Laying concrete blocks without mortar
Mortar uses slightly more water than concrete. But it doesn’t have the same compression strength as concrete, which is why it’s not used to build foundations or large structures. Most masonry walls and stone work are built with mortar. It has excellent adhesion which is why mortar is great for sticking stone to a wall or stacking bricks.
Mortar is basically a weak form of concrete. Adding sand to cement makes it stronger, easier to form, more durable and crack resistant. The best type of sand to use for mortar is typical beach or river sand and not powder. Mortar is a mixture of cement and sand aggregate. So in this regard, the most important part of a masonry project is typically the cement. Without cement, you couldn’t build almost anything out of masonry because the materials wouldn’t bind together or get hard. It can also be added to materials like stucco, grout, and other adhesives and coatings. Rather, it’s the main binding agent for making both concrete and mortar. It’s a hydraulic substance, which means the chemicals in its mixture will harden once water is added.Ĭement is almost never used by itself. It also contains shells and chalk combined with shale, clay, slate, slag, sand, and iron ore. Portland Cement is made mostly of limestone and chemicals like calcium, silicon, aluminum, and iron. You can buy it by the bag at just about any Home Improvement store. The most popular type of cement is Portland Cement. Add in aggregate stone and you get concrete. Mortar is made out of cement and sand mixed with water. CementĬement is a binding material that’s used to make mortar and concrete. It’s important to understand what each of them does and how they’re used. But even though these materials are related, they’re purpose is very different.
The terms concrete, mortar and cement are often used interchangeably by people outside the construction industry because all three of them are used in masonry as either a binding or building material. If you need structural support or an anchor, use concrete, but if you’re bing two materials like brick or stone together, use mortar. Mortar is weaker, has a higher water-to-cement ratio, finer aggregate, and is used as a binding material for bricks, blocks, or tiles. The stones used in concrete make it too thick to use as grout unless the gaps between materials are huge.Ĭoncrete is typically mixed with a lower water-to-cement ratio, and has aggregate stone which makes it stronger. When used as a grout, mortar is much better than concrete. The stones in concrete make it difficult to use when poured very thin and prone to cracks. In fact, there’s no way to make concrete or mortar without sand, water, and cement.Ī benefit of mortar is that it’s easier to smooth in thin layers like a parge coat. But if you’re laying brick or stone, mortar is better at binding them together to create strong joints.Ĭement is weaker than concrete and mortar, but it’s used to make both. An all mortar foundation would easily crack under heavy loads without stone aggregate. If your building a foundation, then you’ll definitely want the increased strength of concrete. They’re both very important materials that serve a different purpose when building a home. I’ve been working as a mason for over 25 years and can tell you that comparing concrete vs. The drawback to that added strength is that concrete is heavier and harder to work with. The major difference is that concrete also mixes in aggregate stone which greatly increases it’s strength and durability. They’re both primarily sand and cement mixed with water. Concrete and mortar are made in almost exactly the same way with the same basic ingredients.