The answer is yes, salt does indirectly damage your concrete driveways, patios and sidewalks. Bumps and potholes don’t just appear due to regular wear and tear – salt damages concrete over time by causing corrosion to occur under the surface, leading to discolored, cracked and crumbling concrete.

To make the concrete stronger, add more cement or less sand. The closer you bring the ratio to an even one-to-one of sand to cement, the stronger the rating becomes.

You can add more Portland cement to bagged concrete to make it stronger. You can also add hydrated lime. To make the strongest concrete, the sand should be sourced from volcanic lava that has a high silica content.

A strong concrete mix would be something like 1:3:5 (Cement, Sand, Coarse Gravel). In this case, both the sand and gravel are the aggregate.

Mix 100 kg of cement (two typical bags of Portland cement) with 40 liters (approximately 3 1/2 standard wheelbarrows) of gravel plus 3 1/2 wheelbarrows of sand. Add water until the mixture is a thick paste. Fill a plastic cup with your cement mixture, pack it and then turn the cup upside down on a flat surface.

Type M mortar

Basically concrete is stronger and more durable so it can be used for structural projects such as setting posts whereas mortar is used as a bonding agent for bricks, stones, etc. Concrete has a low water-to-cement ratio and is a thinner consistency than mortar.

Usually, a Type S mix has a high compressive strength of between 2,300 and 3,000 psi. Type N mortar mix, which contains one part portland cement, one part lime and six parts sand, is a medium compressive-strength mortar of at least 750 psi and can achieve 28-day strength between 1,500 and 2,400 psi.

Type N mortar is a general-purpose mortar that provides good workability and serviceability. It is commonly used in interior walls, above-grade exterior walls under normal loading conditions, and in veneers. Type S mortar is used in structural load-bearing applications and for exterior applications at or below grade.

Is Type S mortar waterproof? Mortar is not waterproof. However, there are products that can be applied to mortar (and other concrete materials), that can make the mortar waterproof. Yes, mortar is waterproof.

Mortar made with some proportion of lime (actually Type S calcined lime) has greater plasticity, bonds better with the units, and shrinks less that a straight cement mortar.

(6.4 sq. m.) at 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. Remember to allow for waste and spillage.

Sakrete’s Mortar Mix Type S is a mason-grade pre-blended mixture of sand and masonry cement or sand, lime, and portland cement. Ideal for building walls, planters, chimneys, and for tuck pointing or repairing existing mortar joints.

Mortar typically will cure to 60% of its final compressive strength within the first 24 hours. It will then take about 28 days to reach its final cure strength.

How Long Does Mortar Take to Dry? That depends on environmental factors in the vicinity, such as temperature and humidity. In theory, your mortar should be perfectly solid within around 48 hours.

The durability and strength of mortar is affected by temperature, and additional care must be taken when working with a mortar mix in colder periods. Cement will not hydrate sufficiently at low temperatures, which increases the risk of slow setting, poor strength gain and frost (freeze/thaw) damage.

If you must paint, give the mortar a chance to cure. Your mason is giving you good advice in waiting for 28 days before painting new mortar. Giving it a chance to cure ensures a good paint bond. And 28 days is exactly what the Brick Industry Association recommends.

Strategies for doing this involve hastening evaporation of the water.

1. Use less water when you mix the mortar.
2. Spread the mortar on a dry substrate.
3. Heat the surrounding environment with a room heater, or direct the heat towards the mortar.

Use a latex paint that is suitable for the weather conditions of the mortar (i.e. outside paint for outside mortar and inside paint for inside mortar). Coat the end of the paint brush and apply the paint to the mortar with smooth, even strokes.

Fold the mortar mix from the bottom into the water, when mixing by hand. Keep mixing until the water is mixed in. Then, add more water and keep mixing. Keep adding water until the mortar attains a smooth consistency.