Why you should not buy stale cement

Despite the huge abundance of various building mixtures, ordinary cement has not lost its relevance. A fairly common mistake is the purchase of old stale cement. Often, this is due to the inattention of the buyer or out of ignorance. Consider in this article what the expiration date of this material is, how to properly approach its purchase and what to do with material whose expiration date has already expired.

One of the main indicators of cement is its level of activity, which is displayed by the brand. After time, the activity of the material decreases, which inevitably leads to a decrease in the strength of the resulting solution. On average, monthly activity loss reaches 15%.

It is believed that the storage of material in plastic packaging allows you to save it for a year. The paper ensures the safety of cement for up to two months, and the quick-hardening form, stored in an unpressurized package, loses its properties after 45 days. It is for this reason that even large enterprises do not stock up on a large volume of this material and, moreover, do not purchase already overdue ones. Having bought a 500 grade of cement in a couple of months, even with proper storage, you can get the 400th.

Most often, stores sell this type of material in pre-packaged form. As a rule, these are bags of 25 and 50 kg. Naturally, with a sufficient amount of work, it makes sense to stock up on large bags. However, if there is confidence that not all material will be used up, it is worth purchasing it in small bags and in a small batch. In addition, small ones are easier to overload in the process of delivery and work.

If at the end of the repair work some volume of unexpired material remains, then of course the best solution would be to sell it. In the absence of such an opportunity, it can be easily applied to structures that do not carry a great deal of responsibility. When using stale cement, it is advisable to add a little fresh material to the prepared solution.

To identify large and small stones in old cement, it is recommended to sift the entire available volume before using it.

Cement is a universal and often used in construction material. Its only major drawback is the exactingness of storage conditions and compliance with the expiration date.