How to Make Cement Bricks at Home
There are many ways to make cement bricks at home. You can buy a kit and follow the directions, or you can mix your own ingredients. From there, you need to bake it in an oven of approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3 hours.
Once it has cooled enough to handle, turn out onto a flat surface and let cool completely before removing it from the mold. This post will go over how to make cement bricks at home by mixing your own ingredients such as sand, water, crushed rock, etc.
Summary: Follow these simple steps to get started:
1. Start by mixing together 1 cup of cement and 1 cup of water in a small bowl.
2. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth, then pour it into a large pot or container.
3. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts to simmer.
4. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes thick and clumpy.
5. Use a spoon to drop the mixture into small molds or cups.
What Things You’ll Need:
- Portland cement (1 part)
- Sand
- Clay (Optional for a smoother finish).
- Water
- Clay bricks
- Plastic sheet the size of your mold.
- Gloves.
10 Steps on How to Make Cement Bricks at Home:
Step 1: Prepare the Workspace:
Choose a well-ventilated and dry place. Also, make sure you have all the materials ready at hand’s reach (water, cement powder, etc.)
Step 2: Mix the Ingredients:
Thoroughly mix 5 parts cement powder and 1 part water in a container using a wooden stick. Be careful not to add too much water, as this will result in more mortar than cement bricks! Alternatively, you can also make ready-mixed cement brick blocks and skip the process of mixing cement powder at home.
Step 3: Prepare the Mold:
You can acquire a ready-made mold from the market. Alternatively, you can also use any container with a tight-fitting lid, making the process easier. Ensure the mold’s bottom is covered with a wet cloth or plastic sheet to avoid leakage (you must do this before you pour in your cement mix).
Step 4: Pour in Cement:
Now, pour the cement mix into the mold you’ve prepared. After that, cover and weigh it down with a brick or stone to sit well without any air pockets in between.
Step 5: Wait for It to Set:
Please wait for the cement mix to harden for about two days, depending on how well you’ve mixed it. If you have any cracks on your cement brick, just fill those in with some wire mesh and then wait until they get set (mixing waterproof cement powder is highly recommended). The time taken to set will vary depending on the weather conditions.
Step 6: Unmold Your Cement Bricks:
After 2 days, you can now unmold your cement bricks and use them as you need (you can also paint them to get a more attractive look). To do so, ensure you wet all along the edges of the mold before you take off the lid. After that, use a wooden stick to pry out one of the sides (again, start from the bottom).
Step 7: Let It Dry:
Let your cement brick set at least for three days before taking it out of the mold (use a screwdriver to pry out the brick with corner edges), as the more you set it out of the mold, the harder it will be its outer layer.
Step 8: Test and Fix if Needed:
Finally, test your cement brick to see if it can take any weight on it without cracking or bending. You can do so by putting a full water bottle on top of the brick and seeing if it stays intact. If yes, congratulations! You just made your first and best cement brick ever!
Step 9: Choose Your Color for Cement Bricks:
If you want your cement bricks to be colored, dip them in a kettle of boiling water and wait until the surface is set. The color will show only if you’ve used waterproof cement powder. You can also paint the bricks if you want.
Step 10: Use your Cement Bricks:
After all the above steps are done, you can now use your cement bricks. You can even use them on a wall or make any other design using these DIY mortar blocks. Moreover, they’re pretty cost-effective as compared to readymade concrete bricks. However, if you want stronger and longer-lasting cement bricks, just add a quick-setting cement powder bag to the above recipe.
Some Tips and Tricks:
- Use a heavy pan or plate to prevent the mold from moving.
- When pouring the water into the mold, pour it at one spot and rotate the mold so that the mixture is well-mixed. That way, you won’t get air bubbles trapped in your cement bricks.
- If you make an upside-down teardrop-shaped mold, you can push it down so that the bottom point touches the pan. This should prevent air bubbles from forming inside the “teardrop” hole at the top of your cement brick.
- If you see air bubbles trapped in your cement bricks after taking them out of the molds, you can hit it with a hammer to break it open or wait until the bubbles pop by themselves.
- If your cement is too hard, add more water and mix well. Add flour and mix well if your cement bricks are too soft (for a smoother finish).
- When taking the cement out of the mold, use a knife or wooden spatula to level the mold. This helps you remove the bricks faster and helps prevent air bubbles inside the mold.
- To avoid wasting flour, break up old cereal boxes to a fine powder, then powderize the flour in a blender. The more even texture will make it stronger when used as an ingredient in your cement mixture.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to make cement bricks at home. We recommend using a sturdy metal container and lining the bottom of the container with sand or soil and some water. The next step is filling the top part of your mold with wet clay mixed with sand to create your brick shape.
Then you can use any material for the exterior, such as mud, straw, or grass clippings. Once everything has dried out enough so that it’s no longer sticky, please remove it from its makeshift mold and let it dry under natural sunlight before stacking up on one another like regular bricks!
We hope this article on how to make cement bricks at home has been helpful. If you want more ways to educate yourself on cement, then let us know!
Check our article How to Make Sand Bricks
