Which cement is better for the foundation: brand, manufacturer

Many people who are building their own homes are interested in the question of which cement is better for the foundation. This is quite an important aspect, since how much the building stands will depend on the quality of the foundation. This article will discuss the main nuances that should be considered when buying cement.

general information

Nowadays, on the shelves of construction stores you can find a huge number of different brands of cement of domestic and foreign production, so many people just do not know which cement is better for the foundation. When choosing, you should consider many factors, the main among which are:

• strength;
• compatibility with reinforced concrete structures;
• type of construction;
• weight of the future building;
• shelf life;
• availability of quality certificates.

All these parameters affect the quality, strength and durability of the foundation, so when purchasing materials they should be taken into account.

Selection recommendations

What brand of cement is better for the foundation? This question haunts many beginner builders. Portland cement is considered ideal, since a solution prepared on its basis has high strength and excellent resistance to negative environmental factors. As for the choice of a particular brand, it all depends on what type of building the foundation will be poured.

If you want to build a foundation for a drainage system, then you can use materials with low strength, and which cement is better for the foundation of the house? For residential buildings should choose materials whose strength is 2 times higher than that of concrete mix. If you adhere to all construction technologies, the cement must have the strength of the M400.

Overview of the main brands of cement

Today, there are not many brands of cement that are suitable for the construction of residential buildings. If you do not know which cement is best for pouring the foundation, then here is a list of acceptable grades:

• PC M400 D0 - a cementitious mixture from which high-strength cement is obtained, capable of withstanding very large loads and having high resistance to moisture and severe frost;
• PC M400 D20 - cement of good quality and at an affordable price. It is highly resistant to aggressive environmental factors;
• PC M500 D0 is a high-quality binder mixture, in which the cement content reaches 99%. Ideal for pouring the foundation under heavy residential buildings and small production facilities;
• PC M500 D20 is a material that in its properties and characteristics is almost completely identical to the previous one, but with lower strength.

For the foundation on which non-residential buildings will be located, you can use other grades of cement made on a slag basis, but they are not suitable for heavy buildings.

Decoding of Cement Labeling

In order to understand which cement is better for the foundation, the manufacturer does not have absolutely any value, you need to learn to understand the marking. In addition to the brand, the following parameters may be present in the abbreviation:

1. B - cement with rapid solidification. Used on construction sites with a limited construction period.
2. PL is a plasticized binder that can withstand very low temperatures.
3. SS is one of the varieties of cement, which has increased resistance to negative environmental factors.
4. SC - stressful PC with high resistance to moisture and high strength after solidification. It is used for pouring the foundation in the basement, for the construction of houses on complex soils and reconstruction of buildings.

The ability to understand the labeling of cement will allow you to avoid many mistakes in the construction process.

Varieties of concrete additives

In order for concrete or the future foundation to turn out to be strong and durable, and also to have high performance characteristics, certain additives are included in its composition, which can be divided into the following types:

1. Plasticizers allow you to knead the solution with less water, so that the foundation will freeze significantly less in the cold season, will be more durable and durable, and also will not sag over time.
2. Antifreeze additives are used in construction during the construction of houses in cold regions. They allow you to work normally with cement in severe frost.
3. Sealers help to increase the strength of concrete and are used for the construction of walls of small thickness.
4. Strengthening accelerators are used for tight construction periods when it is necessary for cement to gain its strength as soon as possible after pouring.
5. Hardening retarders are used in cases where it is necessary to keep cement in a liquid state for a long period of time, for example, during transportation.

There are also universal additives that combine all of the above properties.

Mixing of concrete: optimal proportions of materials

Knowing which cement is better to fill the foundation is not enough, since it is still necessary to be able to knead it correctly. Good concrete should contain at least 25% cement, however, when preparing the mixture, the manufacturer's recommendations indicated on the packaging should be followed. For the preparation of cement for the foundation, you should choose a brand from M200 and above, since a smaller brand is not able to withstand heavy loads and is unsuitable for building houses.

Good and high-quality concrete with a correctly selected PC consists of one part of cement, three parts of sand and five - gravel. As for water, its amount depends on the brand of building material, however, the minimum volume is 0.4, and the maximum does not exceed 0.65. It is immediately worth noting that these proportions are suitable only if you use high-quality materials.

Kneading process

So, we have already figured out which cement is better for the foundation, as well as in the optimal proportions of materials necessary to obtain high-quality and durable concrete. Now you need to talk about what technology you need to knead, so that the finished mixture is good. All work takes place in the following sequence:

1. First, 4/5 of the water is poured into the concrete mixer.
2. Then crushed stone or gravel is added.
3. Cement and sand are falling asleep.
4. During the kneading, the remaining water is added in small portions.

If you are building in a region with difficult climatic conditions and frosty winters or on a flooded plot of land, then, in addition to the main components, special plasticizers are also added to concrete, which significantly increase its operational properties. It is necessary to add them to the building mix at the very end of the batch, strictly adhering to the proportions specified by the manufacturer.

A few words about the price

What cement is better for the foundation of the house, we now know, but how much will it cost to buy materials? It all depends on what packaging you buy materials. Cement is sold in bags, big bags and by weight. The latter option is the most profitable and will allow you to save a decent amount.

As for the average market prices for CPUs, the purchase of mixtures from well-known brands with high quality and excellent performance will cost approximately 4000-4500 rubles. The exact amount depends on the brand of the mixture and the presence of various additives in it that increase the resistance of cement to water and frost. If you buy in bulk with bags weighing 50 kg, then for a unit you will pay approximately 230 rubles.

Cement from which manufacturers is better?

Which cement is better for the foundation of the bath, and which manufacturers produce the highest quality mixes today? It is very difficult to give an unambiguous answer to this question, since both domestic and foreign materials are on sale. Some experienced builders claim that American and European-made cement is better, but given their high cost, not everyone can afford to buy these mixtures.

Among Russian companies involved in cement production, products of the Novgorod and Borschevsky cement plants, as well as companies such as Sebryakovcement, Mikhailov cement Rusean and some others, are in great demand. All these companies produce high-quality PCs of various brands at affordable prices, so the foundation will not cost you too much.