How materials are mixed & used

A wide range of materials with varying uses

With such a large amount of materials regularly available and in demand on the market today, it can be hard finding a machine that can mix all of the available options with no trouble at all. Down the page you can see and learn more about a number of popular materials that you may or may not have used or heard of before.

There is one piece of common ground between all of the materials however, all can be mixed in a SoRoTo forced action mixer.

Concrete

Concrete is a building and engineering material that mimics the properties of rock using a simple blend of aggregates, sand, cement and water to create a dense construction material. It is so hard in fact that most people refer to it as artificial rock. Concrete is also used to create strong paving, foundations, cladding, posts, floors, cellars, walls, blocks, slabs, reinforcement, roads, paths and more.

Concrete is best mixed in durable and efficient mixer which has a fantastic mixing capacities and mix quality to ensure a smooth and consistent finished material each time. Concrete is actually used so much around the world that is it just behind water as the most used material on earth.

Cement

Cement is a useful powder material used for binding and hardening materials. It is made using sand or clay, limestone, iron and bauxite. Cement is used for mortar for plastering, masonry work, pointing and more. It is traditionally mixed using a cement mixer.

However, cement is also a substance which can be hazardous to your health if inhaled as it can lead to serious breathing problems such as silicosis. You can learn more about the effects of harmful dust and how to reduce that amount of dust emitted when mixing dry materials in a SoRoTo forced action mixer by reading our blog; Reducing Harmful Dust Using A SoRoTo Dust Controller.

Sand & Cement

Sand and cement is a type of mortar which is most commonly used as a binding or fixing material in applications such as laying concrete slabs, pointing or rendering of brickwork. Sand and cement mortar is most commonly used where small layers of mortar are required, if a layer is too thick it can begin to crack and fall away which is not ideal.

Sand and cement is a fantastic mortar but only after being mixed in the best quality mixer available. With a poor mixer you will not have a smooth and consistent mix but instead a lumpy and unusable material.

Plaster

Plaster is a building material that is traditionally used as a protective or decorative layer over internal walls or ceilings which normally is applied to bare walls before they can be painted, wallpapered or tiled. Plaster can be made from clay, lime, gypsum and Portland cement and mixed together using a top mixer for a fantastic consistent mix each and every time.

Whilst plaster is used in this industry for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions, other uses for plaster include casts for broken bones. Most plasterers opt for a Paddle Mixer to mix their material.

Mortar

Mortar is a thick paste-like material which is created when cement lime, sand and water have been mixed together. More water is used in mortar than in concrete to create its bonding ability. It is used to bind and seal blocks, bricks and stones together when building walls, houses and so much more. Colours can be added to the mortar mix to create a decorative binding material.

Mortar is most effective when mixed in a quality and consistent mixer which provides you with a top mix each and every time you use it.

Lime Mortar

Lime mortar is not as commonly used today as it was in the past. Its main use is the conservation (adding new pointing and render) of older buildings which were built using lime mortar. People had tried using cement mortar but it proved to be incompatible with the existing brick and binding.

Lime Mortar is made using lime mixed with sand and water to produce a pointing. You can see here Organic Plastering using our mixer for lime mortar render on an older house project where they mixed their materials using a SoRoTo 120L forced action mixer.

Tile Adhesive

Tile adhesive is a mortar based material which is used to attach tiles for bathrooms, kitchens and splash-backs for kitchens. The strong material holds its attached tiles in place before grout or other products are used to fill the gaps or seal between neighbouring tiles.

When mixed correctly and well, tile adhesive is the perfect material for use when tiling almost any rooms in a house. Tilers traditionally go for a tub mixer when mixing their materials.

Epoxy Resin

Epoxy resin is a tough coating or sealing used mainly for walls and floors. Sold in two parts (A is the base & B is the hardener), you must mix part A with part B together to create the correct resin for hard flooring. Epoxy resin is used for its hard-wearing, tough, fast drying and easy to apply qualities as well as their attractiveness. You can use multiple colours with resin to create any style or pattern you wish.

Epoxy flooring is particularly popular in the following places: garages, warehouses, balconies and within the pharmaceutical and food industry.

Resin Bound Gravel

An ever increasingly popular material that is used to create a strong, permeable, low maintenance, non-slip, attractive and long lasting surface for driveways, patios, pathways and so much more. Resin bound gravel is created by mixing washed & kiln-dried decorative aggregates with a specially formulated polyurethane-based resin binder (UV or non-UV) in a forced action mixer.

If laid correctly, a SUDS complaint resin bound driveway can last up to 20 years thank to its flexibility (resistance to freeze-thaw) and strength. The mix quantities are important when it comes to resin bound and must be laid quickly and the material begins the drying almost immediately after leaving the mixer.

Screed

Flooring screed is a thin cementitious material which is create by mixing cement and sharp sand similarly to concrete. It is laid on top of existing concrete slab or concrete floor unit. It is mainly used for levelling and smoothing out a floor before laying your flooring such as tiles or carpet. As well as this, screed can be used to cover and protect insulation, underfloor heating and even pipes.

To get the best results from mixing together your cement and sand to create Screed, you need to find a consistent mixer that will provide you with a smooth and even mix with minimal clumping or balling.

Paint

Everyone knows what paint is, a coloured liquid that is applied to paper, pots, walls, ceilings and even the outsides of houses. There are different types of paint for each use which carry their own benefits such as being waterproof, scrub resistant and UV stable. As well as different benefits there are also many variants of paint from matte or gloss finishes to road marking paint or anti climbing paint. When using large amounts of paint it is said that piled paint can be stored in a cold place such as a fridge near no food or drink where it can stay wet for up to a month.

One of the fantastic parts of paint is the ability to create your own colours by mixing two or more paints together. Using mainly primary colours you can add colours together before mixing to create attractive and vibrant paints for many uses.

Resin Bound Gravel Products

Recyled Plastic Landscaping Products

Rough tough machinery

Gravel Retention & Ground Reinforcement Grid

Wood polymer composite decking

Resin bound aggregate specialists

Tools for Resin Bound Gravel Installers