If you plan to install hardscaping projects in your yard, you may need to buy ready mix concrete instead of mixing your own. Making your own concrete from dry mix is a good idea for small projects, but if you're building a patio, pool deck, or sidewalks, then you need a lot of mix made at once, and the easiest way to work with large volumes of cement mix is to buy ready mix concrete. Here's how ready mix concrete works.

Concrete Mix Starts With Dry Materials

Concrete starts out as a dry mix of cement, sand, and crushed stone. The proportions vary according to what the concrete will be used for. The dry mix can then be bagged and sold dry. When water is added to the dry mix, the product is called ready mix concrete. Water makes the dry mix turn to a mud-like consistency so the mix is ready to use right away.

Ready Mix Concrete Has To Keep Mixing

Once water is added to the dry mix, the mix has to be placed in a mixing truck so it is continually churned. Otherwise, the mix will dry out too fast and be unusable. Even so, you have to move fast when working with ready mix. The concrete company delivers your mix in the mixing truck so it keeps churning while the mix is being delivered.

Ready Mix Can Be Pumped To Remote Spots

If the truck can't get close to the area where you want to work, the contractor can pump the ready mix to wherever you need it. This is done through a long hose that deposits the mix right in the location where you'll spread it to make your sidewalk or slab. It's important to have the frame already made so you can start spreading the mix immediately.

Ready Mix Is Convenient To Use

Ready mix concrete is easy to use when compared to making your own concrete using bagged dry mix and water. You'll have to mix each batch in a wheelbarrow and that leaves a lot of room for error. Getting consistent results among all the batches is difficult if not impossible.

However, you could rent a cement mixer so you can make larger batches at home, but you still run the risk of not getting the concrete to the right consistency. When you get ready mix concrete delivered, you can be sure the concrete has been made and mixed properly so it will last a long time. 

For more information, contact a local company like Diamondback Redi-Mix.