Shoutout to the guy who convinced me to try silica sand in my mortar mix

I was always a straight Portland and mason sand guy for like 10 years. My buddy Frank from a job site in Akron kept pushing this silica sand blend for better compressive strength and less cracking. I thought it was just hype. Tried it on a retaining wall last month and the difference in workability is wild. Less shrinkage too. Has anyone else made the switch or got another additive that surprised them?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyf8829d ago

Wait, are you saying you actually noticed a real difference on a retaining wall with silica sand? I ran a test with it a couple years back on a patio slab and honestly saw more cracking than with washed concrete sand. The mix felt sticky and harder to finish, and I had to add more water which killed any strength benefit. Ngl, I think a lot of the hype comes from guys who just want to sell you a premium product, not from actual job site results.

felix14729d ago

Eavesdrop on a salesman talking about silica sand and you'd think it turns concrete into diamond. Forget that, I've tried it on a few retaining wall jobs and the stuff just doesn't play nice. Your patio slab experience sounds like mine with the walls, sticky mix and all. Had to dump in extra water just to get it to flow, and yeah, that pretty much cancels out any supposed strength gain. Someone's gotta ask, is this hype or just a really good marketing budget?