A Guide To Soil Cement Patios and Decks

A blog about maintaining a patio or deck with soil cement.

Soil cement is a construction material that is used for many different building applications. The soil cement mixture is made up of a combination of soil and cement, and it is formed by adding water to the mixture to create solid slabs out of it. When this mixture is compacted, it becomes very hard and solid, much like concrete.

Soil cement has been used for many years to construct driveways, sidewalks, patios, and decks. It does not require much labor in order to be constructed, which makes it an ideal choice for home owners who wish to use it as a do-it-yourself project. Soil cement can be used for flooring surfaces inside your home as well as outdoors.

A Guide To Soil Cement Patios and Decks

Soil cement is a rigid but flexible paving material that combines soil and cement to create a strong, waterproof surface. It is used to construct paved walkways, driveways and patios. Soil cement can be colored or textured and is commonly used in conjunction with other paving materials to create decorative borders or accents.

Soil cement is not appropriate for every condition. It can crack if the soil underneath settles or shifts. It is also susceptible to damage from salt, acids, petroleum products and water if proper precautions are not taken.

A soil cement patio or deck can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer with little difficulty. A wide variety of design options are available in terms of texture, color and pattern. The most difficult part of installing a soil cement patio or deck is ensuring that the ground underneath is properly prepared to prevent future settling or cracking of the soil cement surface.

Soil Cement Basics

A Guide To Soil Cement Patios and Decks Soil cement is a mixture of Portland cement, natural soil, and water used to form a hard, semi-rigid paving surface. It is most often used in highways or as a sub-base for asphalt or other forms of paving, but it can also be used as a cheap stand-alone paving surface for driveways, sidewalks, patios, or the like. It has been around since at least the 1930’s when it was originally developed as a construction material to build roads with in rural areas where money was scarce and good gravel was hard to find. In recent years its use has declined somewhat due to environmental concerns over the Portland cement component. However, it is still well liked by some homeowners who have experience with it due to both the low cost and ease of construction. Soil cement is usually formed in place using conventional earth moving equipment such as scrapers, dozers or graders. A typical mix consists of 1 part Portland cement to 5 parts soil by volume. Moisture is added to the mix (usually between 10% and 20% by volume) and the entire mix is tilled into a uniform consistency before compacting.

A soil cement patio or deck can be installed by a professional contractor or a do-it-yourself homeowner. A patio or driveway made with soil cement is similar to a gravel driveway or patio but is more permanent and durable. Soil cement is made by adding water to the top layer of soil, mixing it well, rolling it out flat and tamping it down. The process of making soil cement can be labor intensive but the end result is an affordable outdoor surface that will last for years with minimal upkeep.

Soil cement will stand up to rain, snow, standing water and hot summer days without cracking like concrete. It can be left in its natural gray color or it can be stained any color you choose. The surface of soil cement can be smoothed out for a patio or left more rough for a deck surface. The final product is about 3/4″ thick and costs less than $1 per square foot to install.

For large areas such as patios and driveways, consider using a rototiller to mix the top layer of soil with water and Portland cement powder (the amount of Portland cement depends on the condition of your soil). Then use a roller to compact the mixture into place. For smaller areas such as walkways or decks

In a word, yes.

Soil cement is a mixture of Portland cement, natural soil, and water used to form a hard, semi-rigid paving surface. It is most often used in highways or as a sub-base for asphalt or other forms of paving, but it can also be used as a cheap stand-alone paving surface for driveways, sidewalks, patios, or garage floors. It is different from conventional concrete in that the typical mix contains no coarse aggregate. The gravel content of conventional concrete is replaced by soil in soil cement.

Soil cement is not to be confused with soil-cement grout. Soil-cement grout is a mixture of Portland cement and water that can be mixed with native soils to form a strong structural foundation material when properly placed and compacted. The difference between the two applications has more to do with the amount of water added to the soil than anything else.

Soil-cement is a mixture of Portland cement, natural soil, and water used to form a hard, semi-rigid paving surface. It is most often used in highways or as a sub-base for asphalt or other forms of paving, but it can also be used as a cheap stand-alone paving surface for driveways, sidewalks, patios, or garage floors.

If you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to concrete or asphalt pavement, consider using soil-cement. The material is easy to install and maintain and it can be molded into many different shapes and sizes. The material will last decades with minimal care. Soil-cement works well on flat surfaces that don’t need to bear heavy loads (the weight of compacted soil-cement is roughly equivalent to the weight of concrete).

Installing soil-cement is simple and doesn’t require special tools or skills. You can also make repairs to existing soil-cement surfaces without calling in a contractor. This blog will tell you everything you need to know about proper installation and maintenance of soil cement surfaces. We’ll discuss tools, techniques, materials, and safety concerns.

Soil cement construction is a method for building hard-wearing surfaces with inexpensive, widely available materials.

Unlike concrete, soil cement does not use portland cement as its binding agent. Instead, the binder is a combination of water and soil that has been mixed well enough to develop a sort of gel that holds the soil particles together.

Soil Cement Guide:

What is Soil Cement?

The name “soil cement” can be confusing because it is not a mixture of soil and commercial cement. Instead it uses the natural binding properties found in some clays.

When mixed with water, these clays produce a gel that binds together the sand and gravel particles in the mix without using any commercial cement. The process used to make soil cement is called “stabilization”.