Because sand is used in mortar and concrete for many important parts of the house, including the foundation, concrete for the tie columns and bond beams.
Sand is also used to bond the blocks in the walls.
Given its importance, how would you determine a good quality and the best type of sand used for building a house?
Characteristics of a Good Quality Sand:
- Grey in color
- Clean and free from mud
- Not mixed with rubbish, wood bits, or roots
- Not too fine (particles are not too small)
Avoid using beach sand. Beach sand has salt, which corrodes steel. If beach sand is used for reinforced concrete, the steel will rust and expand, causing the concrete to crack and making beams and columns weaker and weaker until they fail or collapse.
Look at the effect of using beach sand in a concrete floor:
In the photo above, the concrete cracks and disintegrates due to the use of beach sand. This concrete is returning to powder. The only action possible at this point is to dig it out and to start again, wasting time, money and resources.
How to check a good quality and clean sand?
To check that the sand is clean and does not contain mud, put a cup of sand in a plastic bottle, add water, shake it up, and let it settle for 4 hours. If the water is clear, the sand is good and clean.
If the water is cloudy, the sand is not of good quality. It won't bond well with the cement, and the mortar or concrete will not be strong.
So, when you're planning to build a house or a concrete structure, make sure you use a clean river sand or a crushed sand.
- https://www.affordablecebu.com/
So, when you're planning to build a house or a concrete structure, make sure you use a clean river sand or a crushed sand.