382 



Rural Architecture. 



471. Thickness of Floor For most stables where the 

 ground has been well firmed and shaped a thickness of 4: 

 inches of concrete and one-half inch of facing will be 

 enough; for house cellars and for the bottoms of silos 3 

 inches of concrete and one-fourth inch of facing will do. 

 For creameries and milk rooms the concrete better be 4 

 inches and the facing a full half inch, made richer in ce- 

 ment, in the ratio of one to one. 



472. Making the Concrete. The cement, sand and gravel 

 are put together dry on a mixing board and thoroughly 

 worked over, then enough water added to make a stiff paste. 

 The right amount of crushed rock is thoroughly drenched 

 with water and the whole mixed by shoveling until the 

 rock is thoroughly incorporated with the cement 



473. Laying the Concrete The floor of the stable should 

 first be given the proper form and very- thoroughly tamped 

 so that no settling shall occur after the floor is laid. The 

 concrete should be laid in blocks four or five feet square, 

 building alternate blocks first, Fig. 176, so as to give time 



^^^g^E^^yj 



FIG. 176. Shows method of laying cement floors In blocks to prevent 



cracking. 



for setting and prevent a strong union of the blocks. If 

 the floor is not laid in this manner shrinkage cracks will 

 occur. The concrete should be made only as fast as used 



