The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-09-19
Cement Floors.

A correspondent who has tested &C.
ment floors writes about them as fol-
lows in a communication to Rural New
Yorker:
The first cement floor ever laid was
In my dwelling house cellar % years
ago last fall 1t is as solid and good to-
day as ever. Farmers generally wish to
know the cost first. AS nearly as l can
figure, the money outlay for material
does not exceed az cents per square
foot.
Fresh Akron cement and good coarse
gravel are mixed in the proportions of
one part cement to 81 parts gravel.
There should be enough sand, say about
one fifth, in the gravel so that when
mixed with the cement it will bind the
whole together solid. Gravel as it is
usually dug from the pits will con-
tain enough sand. Care must be taken
that this sand is such that if siftcd from
the gravel it will make good plastering
mortar and is not quicksand. This is a
very important point. The gravel should
not contain stones more than q inches
thick Mix the gravel and cement thor
oughly dry, seven sbuvels gravel and
two of cement. This is for coarse gravel
not more than one-f ,urth sand. More
cement will be required for fine gravel.
After getting good pile we'll mixed
dry, care must be taken that all the mix
ture is thoroughly wet Ono dry lunps)
and about the consistency Of good plas-
tering mortar when ready to put on the
lath. 1t will take two or three good
hands to prepare and bring the cement
to one man to lay 1t, according to the
distance it has to be carried.
For q common house cellar or any
other place not exposed to frost, If the
soil be firm, all that is necessary is to
grade it level, sloping very little to
one side to facilitate cleaning, taking
care to fill all depressions with clay
and tramp down solid. If the bottom is
springy, it is better to lay some tile just
low enough so that the tops will be level
with the grading, taking care that they
connect with drains. use good strong
ditching shovel and brick trowel to
lay the cement. If there be any slope
to the grading, begin at the upper side,
lay down good straight 2 by scant-
ling fatwise 20 inches from the wall
and parallel with it; fill in this space
between the wall and scantling with
the wet cement and pound down solid
with the back Of the shovel, settling
all the coarse gravel and stone we'll to
the bottom of the layer. This forces the
fine sand and cement to the top Level
with the shovel to the top Of the scant.
ling and then smooth off with the trow.
ell. This makes the floor two inches
thick. Now move the scantling another
20 inches and proceed as before, and
80 till the whole is laid. There will be
no trouble about the cement staying IL
its place when moving the scantling il
1t is mixed right.
This cement sets quickly, but requires
some time to thoroughly harden and il
better to be covered with damp straw
for some time after being laid, or il
case Of horse stable cheap temporar,
board floor. One may then use at once
For wagon house or grain barn fill il
with foot of cobblestones and then la,
cement. One is then safe from frost
and there is no harbor for rats, skunks
mice, etc. If the farmers Throughout
the country would adopt this one i'm
provement in farm buildings, the pc
cuniary gain, directly and indirectly
would be almost beyond computation.