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Message
Dry pour advice....
Posted on 7/14/25 at 1:16 pm
Posted on 7/14/25 at 1:16 pm
I've got an open circular area in my patio slab that used to have a tree in it. I removed the tree an dug out some dirt. My plan is to put some crushed stone in there, some wire mesh, and pour dry concrete to match the rest of the slab and water it down. The hole is about 8' in diameter and i would make the concrete about 4 inches thick. I would then tile over the whole patio with slate. Do you see any potential issues with the dry pour method in this application? it would save a lot of time not mixing 30 bags of concrete.
7
Posted on 7/14/25 at 1:57 pm to theliontamer
Your slate wouldn’t have a chance. I would hesitate to even put porcelain tiles on such a questionable substrate.
Posted on 7/14/25 at 2:07 pm to 9rocket
You really think it would be that weak? Or it would just definitely crack?
Posted on 7/14/25 at 2:18 pm to theliontamer
if you went 6” deep that’s pretty much a yard of concrete…depending on where you are I bet you could order a short load to pour. 30 bags is a lot to deal with
Posted on 7/14/25 at 7:53 pm to theliontamer
That's a lot of work and money to save a few bucks on a concrete guy.
I'd go work a couple extra days in the month and get a concrete guy, but my side gig stuff pays more than concrete guy money.
I'd go work a couple extra days in the month and get a concrete guy, but my side gig stuff pays more than concrete guy money.
Posted on 7/14/25 at 8:22 pm to theliontamer
my father made a large retaining wall by dry stacking quickcrete. It works and is holding but the sacks all have large cracks in them. Its like something that happened from not being wet mixed. Just like the cracking when clay dries out.
This post was edited on 7/14/25 at 8:23 pm
Posted on 7/14/25 at 8:46 pm to theliontamer
quote:
it would save a lot of time not mixing 30 bags of concrete.
Rent a machine called a mud mixer.
Plug it in...connect a water hose...turn it on...dump bags in the top and concrete comes out the chute.
You can get 30 bags done in less than an hour.
Enlist a helper to keep up with the machine.
Posted on 7/14/25 at 10:34 pm to theliontamer
quote:
pour dry concrete
Well, for one I think you mean cement.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 7:42 am to LootieandtheBlowfish
Couple of things here. Dry bags of concrete are not cement. They are concrete - which is a mixture that contains cement. Part of the mixture of concrete is water. Water is what starts the chemical reaction and causes the binder (cement or cementitious material) to form a paste and bind to the aggregate. I've been in the industry over 20 years and I would never do a "dry pour". Also - weather you do a "dry pour" or mix bags or get a ready mix truck to deliver some to your house, it will crack. It will almost always crack. You can limit that and control where it cracks sometimes, but sometimes it will just do what it does - which is crack.
This post was edited on 7/15/25 at 8:01 am
Posted on 7/15/25 at 8:56 am to lsuchip30
quote:
Part of the mixture of concrete is water.
So quickrete is not concrete, see. It’s mostly cement with some gravel and sand.
I was just being a smart arse.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 10:14 am to lsuchip30
Well don't you think it would be worth the risk to do the dry pour in this application. It'll be about $200 in concrete bags and I can do it myself in a day. This is for a seldom used fenced in patio on the side of the house. Only thing on it will be a patio table. It would be impossible to get a concrete truck back there. I can let it settle and cure for as long as needed. And i dont really care if it cracks or looks bad in the future. The mud mixer would be great, but i would still have to lift every single bag into it, spread it out, and vibrate it a little. Plus go pick up the things and haul it to and from my house. What do you think it would ballpark cost to hire a concrete guy? roughly half a yard of area.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 1:19 pm to theliontamer
Pay to have them deliver and drop off as close to the project as possible. And make sure you follow the wait time and amounts when watering. Don’t rush and overwater. Watch Cajun Country Living on YouTube.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 4:39 pm to theliontamer
quote:
Well don't you think it would be worth the risk to do the dry pour in this application.
Not being a smartass... but it sounds to me like you are going to do the dry pour no matter what any here says. Even concrete guys.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 6:26 pm to MemphisGuy
quote:
it sounds to me like you are going to do the dry pour no matter what any here says
BTW, "dry pour" is not a thing, no more so than "dry brine". OP if you want to dump dry concrete mix in a hole, go for it. just be mindful that concrete mix doesn't "dry" after a pour, it sets. its a chemical reaction that requires water.
good luck
Posted on 7/15/25 at 7:02 pm to theliontamer
quote:
The mud mixer would be great, but i would still have to lift every single bag into it, spread it out, and vibrate it a little.
Myself and my brother-in-law (10 years older than me) did 35 bags in 45 minutes on our first use. The mud mixer has a cutting blade on the top...drop the bag center on it and it will split in 2 pretty easily.
Put some rebar or wire in the area, lifted off the ground, mud mixer until full and smooth it out...call the job finished and done right. The mud mixer will fit in the bed of any truck...I actually unloaded it by myself but another person makes it a lot easier.
Use 60lb bags and it's also easier...you just need more bags.
Or dry pour.
Posted on 7/16/25 at 6:17 am to DMAN1968
Another term used is Ready Mix concrete. Trucks are commonly referred to as mixer trucks. Because concrete is a mixed product containing multiple raw materials. What you get in a bag is a basic combination of a couple of raw materials. Nothing wrong with getting bags and mixing them with water in a small mixer - or even a wheelbarrow using a shovel. But - you do not get a consistent chemical reaction throughout your mixture of raw materials unless you mix the entire mixture with the proper amount of water. I know that I am using the terms mix and mixture a lot here, but they are ingrained into my brain. More than 2 decades in the business and I would never "dry mix" anything - not a sidewalk, curb, patio, something that won't ever get touched - nothing. Concrete is a mixture and part of that mixture is water and it needs to be mixed fully. Even in ready mix trucks the concrete needs to be mixed properly - I have been on jobs where trucks were held up because the job was too close to the plant and the drum had to hit 75+ revolutions before the mix was deemed proper.
I have seen a bit of that Cajun Country Living Dry Pour youtube videos. I remember saying out loud to myself - this is about the dumbest bunch of bullshite I have ever seen.
I have seen a bit of that Cajun Country Living Dry Pour youtube videos. I remember saying out loud to myself - this is about the dumbest bunch of bullshite I have ever seen.
This post was edited on 7/16/25 at 7:53 am
Posted on 7/16/25 at 8:46 am to lsuchip30
There are typically two types of concrete batch plants - dry batch and wet batch (central mix). I know - much larger scale than your typical back yard pour but it helps to understand the process. A dry batch plant loads proportions of the dry raw materials (according to a mix design) into a mixer truck then water is added to the truck - the truck acts as the mixing apparatus mixing the concrete and starting the chemical reaction process. A wet batch (or central mix) plant has a drum on the plant where those materials and the water are mixed in that drum then placed into a dump truck (or mixer truck). What I am getting at is that water is a very important material in a concrete mix - and the mixing process is important as well. You can't just dump a mixture of dry materials into a box and spray the top with water and expect it to do what it is supposed to do. The proper chemical reactions are not taking place. Part of the mixing process is agitating the aggregate and mixing while the chemical reaction is taking place with the cementitious material and the water to create the paste that then bonds all of that aggregate together. It isn't concrete if it is not properly mixed with the correct proportion of water.
Posted on 7/16/25 at 1:01 pm to lsuchip30
I have done dry pour with good results. soak the ground prior to putting down anything. I put 1/2 mix in and watered it then the rest and watered top.
Posted on 7/16/25 at 2:56 pm to theliontamer
(no message)
This post was edited on 9/11/25 at 8:49 pm
Posted on 7/16/25 at 4:15 pm to MrBobDobalina
I’ve mixed 28 bags in a wheelbarrow by myself in an afternoon. Use a 5 gal bucket marked with a line to measure the correct amount of water for each batch. I recommend buying the little packs of water reducing admixture to make it easier to mix and finish.
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