Superplasticizer for concrete countertop mix

Watch a tiny bit of powder turn a dry, crumbly mix into a pourable liquid. That's the power of using a superplasticizer in your concrete countertop mix! Get the most powerful superplasticizer, Alpha Pro Fluidizer (now known as Integrity UltraFlow), now at www.concreteco...

[@1MohrFarm]

Thanks. About to pour mine

[@buildingwithtony7936]

I like your bucket holder

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Thanks! I made that about a billion years ago. It was super easy but it has served me well!

[@petermoss5341]

I would suggest another mixer blade, there are better ones for stone and sand, the one here is made more for paint or drywall mud. That blade requires more turning to mix, which causes more air to be entrained into the mix. Every air bubble is a weak spot in concrete. I would also suggest to others that mixing at a much slower speed than what you are showing as that is where all the air is being added. The more blades you have on the mixer, and the higher speed or RPMs the mixer goes, the more air you get in your mix. Even if you are pouring up side down, you still do not want air in your mix. There is a reason that mortar and concrete mixers are set to move at slow speeds. The goal is to mix as slow as possible but as thoroughly as possible. Mixing beyond the point of all the materials are touching each other completely is just adding more air to the mix as well as letting your mix set up more than it should.

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Your opinion is appreciated, but you are wrong about slow speed mixing. GFRC is not like ordinary concrete and it requires high speed mixing to fully disperse the ingredients. GFRC does not have coarse aggregate in it, so slow speed mixing won't work well. It has always been mixed with high shear, high rpm mixers, both on a small artistic level and a global commercial scale. Simply put, high shear mixing is an integral part of the mixing process. Incidentally, this style of blade I'm using is very effective and has been used very successfully for decades for this very type of mix. A major commercial GFRC equipment manufacturer uses a very similar helical blade design for their much larger equipment which can spin up to 1400 rpm. Clearly high shear mixing isn't wrong or it wouldn't be used for nearly half a century for making commercial GFRC. CCI's mixes incorporate a powerful defoamer which help prevent foaming, and UltraFlow makes the mix flowable, allowing that entrapped air escape. While your comments attempt to be helpful, they come from the perspective of ordinary concrete and don't account for the unique properties and mixing requirements of GFRC. Here's a link to an article I wrote about high shear mixing many years ago: concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training/gfrc-equipment-for-concrete-countertops/

[@sumithk5754]

May i know What is the polymer that you used with water

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

I used Alpha Pro Polymer. concretecountertopinstitute.com/product/alpha-pro-polymer/

[@sumithk5754]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute for my country delivery chargers are three times the product price. Hope it's available here in india

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

@sumithk5754 shipping can be a total pain. We are working on getting distribution in more countries, I do not believe we currently have distribution in India, but I will double check. Putting together a pallet of multiple materials to ship via freight may be the most economical way to go about it right now.

[@matthieuhattab3339]

also the link you provided in the description says: "The page you requested could not be found."

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Oops! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Alpha Pro Fluidizer is now Integrity UltraFlow, and the new link is: concretecountertopinstitute.com/product/ultraflow-dry-superplasticizer-for-concrete-countertop-mixes/

[@petermoss5341]

There are a variety of different superplasticizers to meet different concrete needs. So I don't know if you can say that this is the "best" one there is. It may be the best for your particular counter top mix but it may not be the best for every concrete mix. One might say best for what? To make it self level? To make the matrix hold together? To add the least amount of air? To effect the finish concrete the best? To add air entrainmetn for freeze/thaw environments? Supers are horrible for the environment so maybe one that does not destroy the earth is the best for the planet but not the best for the concrete mix.

[@brandonmonroe7050]

Nice. If you were to fill a mold with dry concrete would that roughly be the amount of concrete you need for that mold? Trying not to waste concrete here.

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

A mold filled with dry concrete would always underestimate the amount of concrete needed to fill that mold, but because I don't know anything about your concrete, it's not possible to give a precise answer as to how much you are underestimating the true amount. The most accurate way to determine the volume of a mold is to fill that mold completely full of water. Either weigh the water or determine its volume with measuring containers. Freshly mixed concrete has a density that often varies from about 130 lbs/cubic foot to 150 lbs per cubic foot, depending upon your mix design. Use Google to convert to metric units if necessary. A conservative estimate would use 150 lbs/cubic foot.

[@brandonmonroe7050]

​@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute I actually just realized your mold in this video is about the same as mine. Mine is 15x15 inches 2 inches deep. I make decorative pavers 1:3 ratio cement to sand. From the looks of it around 7 quarts mix should get me close.

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

@@brandonmonroe7050 Sounds good.

[@jamesfranklyn8547]

That's incredible 👍

[@kilipoheikekanilehua4049]

Is the ratio .6% of sand and cement of just cement? Thanks for the video, and the products

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

You are very welcome! It's 0.6% of just the cementitious content, which in this case includes portland cement and pozzolan.

[@jeremiahedwards2073]

Can you show us your bucket dolly in a separate video? Everyone needs one with thicker tires to work outside in our yards without a wheelbarrow, but there's nothing with tires like yours on the market.

[@toddslye4866]

Could use that and one for vertical wall stamps

[@josephb3147]

What is the working time for casting?... much appreciated

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

The working time is normal for the concrete you're using. For this mix, it's about 20 to 45 minutes in room temperature conditions, more than enough time to do what you want with it.

[@claytonjames4779]

could you spray the bubbles with alcohol to pop them?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Blowing compressed air usually pops them, but it's not necessary. The bubbles you see at the top of the bucket will disappear as the concrete is poured. And bubbles on the surface of your casting will either pop on their own, or won't matter because it's the bottom of the demolded concrete casting.

[@sypher0101]

I still don't understand the use of plasticizers. Seems like it someone makes the dry cement mix, a wet cement mix. Wouldn't adding water do the same thing ?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

While it's true that adding water makes a concrete mix wetter, adding extra water dilutes the cement paste and weakens the concrete. This often leads to problems like shrinkage cracks, spalling, flaking, and overall poor performance. Nearly all concrete, and certainly all normal concrete is made with more water than it actually needs for strength. Superplasticizers help the fine cement particles repel each other, adding workability without adding extra water. When a very strong concrete with exceptional properties is required, a minimal amount of water is added to the mix and superplasticizers are used to make that water more effective at adding workability. Because no extra water was added, that concrete now had much better performance and is far less likely to have the problems that concrete made with too much water has. For a more detailed explanation, check out these two articles I wrote a while ago: concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training/concrete-countertop-mix-ingredients-and-admixtures/ concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training/the-importance-of-water-cement-ratio-in-concrete-countertop-mix-design/

[@binhhoa8112]

Phụ gia giảm nước dạng bột là loại nào ah, cho mình xin cấp phối

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

"What is the powder water reducing additive, please give me the distribution". It is our Alpha Pro Fluidizer product. We ship internationally. You can order it here: concretecountertopinstitute.com/product/alpha-pro-fluidizer-dry-superplasticizer/

[@namsoemmanson8338]

Please show the mix design of your project?. Thanks

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

This was more of an example of the potency of our superplasticizer than an actual project, but in production, we’ve found that at a .30 w/c ratio, and fluidizer at .45, it makes a lovely self consolidating mix in an Imer 120. Your dose will depend on your mixer, so we recommend you try it and tweak it for yourself for best results.

[@xSO20]

is it stronger if it is used in house? like is it less prone to cracking and rain water seeping inside the house?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

This product is designed to change the viscosity of the mix while it’s wet. Although making higher quality concrete will improve results in all aspects of work with the material, we must account for external factors that can cause seeping and cracking that aren’t related necessarily to the concrete’s admixtures

[@almajohnson9595]

Hello Can this super plasticizer be used in gypsum plaster Kindly reply Thank you

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

I'm sorry, I don't know. I don't want to recommend one way or the other without any specific experience with gypsum.

[@almajohnson9595]

Ok thank you.

[@shane250]

Which admixture do you use to get the most watertight concrete?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

The best answer is a combination of things. You want your concrete to be denser, so we recommend our alpha pro admix combined with our fluidizer. That said, we always recommend sealing your concrete, and in the case of a shower, whether walls, pan, or both, we still recommend waterproofing under the concrete.

[@shane250]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute Thank you! It's for a countertop project. I want a countertop that I can put things in to of it right out of the oven. My problem with sealers is that most of them aren't high heat proof. Do you have a sealer you recommend? (High gloss)

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

We always advise using trivets for hot items, that said, we have tested our Omega sealer to 500° with no damage. This doesn’t, however, mean that the heat won’t affect other things. Some pigments are heat sensitive, etc.

[@shane250]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute Thanks. I'm planning on making it pure black... So discoloring won't really be an issue, as long as the sealer is good for it. I'll try and find how to get it in Canada.

[@kristakaufman-y6j]

what fibers do you use ?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

I use my own alkaline-resistant 19mm glass fibers. These are specially designed for GFRC and are not used in other regular concrete applications. concretecountertopinstitute.com/product/alpha-pro-reinforcements/

[@farhadnaraghi281]

Did you add anything to the water before you mixed it because it was white?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Yes, I combined the water and polymer and added those together.

[@farhadnaraghi281]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute could you please tell me what kind of polymer mix and where i can take it?Thank you

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

@@farhadnaraghi281 You can use any GFRC curing polymer. This particular polymer was a dry polymer, our Alpha Pro Polymer, available at concretecountertopinstitute.com/product/alpha-pro-polymer/. Our website contains more information about polymers, both dry and liquid.

[@matthieuhattab3339]

what kind of witchcraft is this? how could it be so liquid without adding extra water?

[@314piyush]

Can it be also use in areated concrete?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Do you mean air entrained concrete? It should work, but I can't guarantee it won't have any effect on air content.

[@gabe7143]

does this have a delay set in it too?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

No, Alpha Pro Fluidizer does not have a delay set built into it. However, as with many superplasticizers, if you use too high of a dose there can be a mild delaying effect.

[@bruceessig3350]

How long does it take to setup?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

It's not possible to state how long a particular mix will take to set up because the time concrete takes to set is affected by a number of factors: mix and environmental temperatures, w/c ratio, pozzolans, cement fineness, and other admixtures that are used. Some high-range water reducers do have retarding characteristics, and these are classed as Type G (water reducing and retarding). Alpha Pro Fluidizer is considered Type F class (just water reducing). This means that Fluidizer does not deliberately retard the concrete and lengthen the time to set.

[@bruceessig3350]

Thank you. I did know if there was less water in a mix if it would speed up drying times. I probably didn't ask the question correctly. Does having less water in your mix speed up setting time and by what percent? I'm not worried about what's in the mix itself or the rh or temperature. Thank you for your help?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

@@bruceessig3350 Less water in the mix will decrease set time, but there's no way to predict how much. The only way to estimate the difference in set time is to make two test batches with different water contents and measure the set times for both. If you want really rapid setting concrete, consider CSA cement: concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training-category/csa-cement/

[@bruceessig3350]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute thank you

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

@@bruceessig3350 You are very welcome!

[@AndreRicardoCarvalho]

Polycarboxilate?

[@surachartboontham]

❤❤

[@surachartboontham]

PCE

[@buildingwithtony7936]

Can it work with thinset?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Superplasticizer (as well as low range and mid range water reducers) acts upon the cement in the concrete mix. Thinset does contain cement, but it also has a lot of other things that concrete doesn't have. So the effects could be unpredictable. Plus thinset is supposed to be thick and sticky. So I'm not sure what value superplasticizer would add.

[@ЮрийВладимирович-д5ф]

Супер! Только проблема купить.я из Беларуси!

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

"Super! The only problem is to buy. I'm from Belarus!" Sorry about that Yuri! We do ship internationally, but see our policies here: concretecountertopinstitute.com/order-return-policy/

[@stephanebrouard3041]

Don't get the point of fibers. You end up with a rough surface instead of a smooth one and sanding will only expose more fiber. So this process is not useable for poured countertops unless I am missing something. Also, having worked enough in composite materials with boats and boards, I know chopped fibers are not adding much strength to anything. They can be useful as a filler or thickener but that's about it. Your plasticizer is impressive though. Also, if I may, the way you leave your mixer in the center and lean it towards the edges in a circular motion can only leave unmixed material on the bottom's edges

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Fibers are used in traditional concrete mainly for shrinkage control. I'm actually not a fan of fibers in traditional concrete, because they are so often misunderstood and misused. Please see these articles: concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training-category/fibers/ GFRC (which I'm making in this video) is a totally different story. Fibers are essential - it's Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete, after all! Please see this article: concretecountertopinstitute.com/free-training/glass-fibers-an-essential-component-of-gfrc-concrete-countertops/

[@vi683a]

If your that flowable you still have problems.

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Context is everything. No pouring method is for every situation. This is a demonstration of what a powerful superplasticizer can do, not a suggestion of dosage, or a claim that it’s the only way to make concrete. We advocate and teach a nuanced approach to this craft that expects (and we provide) an understanding of your ingredients. Would love to see you at a workshop!

[@vi683a]

@@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute i get you

[@AndreRicardoCarvalho]

Polycarboxilate?

[@TheConcreteCountertopInstitute]

Yes, this superplasticizer uses polycarboxylate chemistry.