Soil Cement - Simple & Cheap Home Application [Homemade]

www.mylittlehomestead.com/soil...
/ therealmylittlehomestead
"Moving from the City to the Country"
Making a dirt/soil cement slab at home.
Ingredients:
1/2" Portland Cement
3 1/2" Dirt
Water
Tools Needed:
Tamper (10" or larger)
Rototiller (Rotor Tiller)
Directions:
Pour approximately 1/2" of cement on slab/porch area.
Roto Till down 4" to mix while spraying with water (moist not sloshy).
After cement & soil are mixed, level and tamp.
Allow to cure slowly by sprinkling it with water periodically for a few days.
Do it yourself! :)

[@lensmith189]

I work in Roads and Bridge Construction. I worked in Orlando for 21 years with Orange County there. We used a soil cement base exclusively as a 12 inch road base and then asphalt over it. The road is designed to last 20 years. Every road that we have broken up after 20 years, the soil cement looks like it will last another 20 years. Excellent stuff. However if you plan on parking an RV or other heavy trucks or equipment, I suggest an 8 to 12 inch thick soil cement base in lieu of 4 inches. Make sure you are well compacted underneath.

[@chrismcginn2]

rebar in there with that 12 inches?

[@maxmillahirungu4210]

Csn someone use it in the house

[@survivalistor6195]

​@@chrismcginn2no rebar in soil cement. The bond of the cement mixture would be weaker than the strength of the rebar. This would actually cause the pad to break sooner.

[@greatcars4-sale]

I never knew this, wow great way to save money on a long driveway

[@lensmith189]

@@chrismcginn2 no. Rebar. It cracks cross sectionaly by design every 45 feet.

[@yearofthegarden]

Thaaaaank you. I've been growing mushrooms for almost a decade and struggle to find good places to grow because the mushrooms essentially damage any concrete they are grown over, this is something I've tried when I was a broke kid, but now I need it more than ever as I expand my business and am doing so in greenhouses outside for cheap with radiant heat included.

[@n40tom]

My friend did this 40 years ago to make a basketball court for his boys . It held up longer than the kids interest did . Years He used a large hand lawn roller first followed by a tamper . It was nice .

[@that1guy167]

Thank you

[@Jeffrey314159]

Instead of 8% Portland cement why not use 3% cement combined with 7% Lime? Lime costs less and is CARBON NEUTRAL. And as you have stated it takes several days to completely cure the cement/soil combination. The soil/cement mix takes periodic watering to curing properly. Use of Lime could reduce all that , right - - - - - - - - ?

[@pietperske3583]

Cement ration 2 to 8 percent, you used the higher ratio, 1/2 inch cement to 3.5 inch dirt. That is 1 to 7 ratio which gives 12.5% cement content, very strong indeed.

[@roshawnsims8390]

I made a slab 3 inches think and 15 feet long on my side yard. I just did it in 3 ft by 2-6 inch sections. They are 2 1/2 inches thick. I have soil that had a sand and rock base. I used 1/2 wire screen over some 2x4s to keep large rock that wouldnt fit through the mesh. I mixed in a wheelbarrow. My mix was one part cement to 3 parts soil with rock. Used rake to help mix and added water as needed. I would suggest you mix some samples first tho. You can color it with liquid color also. Just use 32 oz bottle with lid. Add color and water mix then add to soil cement mix before adding other water. You dont want to much water.

[@firstandlastswagman269]

Mix plasick into cemt

[@heathermustian8307]

Great video! I love the fact that you arent useing heavy equipment. Not everybody has a backhow ;). What makes it better is your method saves money and we all can use that!

[@melissalang78]

Awesome idea and very simple... considering various idea's I wanted to mention, if anyone has accomplished, or may decide to achieve after watching your amazing video : using your sand:cement formula to lay the ground foundation,then placing down those beautiful stencil, patterns designs to take the shape or formation of having a real stone appearance, or any other unique design for the top. perhaps an inverted design for the top to embed can truly add that extra touch..or, adding beach shells overlay around the edges ECT..I reside on the West Coast of Florida and when I moved from NY in the late 80's had found brilliant were the residential streets had been made of shells and shark teeth within the mixture...after time the street thankfully had worn away, so all the pointy pieces had been flat-( driven on)..Although was truly a neat sight to see. 😀 Thanks for creating and sharing your very informative/educational video...It will help save me a great deal of money, time and me, single Mom of four kids is a perfect Family project to extend our back area/ patio. Was even thinking of using this idea with my own (designs in the top/overlay) - After will paint, then properly use a nice weather/glaze shine sealer. I may post a video and pictures when I'm all done.

[@joeseabert8391]

In 90 my unit went to Honduras and among several projects one of them was to do exactly this to shore up a degrading airstrip giving it a few more years of service. We didn’t do it directly on the airstrip but along the sides where the normally compacted and prepared ground was sliding because of soil conditions. The airstrip had been build a few years before compacting the soil to 90 psi and placing on top bituminous and aggregate. So, In other words this was not the active runway but beside it. We used a rototiller about 10 foot wide with water injection. We laid down a lot of Portland cement. The after treatment I didn’t take part in as I was working the bituminous distributor and was moved to another location for sealing and aggregate placement. I came across this video to see if anyone else had done this because my above ground pool shift under the weight and thought of this process to firm the sandy soil and rebuilding the pool on top.

[@partin1970]

I just love your videos. Thank You for posting

[@nathanyamaha465]

Please make an update video on how it held up.

[@lisataylor3085]

Yo! The people want to know! I want to do a floor in a shed with it. Did it crack from winter heaving?

[@everymust]

Thanks for reminding me of various ideas about....

[@hippieJOSH420]

Nice. I've been wondering about this. Essentially I'm going to mix up cob by tilling my clay land and adding straw, lime, and some ready mix. I forgot how much water it takes for the curing process so thanks for pointing that out. I'm going to be doing some of this just to be able to make gutters on the ground to be able to collect water to be able to do more of this. I'm going to be doing Cobb buildings with added ready mix to help make them stronger.

[@JDeWittDIY]

Instead of ready mix, why not straight portland cement?

[@survivalistor6195]

​@@JDeWittDIYdon't use ready mix, use cement. It would be pointless to add sand and gravel to a soul cement.

[@prenumenumedefamilie3418]

Happy New Year !for all this community ! what i want to do is to build a house and want assure that i do all i can to improve my actual soild baring capacity of the soil under the future footing of the house ad see your video !And i wonder could i apply it? should i put a plastic PVA to make sure that what i do will not interfere sideway factors? what product could i use to water proof as well that dirt ?

[@bumstudios8817]

What I would like to do is use something like this for a cheap skateboard /bike pump track for the kids around a swing set and just concrete is too expensive. Do you think this stuff is strong enough? You just need a solid somewhat smooth surface really but rocks and pebbles are not ideal to skate on but biking would be ok, how crumbly is it after the fact? Would you recommend something different since you have made it? Keep in mind cost is the biggest concern obviously you could do wood or regular concrete. Thank you

[@jessebunker6062]

We used soil cement when I served in the Seabees , great for roads in poor soil areas.

[@DonTerhune1200cc]

Did u ever use clay & cement? not soil). If so, how did it turn out?

[@Carperama]

Some of my gravel drive has washed away with heavy rains so I might try this to fix it but I will have some clay and gravel in the mix? Thanks

[@6969smurfy]

More work but I used my mixer, put a layer of plastic down under my mix. Then Thompson water sealed it one month later. I would say it's 75% of the cement I used in my Silo grain bin heated floor.

[@einsteinvondaniken]

Would it be a good idea to till a few bags of gravel into the mix?

[@boozetheKlown]

Is there a better ratio to use for mixture then using percentages? Filling in about 4 to 6 inches for a office floor in garage

[@bushratbeachbum]

Great slab. Nice work! Any tips for a harder wearing top to use in a shed where things will be dragged around and jacks used to lift vehicles (on thick boards to spread the load!) Im putting down crushed limestone and compacting it but want to seal and give a tough top layer to make it last

[@lovenesttreeservice1778]

Yes, just use about a 2 inch layer of cement on top of the rest before adding water. It will bind with the substrate, and create that hard cement top. Good luck.

[@Ineedahandle75]

Does it need any aggregate mixed into it or it's only soil and cement? And how deep can it be made

[@joebutin698]

I've seen the same process used to stabilize remote dirt airstrips in Central America. A lot cheaper, quicker and requires less manpower than steel reinforced concrete. Nice video, thanks.

[@lisataylor3085]

Portland or cement?

[@12vLife]

Hi , DIYer here . I have some old solid 4"x8" cement bricks i want to use as a retraining wall on a remote property. the soil is a very white sand. I want to make some mortar on site using just that sand and Portland (no limestone). The job is nothing fancy . What mix and ratio you recommend.

[@mylittlehomestead]

We have used 5 sand to 1 cement. try that.

[@nirazincopenhagen]

Can i use it on concrete slab in the rooms and kitchens in my apartment?

[@nirazincopenhagen]

Also can i pls get you video link for soil cement for radiant heating floor?

[@sarahbearah1993]

This is amazing I have never heard of this. We want a slab for a medium size shed but concrete is very expensive. Would this work for a shed pad?

[@survivalistor6195]

Depends on the weight of the shed, what type of construction will the shed be?

[@JonnyDIY]

Awesome thanks for sharing, may do for a carport floor 👍 PS- you have a great voiceover voice 🤙

[@Mandalaman]

HI, thanks for all of your great videos!! It has been almost 3 years now since you built this slab, how is it holding up? I am looking for an inexpensive way to make terraces around my current build and thisseems like a good alternative. Did you put gravel or any drainage under the slab? Thanks again!

[@mylittlehomestead]

Mandala man No gravel or drainage methods for this application. The soil cement is working great - we topped it with a cob (earthen floor) and walk on it daily :) Since then we have used it several times. Works great as a subfloor. Since there is no troweling, the top of the floor is rough. We use either a slurry cement mix or cob as a finish. Good luck with your project :)

[@Mandalaman]

***** thanks a lot for your response! What did you put over the exterior soil cement floor? thanks again!

[@mylittlehomestead]

Mandala man we use the slurry cement mix (7 sand to 1 cement)

[@fangazfunky]

About how many bags will you need for samething you did

[@datdudeag6683]

Will this work for a basketball court?

[@sibalogh]

What type of soil (dirt) you're talking about? Where I live, I'm being told the surface soil is better to grow grass on than use it for construction for which you allegedly need LEAN soil, is that right?

[@skeetersaurus6249]

Basic rule of ALL CONCRETES, never, EVER use organics in-mix. This means PEAT is NOT dirt, and MULCH is NOT dirt, contrary to the fact that you'll pay $7 a bag at the big box stores for chipped up tree bark as 'premium soil', it is not). Real 'dirt' is predominantly crushed minerals with minimal organics. The reason you don't want to use organics is simple, they were alive at one time, and THEY DECOMPOSE, creating air pockets, reduction in volume, cavitation, etc. in the concrete. Crushed minerals, in general, do not cavitate later. Red and gray clays? Great. Dark brown dirts with visible organic matter, like roots in it, BAD. Easy.

[@collinskarfo8812]

hello, can i use this method to covert sandy soil to bricky sand before paving?

[@tampafreedom2237]

A fair bit of people in Florida use this method to pave their driveway.

[@pirihern9329]

May try this on my basement dirt crawlspace

[@noraimamanampen5440]

What is the ratio being used? And what type or characteristic of used can used?

[@cumbrianhomestead]

very good video indeed - thank you for sharing ATB

[@1wicked2008]

wonder if this would be strong enough for a garage floor and wont crack..working on cars with a car jack and parking cars on it for long periods of time..that would be great for pole barns

[@freetrailer4poor]

1 94 lb bag of cement I think is 1 cubic foot. Thus at 1/2" per 4". 1 bag should cover 24 square feet at 4" thick. thumbs up way up.

[@warrengatwood6316]

pirucreek p

[@billnolan8972]

How is it holding up? How much rain has fallen on it?

[@AR-jh9uj]

I've was reading that the rain will just make the soilcrete stronger

[@brealistic1970]

This is interesting.... might make for a good cheap garage floor. I would make a small area and check for strength first though. I wonder if adding some type of hemp fibers would add strength.

[@bpoole99251]

If you find out or do this project with please post a video of it. Thanks.

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

wondering if you ever gave this a go

[@mboone84]

can this method be used in a house without the adobe covering? Can it be swept and cleaned like a floor or will it be much like old school dirt floors? To elaborate on why I am asking... we are building a chicken coop that we will temporarily be living in while we finish the house, but don't want to spend a ton of money because it will be a chicken coop when all said and done

[@mylittlehomestead]

Soil cement is used to make airplane runways with no coverings. We like to use it as a subfloor

[@TheRainHarvester]

Does anyone know if old carpet soaked with mortar would last as a shade cover for sides of a shed/short wall supported on inside?

[@survivalistor6195]

Yeah, that would work well as a fiber, however, if I were you I would mix 2 parts sand, 1 part cement, and I would put some accelerator into the mix, and I would make the mix more watery than usual. So as to thoroughly penetrate the carpet.

[@TheRainHarvester]

@@survivalistor6195 how thick would you trowel it on? I was originally thinking no sand,just a watery mix of mortar to coat the fibers.

[@penguinistas]

Great idea.

[@joeschmoo1253]

You Can add any design you can think-up, if you are creative it's fun... .Squares- Circles Tile- size whatever just indent the slab with your pattern while wet and it leaves a subtle design ...This fools the eye gives it your own take & design pattern ..BUT try it first on a a miniature sample slap ..Make a : 1foot my 2 ft slab( then draw your design in Miniature) to mimic your job... patio driveway path whatever your working on....... you do not want to go crazy on the pattern but be subtle !

[@TheBaconWizard]

could you clear something up here? You said 2-8% dirt to cement, but for this you did it 1/2 inch cement to 3 1/2 inch dirt?

[@bashkillszombies]

You just end up with a shittier floor that will leave dirt all over your feet.

[@stevygee605]

8% cement to soil 92% soil.

[@billygraham5589]

How about soil-cement walls in-between reinforced concrete block pilasters every 10 feet??? And all that on a solid cement footing (at least for the pilasters), and then with soil cement floor??? And, maybe better yet, is it possible to use steel reinforcement mesh (e.g. the kind used for cement driveways) to add to the strength of the soil-cement walls and floor??? Or is there some other material that can and should be added to the soil-cement??? Like some kind of fibers (e.g. like straw is added to adobe bricks to make them stronger). And, finally, can you coat the top inch or so of soil cement slab with just pure cement???? Making it a harder surface??? I'll look for comments.

[@dkaloupis75]

NO COMMENTS NERD.

[@ddoperations2768]

Got a dirt floor in half our cellar. Think this would Work for covering the dirt ?

[@mylittlehomestead]

Yup

[@TimKGrimes]

Wasp Pride yes.

[@calholli]

It is dirt.. just with a little cement mixed in

[@user-si4lg2zj8z]

Can you build a wall with this

[@cyberia7080]

I'd like to pour dry cement over my dog destroyed yard, put in some river rock and water for the cement to harden, do you think that would work ok? I don't want to be tilling or anything, just pour, set stones and water. Anything to cover the mess already there!

[@jonahwrencher4715]

I would like to know this too

[@alanheadrick7997]

I live in Florida and the ground is 95% sand. I was wondering if this would work in making a fish pond and shed floor. This process looks almost like rammed earth homes.

[@HayashiShirou]

In geotechnical engineering, we actually call it soil stabilization by cement treatment. it works better and stronger on sand than clay since it would be closer to making concrete paste or mortar. o.O

[@12vLife]

Yeah, especially Highland county... I just did a very sloppy/lazy test on some really soft sand trails. I had four 94lb bags of Portland cement I needed to get rid of so I mixed them into a 25' x 5' section of powdery sand trail where everybody gets stuck. I had no water and I did not compact it, but i did thoroughly mix it. I will be back in 30 days so I have no idea what I will find. I expect it won't be uniform and will crack, but even that is improvement if it turns into some form of gravel. It's winter so it might not get a good rain for weeks.

[@peggyt1243]

This may work in a hot climate but I doubt it would last a winter in a cold climate.

[@skeetersaurus6249]

Actually, this has been used pretty-much worldwide, it is compression-weaker than structural concrete ( I wouldn't use it to build large homes or businesses) but for a porch (non-load-supporting) or a pole-barn floor, or a yard gazebo floor, it's just about as good as conventional concrete (considering that 'concrete is basically 1/3-cement, 1/3-sand and 1/3 rock, or cement, DIRT and DIRT). Cold affects all cement-products, more-so than water (cement keeps curing resulting from water exposure after initial cure, and hardens more in the presence of water after initial cure).

[@vstarcruiser7141]

Interesting!!

[@debbieboring3422]

Nice

[@pawanlaishram6703]

hi can i use i use this in my garage to park my car on it

[@mylittlehomestead]

They use this for airplane runways in small airports

[@jamesearljones1519]

I know nothing about engineering but my guess is... hell no!!!!! They use rebar under concrete to strengthen concrete in driveways so I doubt dirt concrete would last very long.

[@that1guy167]

Has anyone tried this with a basketball court? Any input? Thank you.

[@n40tom]

Yes I just posted something on here a couple minutes ago

[@Cementasmradit]

Awesome ❤❤

[@makeuplover6852]

I’m interested in who narrated this ? I heard Gary in there

[@andrewhoward7200]

This method didn't work for me unfortunately. I've got very sandy soil with clay inclusions, the clay burst out on the surface. Looked like the surface of the Moon.

[@brianblum16]

Can someone clarify what 2-8% dirt to cement means? Do you mean 2 parts cement to 8 parts dirt? or 2/8ths (1/4) cement? Thanks

[@skeetersaurus6249]

Well, if you do the math he gives (1/2" cement per 3-1/2" dirt), that's a volume ratio of 1:7, which also comes to 14%. I'd guess he means 'parts per', not 'percent of'.

[@warrengatwood6316]

Skeeter Saurus

[@davewoodard4580]

Skeeter Saurus I dont do marh. Thats what u guys are for. LOL

[@inlovehusband]

Just be greedy with the cement, you'll be fine 😂

[@user-xx7pg3vw9k]

Would this hold up to vehicles?

[@Liberallez]

@BuckGreywolfe If it holds up as aircraft runways...why not cars???

[@edstimator1]

It depends on the subgrade. If you do a good compaction job on the subgrade I would think it would hold up nicely. If you build a slab on marshmallow you will end up with a mess.

[@XxxKarma05]

How many bags to cover about 500 Square foot?

[@mylittlehomestead]

bags stack at 4 Inches high after tamping. calculate your circumference. determine your wall height.....

[@georgedevereaux7213]

@@mylittlehomestead Hi, I'm looking to do this for a 240sqft shed. I apologize, please excuse my ignorance, but don't really understand your answer. If I were to use the same ratios and depth as you did in this video, how many lbs of concrete would I need?

[@johnathansayre]

35 bags of 80lb cement my friend.

[@MrArtist7777]

This is a great way to have severely cracked concrete that crumbles as well, I know, I tried it.

[@ocoro174]

wait so what do you actually save on? concrete needs about the same amount of cement as this

[@Patriotgal1]

Well, you aren't buying/hauling rock, sand, and rebar...

[@callmebigpapa]

Lots of people live in areas with no access for concrete trucks

[@arisz2191]

What about durability?

[@joeseabert8391]

You know the saying, go pound sand? Well that’s because it’s an exercise in futility. Sand does not compact. So in places where sand is the primary feature of the soil content, such as Florida, this would work great to stabilize the soil and if durability was a concern then put a better grade system of construction on top. But don’t think you will get concrete durability from doing this. That’s not it’s intent, however, it’s several steps above regular compacted black dirt and clay. Depending on use and environment can last months to decades.

[@aqueseth]

Stabalized mud concrete are used to make mud concrete.

[@fergusmackay2584]

Me and my friends did this, we didnt even know it was a proper method 😂 we just used what we had

[@SuperJamster1]

How did it come out? And what condition environment are you in? Hot, Humid, Wet?

[@fergusmackay2584]

@@SuperJamster1 it has turned out great actually! We are in a wet climate most of the time but when it is dry it gets pretty hot

[@SuperJamster1]

@@fergusmackay2584 Thank you. I just wondered how it would work for a shed in New England.

[@fergusmackay2584]

@@SuperJamster1 If I get this wrong plz dont hate me but is that in canada? And dont u guys have a convenient climate for this?

[@SuperJamster1]

@@fergusmackay2584 I don't hate. New England is the northeast states of U.S.A. They include R.I,. C.T.,V.T., N.H. and Maine. The locals of Northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine actually call themselves the NorthEast Kingdom, because they are so isolated and independent of cities.

[@addisonroubideaux2240]

There's a natural cement video I'm going make it my self

[@DonTerhune1200cc]

When?

[@WadcaWymiaru]

Forgot something - waterproofing...

[@WadcaWymiaru]

@@the_8thdwarf Then see this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGOnfYStZrBsg9U turning sand in to gold...

[@16emmi]

this doesn't work in red clay dirt👁👁 better use sand

[@wilfredstewart3348]

Princess Ariel m Possibly hydrated lime could work better. Stays flexible

[@DonTerhune1200cc]

@@wilfredstewart3348 : hydrated lime gets brittle. This is why morter (not lime) is used w/ Portland cement & mason sand for cinder blocks & brick laying.

[@AnEvolvingApe]

This is much cheaper then buying concrete. Six ($6) 80lb concrete bag (internet search findings) can cover a 10x10 foot section with a 4inch slab-- that's $60 plus labor. This method seems like you could get away with maybe one $10 bag of cement for that 10x10 section.

[@preston2345]

56 80lb sacks of concrete for a 10x10

[@gangweedmlg2467]

Gangweed mlg

[@abubakarbadshah9852]

Fish

[@PKShader]

I notice there are no dust masks on your "Tools needed" list. What kind of parent allows their children to breath cement dust? I cannot believe the irresponsibility. I work with cement all the time and would never dream of doing so without a mask.

[@stevygee605]

SJW be gone.

[@melissalang78]

Awesome idea and very simple... considering various idea's I wanted to mention, if anyone has accomplished, or may decide to achieve after watching your amazing video : using your sand:cement formula to lay the ground foundation,then placing down those beautiful stencil, patterns designs to take the shape or formation of having a real stone appearance, or any other unique design for the top. perhaps an inverted design for the top to embed can truly add that extra touch..or, adding beach shells overlay around the edges ECT..I reside on the West Coast of Florida and when I moved from NY in the late 80's had found brilliant were the residential streets had been made of shells and shark teeth within the mixture...after time the street thankfully had worn away, so all the pointy pieces had been flat-( driven on)..Although was truly a neat sight to see. 😀 Thanks for creating and sharing your very informative/educational video...It will help save me a great deal of money, time and me, single Mom of four kids is a perfect Family project to extend our back area/ patio. Was even thinking of using this idea with my own (designs in the top/overlay) - After will paint, then properly use a nice weather/glaze shine sealer. I may post a video and pictures when I'm all done.

[@mylittlehomestead]

Let us know