The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-03
CEMENT FLOORS.
How Long They Last and What They Cost
How to Lay Them.


How Long They Last and What They Cost.
How to Lay Them.
A correspondent who has tested CO..
ment floors writes about them as fol-
lows in communication to Rural New
Yorker:
The first cement floor 1 ever laid was
IN my dwelling house cellar % wears
ago last fall. 1t is as solid and good to-
day as ever. Farmers generally wish to
know the cost first. AS nearly as 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-ifth, 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 sifted from
the gravel it will make good plastering
mortar and is not quicksand This is
very important point. The gravel should
not contain stones more than IL inches
thick. Mix the gravel and cement thor.
oughly dry, seven shovels gravel and
two of cement This is for coarse gravel
not more than one-fourth sand. More
cement will be required for fine gravel.
After getting good pile well mixed
dry, care must be taken that all the mix
ture is thoroughly wet emo dry lumps)
and about the consistency of good plas-
tering mortar when ready to put on the
lath. It will take two or three good
hands to prepare and bring the cement
to one man to lay it, according to the
distance it has to be carried.
For 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 a good straight by scant-
ling fiatwise 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,pf 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
SO till the whole is laid There willsbe
no trouble about the cement staying in
its place when moving the scantling if
it is mixed right.
This cement sets quickly, but requires
some time to thoroughly harden and is
better to be covered with damp straw
for some time after being laid, or in
case of horse stable a cheap temporary
board floor. One may then use at once.
For wagon house or grain barn fill in
with foot Of cobblestones and then Law
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.