Are cement and concrete the same thing?

A common question we often get regarding Cement is whether or not it is the same as concrete. This is a common misconception and even though Cement and Concrete are often used interchangeably, they are in fact different. Cement is a powdery substance, made by calcining lime and clay. When these products are mixed with water it will form a mortar or cement. Once put in place this mortar will harden and keep the two objects stuck together. On the other hand, Concrete is a building material constructed of many different components, one of which is Cement. Cement comes in bags of 25KG and can be either paper or waterproof.

How cement works

Cement is essentially a binder. Cement is a substance that when mixed together with the correct substances (dependent on the manufacturer) it will then set, harden and adhere to other materials to bind them together. Cement can be mixed with certain materials to create specific products for specific needs. Often if you mix your cement with fine aggregate it will produce mortar, whereas id you mix cement with sand and gravel, you can produce concrete. Cement used in big construction builds is mostly a lime or calcium silicate based and can be characterised as hydraulic and non-hydraulic, this characteristic depends on how the cement acts in the presence of water. Our Everbuild Fire Cement is designed specifically to be very tolerant of heat. This type of Cement is designed to be used near a fire. For example, this cement would be ideal when crafting your own stone fireplace, or a stone fire pit. Using this Fire Cement would mean that the cement will last longer and keep the buildings shape intact. Along with this, our Flue Cement is also suitable for use near high-temperature fires, due to its resilience to heat. Our Rapid Setting pre-mix Cement is ideal for quick jobs, or even repair jobs. The idea behind this pre-mixed rapid setting cement is to skip the time-consuming parts of using cement. As this cement is supplied pre-mixed so it is just a case of applying the cement where it I needed, and it will set in approximately 30 minutes. This rapid setting cement is ideal for quick repair jobs, especially as it sets in cold and wet environments. Along with our rapid setting cement, we also have a rapid setting waterproofing cement. This cement is designed o be used in areas permanently exposed to water. If you were looking to quickly patch a pond, swimming pool, filling around pipes and even bedding sanitary ware. This Rapid Setting Cement again is designed to set in 30 minutes.

We offer a number of cement dyes which are used to create coloured concrete. This makes your options when building more versatile and giving more decorative options. We have a number of liquid and powder cement dyes available. Dependant upon your needs and the range of colours for our cement dye mean that you will be able to choose how to colour the cement to best suit your plan.

We also have a number of building chemicals available these include:

• Wood Treatment
• Wood Protection

Can cement be sanded?

A common question asked about cement is if it can be sanded. For those of you wanting those last finishing touches to be perfect sanding, cement might be something you consider. You can, in fact, sand cement. It is best to start with the coarsest sanding disc and then work in succession. To remove a small amount of cement it is best to use 1000-grit automobile sandpaper. This will help to remove and smooth the smallest patches of cement.