Paver slab mix

Submitted by Pilgrim (not verified) on Mon, 21/06/2010 - 20:18

Top layer of paving slabs gets the most wear. There is a certain mix ratio when making a colored top layer. What is that ratio, including the amount of color powder?

If one is making a paver without color (natural) is the cement content higher, so as to make the top layer more durable?

Submitted by Geoffrey (not verified) on Tue, 22/06/2010 - 13:44

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Your mix ratio will depend on the stone and sand you have locally. There are standard curves and graphs of optimum aggregate size distribution. The CVBT uses cement 9.27kg, red pigment 462 g, sand 10.6 litre, 1/4" stone 21.2 litres, Sika F2 93ml.

Your pigment supplier should be able to tell you about how much pigment you need and advise you on things which affect the color including the dosage. A typical pigment dosage is 5% of cement weight.

The cement to aggregate ratio for a colored mix should actually be a little higher than for a plain mix. This is because the pigment (which is not cementitious) is small in size and increases the surface area which needs to be coated with cement.