11 at 08:30 AM

I've got couple of rows of blocks to build round the bottom of my new shed and quite a bit of floor to lay and I need to get the stuff tomorrow

but I've still got next to no idea what I'm asking for and don't really want to look line an idiot in the builders merchants (well no more of an idiot than normal at least )
there seems to be far too many types of sand out there - am I just looking for 'building' sand for the blocks and 'sharp'/ concreting sand for the floor - or have I got it totaly wrong ???

DixieTheKid - 27/10/11 at 08:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
I've got couple of rows of blocks to build round the bottom of my new shed and quite a bit of floor to lay and I need to get the stuff tomorrow

but I've still got next to no idea what I'm asking for and don't really want to look line an idiot in the builders merchants (well no more of an idiot than normal at least )
there seems to be far too many types of sand out there - am I just looking for 'building' sand for the blocks and 'sharp'/ concreting sand for the floor - or have I got it totaly wrong ???


My company is Hampshire Building Supplies, but im to far away to help out sorry.

Building Sand is for laying bricks & blocks
Plastering is for rendering
Sharp sand / Grit sand is for screed & block paving etc
Ballast is for concrete

Cheapest option on blocks will be a 7n dense 100mm block we knock them out for £6.89 per m2 (69p a block).
Bags of sand etc £1.69 for 25kg or £32.50 for a bulk bag.

Dont forget the VAT!

tegwin - 27/10/11 at 08:56 AM

I tend to find (however humiliating it is) simply going into the builders merchants and asking their advise tends to work. They are in the business of supplying building materials and generally know what they are selling.

This only applies to proper builders merchants where the trade go..the staff there tend to know what they are doing.. unlike say B&Q where the staff dont know a bolt from a machine screw...

mcerd1 - 27/10/11 at 09:07 AM

cheers, its just the basic idots guide like the above I'm after just now - I'm sure I'll still have some stupid questions for them when I go to order it

I've been told that if I ordered a lorry load of concrete I should ask for 'ST4' - unfortunatly I don't think we can do that
but I do have the use of a couple of nice big mixers, so any idea what the equivelent mix would be ?

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
This only applies to proper builders merchants where the trade go..the staff there tend to know what they are doing.. unlike say B&Q where the staff dont know a bolt from a machine screw...

last time I asked anyone in that place they didn't know the difference between really cheap zinc plate and stainless steel...

did find online prices for some of keylines stuff (they have a place nearest to the site) I hope they give discounts otherwise B&Q might be cheaper


[Edited on 27/10/2011 by mcerd1]

JeffHs - 27/10/11 at 12:19 PM

I know exactly what you mean about idiot questions. I send the wife!

Seriously though our local Buildbase has been extremely helpful, never made me or the wife feel like an idiot.

Look at the concrete mixers who deliver and mix on site, rather than readymix. I helped a mate to do foundations at the back of his house. We had to barrow through his garage and couldn't get the truck anywhere near. The truck parked on the road and dropped a wheel barrow load at a time (3 guys 2 barrows) and we only had the concrete we needed. You just need to give them a rough estimate of how much you need. Years ago I used Readymix for a garage base. They dumped the lot on the road and I over-estimated and had a lot left over.