Being from Alaska we have made soil cement for decades. But we sprinkle lightly with water then cover with plastic. The sun bakes the cement and stops debri from falling on the cement. It hardens 3 times faster when covering it with plastic. Just check it each day and add water to keep the surface from crumbling until it it completely cured.
This is great! I made small garden paths and I love how it looks. On some of my paths I tamped peagravel down into the soilcement. I just love how it looks!
Hey you know what, I could appreciate this, a lot of us don't have thousands of dollars to pay and have the pros do it, wish I did. I'm trying to do a carport all by myself right now and it's not easy. But I want one so bad that I'm just going to keep trying. That's what we got is TH-cam 💪
I use this dirtcrete as a base for 12×12 pavers at a grade for drainage. It's lasted for 20 years under the pavers. Using broken old cement chunks helps also. Money saver.
looks good for a small patio, I have used portland for a dirt area of parking and slowly added to it and it has been fine for years and many NY winters!
It's called dirtcrete and you would normally till the cement into the top two inches of soil, level, moisten and allow to dry. That way you won't end up with a thin layer of concrete that cracks easily.
@@m.l.miller219 I would have to say it depends on how much concrete you use. You can likely find the directions on line but quanties depend a lot on the soil you're dealing with.
This is a great foundation for laying down flagstone. Buy a pallet of flagstone. Mix up some mortar in a wheelbarrow. Slap it down. Drop in the stone. Smooth out the joints with a trowel. Done!
I personally think that was nothing more than a waste of time and cement! Soil cement mixed as it should would literally flow and self level and within just hours it would be 100% compacted ( as determined by engineers spec) it would then be possible to build on if desired! I realize it’s just a cheep project but it’s not likely to last longer than a season depending on what climate you have!
Cement stabilised soil has been used for a century or more and is a totally legit low cost and medium strength fill material. Increased maximum dry density, reduces plasticity of clayey soils, and increases the bearing capacity. The trick is to realise what it can and can't be used for. I use it personally as a base for laying pavers (an alternative to digging out my clayey soil and replacing with compacted gravel). Just dig up the clay, mix in 10% cement, and compact it back down. Then sand and pavers as normal. The clay stays hard like weak rock even when saturated with water (becomes essentially non-plastic).
Thanks for this. I'm trying to figure out a cost effective way to do my driveway. I like how you pointed out that it looks like natural rock. I think thats a great look and is pretty much exactly what I'm going for. I'll probably start this project late next summer so still have a year to plan. I might do it in sections. Hows your patio holding up? Follow up vid? Glad you did this video and I'm glad I found it, thank you!!!!!
@@TheBlankman Thats great! Yeah I understand I'll have to do additional things besides this to roll a car over it. Your video made me start thinking of things other than standard driveways though. Thanks again!
did you do a follow up video or can you tell me how it held up. With the low spots do you think you could drill a few holes and level the holes individually? I have similar ideas but i also have to consider i live in central Ontario Canada and we get freeze and thaw cycles all winter.
I'm fairly new to this concept but I think if you tilled some sand and Portland mix into it sprayed it down with a hose and took a roller to it you could get a super thick layer that wouldn't chip or deteriorate as fast? How has this held up so far?
I know poured concrete is expensive, but I just can't see this holding up well at all, even for a few years. Save your money, watch TH-cam videos, and mix your own concrete a little at a time, maybe a 10 by 10 square. Hard work but not that much more expensive and a thousand times better. Better if you buy washed sand and aggregate, many pre mix companies offer it, and mix with Portland cement 5 to 1 ratio. If you do use sacked concrete, add about a quarter to half shovel of Portland cement to each 80 lb. Sack of concrete mix. Also same amount of fine sand, will finish much nicer.
i get its a experiment .i dont see the point , road crush will pack like cement if you tamp it with a plate compactor when damp . The other thing i think you may have wanted to accomplish is you can rent a machine that blows on cement . like you see at disny land walls. im not bashing you i try things my self all the time and thats how we all learn and or teach our experiences.
I’m not sure why anyone would do this it looks pretty bad to me I’ve seen other videos as well it just doesn’t look right it looks very bad to be honest I would just get some quickset and do it that way will look much better and I don’t think it’s gonna cost any more money
I hate to throw cold water on your mud pie surface idea but that was a lot of wasted time and money. Mixing portland cement with dirt and only 1/2" to 3/4" thick it isn't going to take long before that is going to crack into little pieces. The hot and cold expansion/contraction is going to destroy it especially if you live in a place that freezes. This is a prime example of getting what you pay for.
Being from Alaska we have made soil cement for decades. But we sprinkle lightly with water then cover with plastic. The sun bakes the cement and stops debri from falling on the cement. It hardens 3 times faster when covering it with plastic. Just check it each day and add water to keep the surface from crumbling until it it completely cured.
Brilliant!
That makes since
can we use it for walls?
This is great! I made small garden paths and I love how it looks. On some of my paths I tamped peagravel down into the soilcement. I just love how it looks!
I love to see people go for it. Good job.
Hey you know what, I could appreciate this, a lot of us don't have thousands of dollars to pay and have the pros do it, wish I did. I'm trying to do a carport all by myself right now and it's not easy. But I want one so bad that I'm just going to keep trying. That's what we got is TH-cam 💪
I use this dirtcrete as a base for 12×12 pavers at a grade for drainage. It's lasted for 20 years under the pavers. Using broken old cement chunks helps also. Money saver.
Bravo!!! I love people who take risks. Great rewards. I love it!
looks good for a small patio, I have used portland for a dirt area of parking and slowly added to it and it has been fine for years and many NY winters!
Thank you! This is kinda the idea I was wondering about and I appreciate the video and the information!
It looks great!
Thankyou so much! this gives me great ideas for walkways around our acreage!
If you want a nicer finish you can always put a concrete skim coat over it later and even stamp it and color it.
It's called dirtcrete and you would normally till the cement into the top two inches of soil, level, moisten and allow to dry. That way you won't end up with a thin layer of concrete that cracks easily.
@@m.l.miller219 I would have to say it depends on how much concrete you use. You can likely find the directions on line but quanties depend a lot on the soil you're dealing with.
It looks really good!!! Don't have to worry about keeping weeds out! Yay!! Those weeks grows back too fast! Thanks for your video!
Thanks matt, helped me on a project I'm working on.
I like that even with the low spots that can be filled in with more dirt and cement , Great idea for next project
This is a great foundation for laying down flagstone. Buy a pallet of flagstone. Mix up some mortar in a wheelbarrow. Slap it down. Drop in the stone. Smooth out the joints with a trowel. Done!
Can’t believe how good this turned out
Good idea, I'm gonna try this and paint it. Thanks!!
Love this video!!!💕
Bunny Guinness says the Japanese do this but with gravel/pea shingle to make a path. Use a tamping plate too.
Great work! A year ago I did 4 x 12 area for my outdoor kitchen base cabinet. Turn out really well and you can be the price!
You should have used some kind of form so you could screed the area level. Or slightly angled away from the house, at least.
I personally think that was nothing more than a waste of time and cement! Soil cement mixed as it should would literally flow and self level and within just hours it would be 100% compacted ( as determined by engineers spec) it would then be possible to build on if desired! I realize it’s just a cheep project but it’s not likely to last longer than a season depending on what climate you have!
Nice work man 😁👍
The Spruce has a decent how to soil cement article. How did you calculate lbs of cement per sq ft?
Can’t imagine this will stand the test of time
Cement stabilised soil has been used for a century or more and is a totally legit low cost and medium strength fill material.
Increased maximum dry density, reduces plasticity of clayey soils, and increases the bearing capacity. The trick is to realise what it can and can't be used for.
I use it personally as a base for laying pavers (an alternative to digging out my clayey soil and replacing with compacted gravel). Just dig up the clay, mix in 10% cement, and compact it back down. Then sand and pavers as normal.
The clay stays hard like weak rock even when saturated with water (becomes essentially non-plastic).
Thanks for this. I'm trying to figure out a cost effective way to do my driveway. I like how you pointed out that it looks like natural rock. I think thats a great look and is pretty much exactly what I'm going for. I'll probably start this project late next summer so still have a year to plan. I might do it in sections. Hows your patio holding up? Follow up vid? Glad you did this video and I'm glad I found it, thank you!!!!!
It’s holding up well. A few cracks developed but overall, I’m very happy with it. I am not sure if it will withstand the weight of a vehicle though.
@@TheBlankman Thats great! Yeah I understand I'll have to do additional things besides this to roll a car over it. Your video made me start thinking of things other than standard driveways though. Thanks again!
I probably would have tilled before throwing down the cement to get all the bark and anything else that didn't need to be there.
How is it holding up after a few years?
I would like to ask ? Are you using pure cement?
Does this prevent or reduce weeds?
3 year update anytime soon?
Look good great idea
Nice ! Is it drivable with vehicules ?
What cultivator?
THIS LOOKS GREAT.
I would like to see it a year from the time it was done
Nice
did you do a follow up video or can you tell me how it held up. With the low spots do you think you could drill a few holes and level the holes individually? I have similar ideas but i also have to consider i live in central Ontario Canada and we get freeze and thaw cycles all winter.
I'm fairly new to this concept but I think if you tilled some sand and Portland mix into it sprayed it down with a hose and took a roller to it you could get a super thick layer that wouldn't chip or deteriorate as fast? How has this held up so far?
Upon further thought it would definitely depend on soil type whether it's sandy or lots of red dirt would make a big variation
Maybe self level would help I love it 😻
its gonna crack all to hell and weeds will start growing through it
I know poured concrete is expensive, but I just can't see this holding up well at all, even for a few years. Save your money, watch TH-cam videos, and mix your own concrete a little at a time, maybe a 10 by 10 square. Hard work but not that much more expensive and a thousand times better. Better if you buy washed sand and aggregate, many pre mix companies offer it, and mix with Portland cement 5 to 1 ratio. If you do use sacked concrete, add about a quarter to half shovel of Portland cement to each 80 lb. Sack of concrete mix. Also same amount of fine sand, will finish much nicer.
Too much water, washing out the cement I would think.
i get its a experiment .i dont see the point , road crush will pack like cement if you tamp it with a plate compactor when damp . The other thing i think you may have wanted to accomplish is you can rent a machine that blows on cement . like you see at disny land walls. im not bashing you i try things my self all the time and thats how we all learn and or teach our experiences.
In a mid-florida off-grid remote property i have the soil is fine sand like sugar. I am wondering how it would perform in a 5:1 ratio or higher?
Only one way to find out!!
Should have rented a landscape rake.
So how is it holding up?
He has a short follow up video showing it in the rain about 16 months later Oct 2021 called, "Soil Cement Update".
How does it look as of May 2022?
it should be a mist of water otherwise you make divits
Half inch? That'll last...
I'm sorry but I can't believe this won't of crazed and cracked and would not even stand to be brushed off
What a mess you will have in the future
Looks a mess now!
To much water
En eru mismunandi litir nauðsynlegir? Ef við veljum og sameinum plöntur af kunnáttu
Should ve mixed with sand
Dumb idea. It will crack eveywhere and look terrible. I would use 1 1/4" washed crushed rock 2" deep. Looks better and takes a beating.
1 to 2 yr. down the road u will have crakes all over it will b better than dirt
I’m not sure why anyone would do this it looks pretty bad to me I’ve seen other videos as well it just doesn’t look right it looks very bad to be honest I would just get some quickset and do it that way will look much better and I don’t think it’s gonna cost any more money
I hate to throw cold water on your mud pie surface idea but that was a lot of wasted time and money. Mixing portland cement with dirt and only 1/2" to 3/4" thick it isn't going to take long before that is going to crack into little pieces. The hot and cold expansion/contraction is going to destroy it especially if you live in a place that freezes. This is a prime example of getting what you pay for.
I feel sorry for your neighbour
Why the masks? Your outside
You don't want to breath the cement powder, it destroys your lungs. See when they dumped it on the dirt.
Cement dust is hazardous to breathe in
@@jacqdanieles They had the masks on long before any cement was in the picture. They're fools, don't attempt to defend them.
@@IRequireMedication timestamp?
@@jacqdanieles I apologize, I must have blanked out for the beginning of the video. I thought they were wearing it for the coof. Sorry boys.
Looks terrible lol 😂
This is just lazy. Looks like rubbish
Like a$$holes, opinions vary.
Hilarious !
@@peterlongfellow3776 I think you missed the joke.
I'm sorry, this looks like crap