T1IK FARM 



HOLDING. 



119 



Mixing and Laying Concrete Floors. 



A few hints as to how to mix and lay cement concrete, especially for 

 such as pig-sty floors; may prove useful, and are given here in the hope that 

 they may prove so. 



Laying concrete floors requires two distinct operations — first, laying and 

 ramming (lightly) the concrete in position, and then rendering or top- 

 dressing with cement-mortar made of clean sand two parts to one part 

 Portland cement, evenly laid and trowelled hard to a smooth finish. Concrete 

 that is to be so top-dressed must never be allowed to dry before the render- 

 ing is put on, otherwise it will not adhere together, and no floor should 

 be laid in large areas, but in small, easily worked slabs, otherwise the floor 

 is sure to crack in various directions. This is more likely with floors of 

 less than 6 inches thick. 



To lay a concrete floor, say 12 ft. x 10 ft. and 4 inches thick, to be 

 top-dressed (rendered) to a smooth finish, determine the height to the 

 finished surface, and drive in 



pegs at the four corners; with a 



straight-edge or levelling rule, 



laid on the top of these pegs, 



measure down and cut out the 



soil to a hard, even surface, using 



the spade or square-mouthed 



shovel only, 4 inches below the 



fctraight-edge in every direction. 



This will make room for a slab 



of concrete 4 inches thick all 



over. Then divide the area into, 



say, twelve squares of 3 ft. 4 in. 



x 3 ft", as in the accompanying 



diagram, numbered 1 to 12, and 



using boards 4 inches wide, with the upper edges straight, lay one from A to B 



and another from C to D, and drive pegs in the centre space behind them, 



as at e, e, e; then using short boards 3 ft. 4 in. long, place them three on 



each side, as at F, F, F, and fix them in position with pegs as before. Note 



that these pegs are not to be in the spaces to be filled with concrete; it is 



sometimes necessary to have them so, but they must be removed, and the 



holes filled in with cement mortar as soon as possible. 



Having the concrete mixed, fill in slabs Nos. 1, 3, 9, and 11, keeping 

 the surface lightly rammed down \ inch below the edges of the boards, to 

 allow for the top-dressing. These should be allowed to set for, say, twenty- 

 four hours, when the top may be finished off, trowelling hard with a steel 

 trowel for a smooth face, or with a wood float or trowel if required for a 

 rough face. Cut off the corners half V shape ; then take up the short boards 

 and place a strip of strong brown paper against the edges of the finished 

 slabs; fill in Nos. 2, 4, 10, and 12, allow to set, and finish as before, then 

 Nos. 5 and 7, then 6 and 8, and the floor is la:'d in twelve separate blocks that 

 will, if the stuff has been properly mixed and a liberal amount of elbow- 

 grease used, never crack or wear out. The quantities of material required 

 for this floor would be — 



1J cubic yards stone, broken to li-inch gauge. 



I cubic yard clean sand. 



6 bags or two casks Portland cement. 



