Aircrete Garden Boxes PART 3.6 - Air Crete Lightweight Foam Concrete from Portland Cement

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

I now have molds ready-to-go here: manabouttools.com/store-plastic-concrete-molds/

[@michaelquattlebaum3200]

I cannot believe the amount of work you have put into this. I feel like you're giving away trade secrets. So much respect.

[@Mopki3]

Best unexpected series. Worth binge-watching.

[@HeavyDemir]

I love that you actually hydrated you aircrete for curing, it seems everyone else neglect that step.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

would sprinkling water work like submerging the panels?

[@HeavyDemir]

@@jeffreydustin5303 A constant mist would be fine, anything you do is better then doing nothing. Seems like a waist of water though, if you dont recycle it. If you can, make a tub from ferrocement :-)

[@leandersmith6184]

Nice to see someone who knows what he is doing, drying the concrete under water. Is the concrete waterproof? And can you do a stress test? See how much weight they can hold? Man you got me going!

[@CraigFaulkner-j1h]

Made several with with your perlite mix just before Covid hit. Used galvanized fencing panels and dimensional lumber. All are in great shape after 3 very hard winters. Miner chips but after being moved several times they are very strong and durable. Switching over to 14” height this fall, bb form ply and steel angle for edge forming. My old forms didn’t weather as well as the planters have. Also switching to 6x6WWF to eliminate waste. My son in law has offered his old milk barn for setting up shop. Adding a home made vibrating table and switching mix designs to save weight. 1/4” pencil rod should work well for locking them together and additional reinforcement along the wings. I’m still working through the reinforcement around the sleeves . I use 9-wire spiraled around the poly sleeves . It works great but hard on the old hands. I’m looking forward to using the air-Crete mix I think is your instruction 3.6 I have a Perlite mine and manufacturer about 40 miles from us that has helped save money and provided some assistance. Thanks for the time and effort you put in to your training and products. After 40 years as a commercial carpenter working with GFRC I wasn’t intimidated by you presented. You have put together the full package! If you want high quality garden planters your service is worth the time and investment. Best tomatoes I’ve had in almost 70 years!

[@stevenstillwell-NC]

The longer I follow this series the more I am convinced to use these cast "box sides" as the stepping face of terracing I will be installing along my road front gardens instead of blocks, bricks, and tree trunks! What convinces me to this direction is the ability to be able to drive longer rebar through the connection points for extra strength against being pushed forward if there is a shift in the slope above the terrace step. Thanks for a great idea, and your continued work to improve on the mix ratio possibilities.

[@dodgeme1986truck]

I would recommend a few changes if used for terracing for example every 2 panels adding a brace that goes into the hillside at a right angle to the wall to help stabilize the wall reinforcing it against the dirt loading as well as you'll need drainage behind the wall/thru the wall to prevent bulging/ blowout out via hydraulic saturation from rain/snow/watering/other forms of precipitation

[@stevenstillwell-NC]

@@dodgeme1986truck thanks for that insight, possibly building the casting forms smaller, 2 to three feet, and putting them in a zigzag pattern with up to 90 degree angles would be beneficial. Also changing the casting form to create weep holes along the bottom edge should help prevent bulging via the possible hydraulic saturation; even with the soil having good drainage and no bulge present with an 8 inch step in the terrace, changing to an increased step could cause a problem with the future remake of the road front gardens. (The old gardens were destroyed by a new sewer project, thus I have a new canvas to work with now.)

[@dodgeme1986truck]

@@stevenstillwell-NC even in good/excellent draining soil as little as 1 foot of terrace height with a very heavy rain can cause problems so yes the weep holes would be good and the zig zag pattern would act as the anchoring bars... been there ran into all those problems before with a neighbors retaining wall (the contractor who put it in was from a warmer climate that didn't freeze and didn't install any drainage behind the wall because the soil was sandy and drained fairly well on its own)...even with the sandy soil behind the wall we had an extreme rain storm (dumped several inches of rain on top of 18 inches of snow we already had that spring with 3 days sub zero directly following) because the sandy soil couldn't drain fast enough it was water saturated when it froze and it acted like a hydraulic ram on the back of the retaining wall causing the wall to fail (for regions that freeze it is highly recommended to add a french drain behind the retaining wall in combination with the weep holes) and in colder climates you'll want to increase the thickness of the panels as well as doubling the reinforcing mesh 1 layer being closer than the half way mark to the face of the panel

[@1982MCI]

@@stevenstillwell-NC that's what we always called a "deadman" when we would do landscaping and would put in wooden timber retaining walls. No matter the height of the wall to be built, you are absolutely correct, weep holes and deadmen are absolutely critical to the longevity of the new wall.

[@burnerjack01]

These panels are GREAT! Totally impressed with the forms. The shape makes me think you could make walls or other structures as well. My only suggestion would be to make a recess in the bottom edge and a matching key on the top edge to make stacking more structurally stable.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

GREAT IDEA. A lego version...

[@reiniertl]

I guess you can always make a mix of pieces. Use the heavy duty ones for the lower level of a tall box so it can withstand the abuse of hard objects such as a trimmer or metal tools and light ones on the top for less weight and reduced cost.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Yes! That's a great suggestion!

[@dodgeme1986truck]

@@MANaboutTOOLS don't forget extra reinforcing and added drain/weep holes/french drains in colder climates

[@Total_Egal]

its not realy the weight what matters if you get it strong enough you could use U shaped reinforcements who reach in the bars on top and bottom to create a 3d formed reinforcement of the elements as perlite gave you i guess 46% ligther modules its more easy to produce and more persistent if you mass produce it as foam. there are also foamglas (or stone i cant find it) perls who have a lot higher strength than perlite and air in it, that together with perlite and glasfibers and csm concrete should give you the highest strenght over all CSM cement with 3d bendet reinforcements who reach to the pipe elemets would be the best for high load modules who can go at the bottom of a raised bed you can even colorcode it with different colors or shades to blend the bottom parts of a raised bed better into the landscape and cover some spatters from rain or grascuttings (and easy to different from the others) @MAn about Tools: i would every time use glasfibers in the mix it makes a hughe different in breaking resistance. and you can use plastic mesh for concrete floors with at least 8mm mesh with as reinforcements instead of the rebars. maybee combined with a single steel bar for length strength against breacking (but i think its not needet with your design) best part is you can cut the plastic mesh to reach into the ears and to the pipes and you dont add steel to the modules who can rust in the long therm just dont use to small mesh width because it will separate the 2 layers of concrete

[@christophersmith8014]

Aircrete will collapse before it sets if it's cast in full sun (at least when it's also fairly warm outside), adding an aggregate like perlite or crushed up aircrete will keep it from collapsing. I guess it has something to do with the solar radiation causes the bubbles in the mix to expand and rise through the extra liquidy mix. There are some cure time and strength advantages to using aircrete pebbles as an aggregate versus solid casting in aircrete. So, you can mix a batch of aircrete and spread it out thin on a sheet of plastic with a notched trowel, then when it sets lift the sheet and let the pieces break up into a pile. You can use these little pieces in place of perlite. You can make these pieces out of a lighter weight mix (a higher foam ratio) and then mix just the pieces 5:1 with cement.

[@JimChunyc]

this is gold.

[@jayp4083]

What a great series ! I look forward to the follow up next year on freeze / thaw durability. Truly fascinating - thank you.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! I'll get these panels out in the garden for the winter and do a follow up video late spring.

[@peace4peaceful]

Very interesting vid. When i was a roofer dish washing soap was banned. It was a great plastiser that was good for a smooth trowl finish. It was banned because too much, caused the finished product to crack. These look pretty cool.

[@george8873]

Really love seeing the process you're going through to make strong but light weight concrete planters. It's cool to see your thought process and the results.

[@rd6614]

Thank you for showing air crete. This looks interesting and I have a lot of new ideas. Now my husband needs to cooperate. Thanks again.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

You are very welcome!

[@tourbike]

Omg! God bless you with the shampoo idea for foam :)

[@godofplumbing]

Your garden boxes are shiny and easy to manage, also no tears.

[@TecnoDesarrollos]

Muchas gracias por tus grandiosos videos llenos de una fabulosa y detallada explicación he visto muchos referentes del aircrete que dicen que se debe dejar secar por 28 días para que tomen su mejor desempeño. Que dices de esto? Será? Muchas gracias de nuevo por tus vídeos. Saludos

[@danymusic8656]

a lo que tengo entendido que es 48 horas , pero me supongo que varia segun el tamaño y grosor de la pieza que se arme

[@SpaceCrete]

Thank you for your mix and process info! An aircrete mix that dense does consume a lot of cement, as it turns out. I guesstrapolated this mix to over ten sacks per cubic yard - twice what normal concrete needs. (15lb/0.42ft^2)*27/94

[@maryfrederickson9400]

Love when you add color!

[@user-hd1qx2bd1r]

Awesome Video Kent, Well done, 56% lighter you say! And still the finish is excellent, this is good information!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks Jim! I appreciate your support! I did a strength test of these panels here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIaWp598gtiNn9U

[@ash_leigh_robyn]

This is bloody genius

[@nutnhorsefarms2586]

Thanks for another informative and entertaining video. This is on the list of things to do in the spring of 2020. You have saved us a lot of time with your experiments and advice. Before your series, I was juggling a lot of ideas, but this makes the decisions easier.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

You are very welcome! Cheers!

[@robertguenther7774]

I really enjoy and appreciate your experiments and your attention to detail.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@imperpekto12ify]

Question... Since this video is a year old, How is the aircrete? Is the crete still good? Can you make a video update of this project? Thank you for sharing this!

[@dennishudson9723]

I do some of these for projects around outside of the house and I like to use colored concrete but the stuff you get in the store hardly makes a dent in the color and is soooo expensive what I do is I go to the paint store in the Bad or unwanted mix section and get latex paint in a color I am interested in and sometimes I can even get a 5 gallon pail of it. I have had real good luck with the latex paint even adding a good amount to some of my concrete and 10 years on none of it has failed or discolored. Just a budget idea for you.

[@custos3249]

Nice. Same principle as using whipped egg whites in cooking. Never would've guessed the surfactants wouldn't cause issues with the curing process though.

[@davidweeks1997]

Nice. I like to rotate the bucket while mixing, changing the effective angle of my mixing.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Yes. That would help. Thanks!

[@axelSixtySix]

According to my humble experience, dyes works better with white cement. Through, the finish is always improved with white cement. As your're not building bridges, white vs grey cement have a comparable strength for your purpose.

[@dushk0]

you can also use it akin to a gelcoat - make just enough white cement with dye to cover the surface of the mould, sprinkle with aggregate/aircete pebbles on top to facilitate adhesion, let dry a bit and pour the filler concrete - that is, if it's worth the hassle to save on white cement and dyes...

[@axelSixtySix]

@@dushk0 I don't get the point: gelcoat is much expensive than white cement and dyes...

[@Imhalfamazing]

1 minute in and I'm captivated. I guess I'll check out 1 and 2.

[@stephenmabry2866]

You're the best at comparing different combinations for these mixes. 1) Did you notice any difference in foam density between your custom foam screen mixer and the Darwin foam generator? 2) Would it be interesting to show a running comparison of total price of a section to weight and durability? ( Should durability imply weight? ) Thank you for being so detailed. I'll give aircrete another shot.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! The Foam Mate seemed to produced a denser foam. And it makes just the amount you need. The foam screen mixer works pretty well but I would have to make more than I need for a batch. The weight of each is very close though. I might need to do a more detailed and thorough test and comparison.

[@DevinHeaps]

You should try elmers glue and borax to the mix. This will create workable synthetic long chain polymer matrix for the cement bonding. It shouldn't take much.

[@bruceb1433]

Devin Heaps would that be a 1:1 ratio?

[@DevinHeaps]

@@bruceb1433 5:1 glue:borax. Make the polymer first. Then add 1:1 to 1:4 polymer:foaming agent, depending on desired weight. Next add all premixed dry cementitious materials to polymer foam.

[@cbpuzzle]

@@DevinHeaps what's the foaming agent you mention? SLS?

[@restezen]

This guy must have a whole warehouse full of these concrete panels now.

[@edwardpropst6049]

After pouring the aircrete gently tap molds with rubber mallet for a few minutes to allow for better exterior surface

[@leonel809valencia]

Gracias por compartir tu experiencia haciendo estos bloques esto es nuevo para mí y creo que tu here’s el mejor que visto gracias 🫡

[@TheCyberHippie]

Adding arcrylic concrete adhesive/fortifier might be the ticket to preventing cracking.

[@lagunafishing]

Try painting or coating your box with cement dye and sprinkle a bit on the top too. You will achieve a much better colour surface finish that way.

[@AlehandrosArhangelos]

To save on the cost for coloured cement you do not need to colour the whole batch, the middle won't be visible anyways. you can either poor it in sections and put uncoloured cement in the middle but you still have edges without colour, you can use coloured cement to "paint" the block later and this makes it even cheaper.

[@fodank]

Hi Kent, great video. I subscribed because of your professional production on all levels. Thumbs up, too. Thank you. Cheers, D.

[@byron3453]

Dude that’s awesome. I’ve been thinking about getting a aircrete setup for a while. I had the feeling it would take some dialing in

[@frankligas2249]

Thanks for the video. On the string trimmer durability subject, my thought would be to add some surface hardening. The main point to aircrete is to add complexity to the fabrication with the payoff of cost savings in the way of using less concreate. If you don't save a significant amount of money in concreate, then there is no logic in adding the complexity in fabrication. The durability loss of the aircrete mix is a subtraction in value to total cost of ownership in that a string trimmer can degrade the material through wear and tear. I would just attack the wear and tear problem as a separate problem. One proposed solution would exist for those that access to streams or rivers in the norther latitudes. Small river rock, also known as pea gravels, are free and available and can be freely harvested for small home scale projects. I would suggest adding a thin layer of sand and smooth pea gravel to the mold first, then add the aircrete. Once the aircrete sets, the gravel and sand embedded in the surface of the garden box would absorb and deflect the impacts of the string trimmer without allowing the string trimmer to "dig into" the surface of the garden box. Also, this adds material that should be free of cost, also reducing the cost of the overall project slightly. If you live in an area where there is no free and easy access to river gravels, I would recommend looking for an alternative material. There is also another benefit in that this could add a decorative surface.

[@friendlyoldbum9182]

Or a thin layer of cement with no foam in the bottom of the mold

[@dushk0]

@@friendlyoldbum9182 or more sand and plasticiser

[@FedericoDecara]

Perhaps a super-plasticizer would allow for quite a bit less water with same viscocity, giving a stronger concrete?

[@ScooterFXRS]

Well a right proper job again, Kent. Very nice of Darwin to supply you with his foam generator. I think this helped make the difference in this episode. Looking forward to your next episode. Sidenote: I think you did a good job keeping the music subtle in the back ground. I have seen videos where it just over powers the narration going on. 🖖

[@CraigFaulkner-j1h]

Made several with perlite, galvanized fencing and

[@anakamhi7097]

I wish there was premade forms since i don’t know anything about building them 😣 total newbie. Thanks for this video it’s incredible and you give amazing instructions!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! See my super simple form here: manabouttools.com/super-simple-concrete-garden-boxes-part-1/

[@btCharlie_]

I'm sure the single-vs-double wire durability difference would come up only after months if not years of usage and after several temperature and humidity cycles, e.g. days and nights, summers and winters. That is, if there is one big enough to notice.

[@Lumens1]

I would recommend adding powdered lime to your curing tank until the solution is fully saturated to prevent the water from sucking lime out of your concrete panels

[@chadwessels1441]

I work in a lab testing concrete cylinders and I highly recommend excess lime in your tank as well.

[@gaurasells]

@@chadwessels1441 How much lime to add to what size tank? For example a tank of 5' x 5' x 6" deep [12.5 c.ft. water] would need _____# of lime. Thanks.

[@chadwessels1441]

@@gaurasells the rule of thumb is to add enough lime until you get some that doesn't dissolve. You need an excess in the solution.

[@michaelparr4329]

Hey Ken ever thought about instead of a recess make a router template and make a protruding design on side, in the spring I'm going to try a inlayed diamond design on mold

[@21bayha]

Thinking about making an out door table top with this mix! Thanks for the video it was great

[@Alan_Hans__]

I'm inspired to make aircrete now. I'd like to have a go at adding all the ingredients by weight into a bucket and foaming in place.

[@psargaco]

Kudos for the SI units

[@oOYoungy93Oo]

This is super helpful. Thank you so much for making this video :)

[@brocky78]

be good if had recess on each one lip half inch maybe either side top/bottom for stacking make nice fence maybe!

[@davidarnds3831]

Beautiful Work and Presentation. Thanks

[@ScooterMLS1960]

Your videos, skills of presentation, and subject are well done and very interesting. I just wish my skills of follow through were an equal.

[@drumsonfire2point0]

amen brother

[@Liberallez]

@@drumsonfire2point0... Sister...;-)

[@drumsonfire2point0]

Amen Sister!! I stand corrected!

[@4funksakes]

Thank you for all of the work you did on this.

[@rrboyd10]

man really great explanation. I will give this a shot!! well done!!.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!!

[@philindeblanc]

I would add some Elmers glue to that mix as a binder, like the Sika milky additives they sell. You can also make foam with a $15 auto washing spray foam canon. Wonder if you can simply add Polyisocyanuric foam board material(broken in a mixer) vs ther Perlite.

[@leshumphrey8114]

How about adding a fibreglass resin into the mix, not sure how that would work with aircrete mix but it works well with standard mix. I guess some of the weight advantage would be lost but the added strength could be used to reduce the thickness.

[@that_guy_right_there_2945]

Can't wait to try my own experiment as well without going too crazy LOL. Planing to use AIRCRETE, Fritz-Pak Concrete Superplasticizer Additive, Akona Liquid Air Entraining Admixture, Owens Anti-Crak Concrete Fibers May also use Fly Ash, Slag, or Silica Fume on future builds.

[@mikegrant8490]

It may be cheaper to purchase bagged colorant and custom make your shades. A bag of the powdered Quikcrete color is about ten bucks and makes enough when mixed with water to color 80 pounds of bagged type N mortar. You may even find it cheaper at a brick supplier than at a big box store.

[@jeffbee6090]

appreciate and love your consistent follow-up perfection of these cement panels!

[@krap101]

Using great stuff or those foam microbeads that go in bean bags and such might be interesting

[@nelsonx5326]

Aircrete, never heard of it before. Cool vid.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! It's very interesting stuff for sure.

[@terrypower1940]

Have you considered to use mostly foam with fibre but also a small amount of gravel. A trade of of some addition of weight for a potentially increased strength? The permutations could be endless but its worth a thought?

[@2shay337]

I wonder if using the double stacked raised beds inside a greenhouse? work? using the lava or vermiculite panels on bottom and the air crete panels on top...fill inside with old wood, limbs, leaves, etc. last remaining 10-12" with good compost for planting make it all longer lasting.

[@OrbitRex6215]

Thanks for your great videos

[@aliciaalfonso5486]

try the perlight with portland and foam

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

They make a cheap attachment for pressure washers called a 'Foam Blaster' that produces a very thick, sticky foam for cleaning cars.

[@impactajuvenile]

You know of any brand names for us? Thanks

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

@@impactajuvenile can't compare brands, never used one, but Ryobi makes one.

[@SCComega]

I want to see how one of these would hold up if you replaced all of the common aggregate with light weight volcanics and chopped glass fiber.

[@basherkp3119]

Thank your sir, this video is very much Informative, but i would like to know more about industrial foaming agent.

[@jesterprivilege]

What if you added a small amount of full strength mix to the exterior facing panels of your mold, just enough to give them the strength to resist the edger string. I imagine it would help, without adding too much extra weight.

[@magicone9327]

How about using piano type hinges mortised in on the long sides so ya don't need to screw them at all? The ends can be fit with no attachment other than using hinges of correct size and type with removable pins. Attach the butt hinges onto the outside corners so as to be somewhat tight but still able to remove pin for stripping after done with the pouring of Crete!

[@lucv6128]

First of all, very nice job. Thanks so much for sharing. I wonder about an idea about aircrete : why don't we put shampoo, water glass fiber, perlite and cement together, THEN make a "ready-to-poor" foam using the FoamMate, that we could poor directly in a huge mould....to make a dome house ????

[@prototype9000]

I found a handful of paperpulp reinforces much better than fiberglass

[@B30pt87]

Weighing the ingredients is good. I've also seen people scratch circles onto a large tile, to check the liquidity of the finished mix. You pour some of the mix into the center, then time it to see how fast it spreads (i.e., how many of the circles it spreads out to in a given amount of time.) I'm still curious as to why you add perlite though.

[@juannicolini471]

Maybe you can pour a half inch of regular concrete, and then fill the rest with aircrete for higher strength on the surface, the double armour reinforcement sure will make more resistent to flexion and traction efforts

[@MakunaRGBIC]

Could you try some more destructive tests, like simulating the effects of heavy items being dropped on them (like bag of rocks) or dragged across them (like a shovel or hoe)? Or even the ability to hold the weight of human if not securely mounted (only mounted on the ends).

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

I've been thinking about that for a while. It's tough to go and break something you made and like. Been throwing around the idea of a Patreon video for the destructive tests to offset some of the costs involved. Thoughts?

[@Omegaman3]

@@MANaboutTOOLS I was wondering the same thing about strength testing - not so much about beating them up with tools, but the ability to span gaps and support weight. I would not suggest that you do it to your garden box panels, maybe simple flat rectangles - perhaps like concrete 2x4s. Personally, yeah, I'd support a Patreon video for that.

[@rlund3]

Wow. I got excited when I saw this post..

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!

[@jimw7043]

Awesome. I wonder whether a foam gun that is used with a pressure washer to spray foam on a car would work. You fill a 16 ounce bottle with dish soap and attach it to your pressure washer. I'm thinking fill up a bucket full of foam.

[@davidanderson1652]

Air Crete is so interesting to me, i cant wait until we are allowed to incorporate it home construction. Have you tried spraying the molds with a thin coat of standard high strength mix from a hopper gun, to create a smooth hard shell?

[@endlichdrin]

Hi Kent, I would love to see a video giving an overview over your different boxes built, with weight comparisons, durability evaluations, cost(!) and so on. And one more thing from an engineering point of view: How would you change the design in order to use the pieces for a compost structure? Cheers,

[@dodgeme1986truck]

Added thickness for strength, weep holes near the bottom (to let the juices run out and da worms crawl in), extra reinforcing mesh/heavier gauge mesh (more strength), using straight concrete(more strength), and anchoring it extra deep/splayed entry (prevents the entry side from bowing out), making each panel 4 lugs high (think double sheer more strength) these are the thing I can think of for building a concrete compost bin/yard materials bin.

[@evilroyslade2491]

@@dodgeme1986truck Just curious, What's 4 lugs high mean?

[@dodgeme1986truck]

@@evilroyslade2491 phone cut it 4 lugs high walled

[@lethalmindninja]

This might be a stupid question, but could you first pour a small amount of 'normal' concrete into the mold so that the facade is more dense and durable and then pour the aircrete on top?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

That's possible. But, I haven't tried that yet.

[@jenniewilliams1668]

fantastic work!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! These panels worked out well.

[@Bob_Adkins]

Gotta watch stirring perlite violently. The beaters will grind some of the perlite to a fine powder and you'll lose some of the lightness.

[@KrazyDiamondBar]

Really fantastic and thank you for exploring aircrete options. I checked out your earlier vids and your jig vids are great. Thanks again for awesome valuable content for other DIY'ers. Please keep up the testing and please share. I wanted to use a similar approach to make skirting for a raised home or faux stone siding panels and still am a bit unsure 1) concrete foam consistency / ratio to withstand some projectile like a rock from the weedeater/ lawnmower or a runaway basketball 2) appropriate minimal thickness for strength and resistance as a siding panel 3) how does the aircrete cut with a simple saw or concrete blade tool? Extreme chipping and crumbling?

[@thomasseath6672]

Thank you sir for these demonstrations of yours to do with the various ways of making these concrete panel sections. And I like the ones to do with using the foam mate methods. And so my question is this. Can these methods such as with the foam mate compounds be suitable for using as garden concrete blocks, as one would make when needing to put in a concrete pad some where say for a garden shed floor as I am going to do one more concrete pad in my back yard, which is rather small, and the dimensions would be about two meters wide by 3.5 meters long by 200 ml high.? Again my thanks for your efforts.

[@karlharvymarx2650]

It would be more work, but maybe you could use a thin layer of the high portland on the front surface for durability and the very foamy stuff poured over it for lightness.

[@bootmenow]

What about using concrete sealer on the surface, would that help with durability? Thanks for the great videos

[@jewdd1989]

Beautiful garden boxes!!! Is csa cement a lime product? Fingers crossed you’ll try lime and remove cement/concrete entirely... I’d love to see what either hydraulic or hydrated lime mixed with an aggregate like pea gravel or perhaps crushed brick plus the white volcanic ash/pebbles would create for a nice Roman Concrete garden panel!!! I just love limestone, the LimeCrete floors that are becoming popular are beautiful. They have that true lime color yet are smooth like concrete and I’ve seen both indoor and outdoor uses for it... it’s just how and what to mix to create strong, environmentally safe blocks or pavers, etc that I’m unsure about. See my research tells me the best lime is crushed either from lime stone or fossils and/or shells, heated by fire and then slaked or rehydrated with water to make a LimeCrete after adding additional materials... I don’t want to have to do that in order to make Lime blocks. So I’m curious about store bought hydraulic lime or hydrated lime if it would be suitable or possible in creating outdoor pavers or garden boxes!

[@HeritageStoneworks2]

I wonder if applying a liquid densifier/hardener to the outside surface would increase the durability for your weed whipper test. Hopefully giving you the lightweight as well as the longevity of th eplanter

[@doubledarefan]

Why not do the line trimmer test on the back of the panels❓ It would let you use the panels without any damage showing. Use them all in the usual manner to find out how they will hold up thru the winter.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

I think there may be a difference in density from the inside and outside of the panel. And my thinking was the outside would need to take more abuse.

[@Howie47]

I'm doing similar project, starting with skirting for my Mobile Home. First test piece is up, 48 x 32" only 1 inch thick. with fiberglass window screen in middle and heavy brown painters paper on back. What kind of release are you using? I had the same concern with trimer line. Was going to put discarded tiles along the bottom. But my free supply fail through. Might be worth buying cheap ones to both decorate and add hard shell against trimers.

[@firesurfer]

I like the idea of using old tile to harden the bottom edge. I am redoing a bathroom, and hate the idea of throwing out the old tile. The tile is coming off with little effort because of water damage.

[@roberttorres809]

Would love to see air Crete with Helix in the mix!!!

[@tariqsugati1612]

V nice I wish if u made regidity test

[@EducationEarly23]

Thanks for your videos

[@priyanthakumara3282]

Very good and very nice bro

[@danwerkman]

Great Informative videos, I have certainly learned a lot. I am in the process of making the forms to cast concrete bee hives. Unfortunately aircrete is not really a option for me, but from your experience knowing that these hives will be pretty static what ratio perlite would you recommend to try and insulate as best possible( Also not sure on wall thickness) . I will use chopped fiber for strength as well as some wire. Thank you

[@lornevirgin410]

Have you tried coating the exterior portion with something like a paint on bed liner material? I wouldn't want it on the inside with vegetables but it might add tremendously to the wear resistance of the exterior.

[@jnajjar2687]

I heard that aircrete has excellent insulating qualities. I wonder how this would affect late season gardening and keeping the soil warmer thus extending the growing time?

[@jerry-cw9yw]

just the nature of growing, no. dependant on your location, yes

[@davidcarpenter542]

Wonderfully done video .

[@hanumantsakat8909]

Very nice and helpful I amm also working on pre engineered structures