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When building a project, choosing a contractor is essential. One of the other important jobs is the selection of materials to ensure a stable, durable, and modern structure. However, the price must still be reasonable with the family’s financial condition. In the article below, San Antonio Contractors will share with readers some experiences in choosing building materials compiled from the opinions of today’s leading construction experts. Check it out now!
Experience choosing stone 1×2, stone 4×6, stone 5×7, rock
During the construction process, workers will often mix stone into the concrete and proceed to construction. Small stones have the effect of increasing the strength of concrete. The building stone used for concrete is currently 1×2 or 2×3 stone (the most significant stone grain size is from 20mm to 25mm). In particular, the stone must be cleaned of impurities when mixed with concrete.
Stone for mixing concrete must be clean. Therefore, if the stone is combined with impurities and foreign objects, it must be picked up before mixing with concrete. If the stone has a lot of dust, it should be washed clean. That makes the quality of concrete not reduced, and from there, the quality of the new construction is guaranteed.
Experience choosing construction sand
You can refer to some tips on choosing quality sand for your project according to the following suggestions:
Quality sand or not quality can be roughly determined by manual testing. You will pick up a handful of sand and then walk away. If the sand is not clean but has a lot of impurities, the dirt will stick to your palm. Sand with gravel, clay, or other contaminants will seriously affect the quality of the construction. Therefore, it is also necessary to choose clean sand when building.
One scientific testing method is to fill half a glass jar with sand, add a little water, and stir. The sand will settle to the bottom of the pot, and the dirt will appear more clearly. If the mud or dirt content exceeds 3% of the total weight of sand, the sand is of poor quality and needs to be cleaned before use. In short, quality sand is sand that cannot contain clay, dirt, shells, or other impurities.
Sand contaminated with alum or saline should not be used in concrete and rough masonry.
Sand with quality will make the quality of the work not guaranteed, so the contractor must pay attention in selecting sand.
Experience choosing cement
Cement plays the role of binding building components such as sand, masonry, and water together to form artificial stones. Besides, glue is essential in concrete construction, filling, and pouring.
Choosing the wrong type of cement may cost you a lot of money later on for repair. So please pick quality cement right from the start so that you don’t have to repair it later. If you buy cheap glue, you can save money at first, but later on, costly repairs if the work is of poor quality.
It would be best to remember that once you have used cement to build a house, you cannot replace or improve it like a tile roof. If the glue is of poor quality, you must destroy it to redo it. The cost of cement only accounts for a small part of the project’s total value. Typically, cement accounts for about 6% – 9% of the project’s total value. So, when buying cement, make sure you make the right decision.
Experience in choosing bricks for construction
Can check the quality of masonry bricks through ordinary observation. Good brick will have a standard shape with sharp, square edges. Similar colors also help to ensure the best quality of tiles.
And here are the ways to check the quality of bricks:
When breaking a brick, it will not break into many small pieces.
Smash two bricks together; quality bricks will make a definitive sound.
Try dropping a brick at the height of about 1 meter, and a good brick will not break.
Soak the brick in water for about 24 hours, then check its weight. You should not use this brick if the weight adds more than 15% of the original volume. For example, a brick weighing 2kg should not weigh more than 2.3kg after being soaked in water for 24 hours.
Experience choosing construction steel
Concrete has good compressive strength but poor tensile and flexural strength. The term reinforced concrete comes from here. The steel bars need to be placed in the concrete to increase the required force to overcome this drawback. To choose quality steel, you should choose steel from famous construction steel suppliers to ensure quality.
Experience in choosing electrical equipment, plumbing, and plumbing accessories
Will install electrical equipment, plumbing, or fittings inside the building. Therefore, you should choose products of reputable origin and high quality and have designs suitable for your home.
Experience choosing formwork
Formwork is used to make concrete pouring molds. Formwork must be selected with the correct design size to ensure the bearing capacity of concrete. That is the contractor’s job. You can consult the construction supervisor on this issue when proceeding with construction.
Above are some experiences in choosing building materials synthesized by San Antonio Contractors from leading experts in the field of construction today. Hopefully, the above article will give readers more tips on selecting the best materials for their future homes.