Frost proofer advice please?

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

Hi,

I'm starting to make changes to front garden this weekend.

Part 1 is making a retaining wall from sleepers, 3 foot sleepers with a trench dug just over 1 foot so 2 foot of sleeper visible and haunching up sleepers 1 foot to top of trench. 25 sleepers to go in straight line 6 metre long.

Young boy next door is twat and would prob love to push over sleepers before concrete sets.
Would it be possible to bed in sleepers with regular 4-2-1 concrete and then top it off with 4-2-1 plus frost proofer?

My theory is using regular concrete to bed them in gives me enough working time to get them in place and attach wooden straps to get them semi secure.If I filled rest of trench up with concrete mixed with frost proofer this should set fairly quickly and boy next door won't be able to push them over.

What is approx setting time of concrete with frost proofer added?

Does this sound a bit mental? Would the concrete with frost proofer "suffocate" the normal concrete below and stop it setting?


Thanks for any advice.

[mickg]

why don't you use use rapid set cement ?

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

Do you mean rapid setting cement for the whole lot or just the haunching above bedding?

I could maybe use it to "top up" but think it maybe bit ambitious to use it for entire project.

I've been going through forums and get impression rapid set cement sets too fast for People with DIY talents and it's best left for those with can go 100 mph!!

Thanks for quick reply mick

[lutonlagerlout]

i think mick meant for the young fella next door
cement him in a gorilla bucket and get rid

i went to look at a retaining wall job last week
the sleepers put in 5 years ago had rotted

food for thought
LLL

[r896neo]

Yes as you've gathered rapid set is very rapid. Its fine for bedding a manhole cover etc but no use in any real quantity in my experience.

You can buy 5 litre containers of rapid hardener/plugger in b and q as an additive which would be more appropriate than frost proofer and faster acting. Its not dear about 6 quid or something. I use it for fence posts as it will make the concrete firmer quicker. I put about 200ml in with half bag of cement sized gauge. You can put more in if you like where as too much frost proofer will in theory weaken the mix.

I don't know the chemicals at work so they may be exactly the same thing but i just know for mortars too much frost proofer will make it weak.

[Tony McC]

....or drive pins through the stacked sleepers as shown here

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

Sleepers are going up vertically so won't be able to put pins through them.

Been to B&Q and got accelerator - plugger that r896 advised.

It's hardwood sleepers soaked in all sorts of nasty stuff so hopefully they won't perish.

Got my materials delivered today and cement mixer Coming tomorrow. Weather forecast is looking ok so hopefully it all goes to plan and I can put picture up.

There's few other bits to get done in garden thru the year so might have more questions.

Many thanks to those who replied.

Got to say tony site is fantastic. Well done

[lutonlagerlout]

its timber =it will rot at some point
LLL

[seanandruby]

Hi,

I'm starting to make changes to front garden this weekend.

Part 1 is making a retaining wall from sleepers, 3 foot sleepers with a trench dug just over 1 foot so 2 foot of sleeper visible and haunching up sleepers 1 foot to top of trench. 25 sleepers to go in straight line 6 metre long.

Young boy next door is twat and would prob love to push over sleepers before concrete sets.
Would it be possible to bed in sleepers with regular 4-2-1 concrete and then top it off with 4-2-1 plus frost proofer?

My theory is using regular concrete to bed them in gives me enough working time to get them in place and attach wooden straps to get them semi secure.If I filled rest of trench up with concrete mixed with frost proofer this should set fairly quickly and boy next door won't be able to push them over.

What is approx setting time of concrete with frost proofer added?

Does this sound a bit mental? Would the concrete with frost proofer "suffocate" the normal concrete below and stop it setting?


Thanks for any advice.

Put boy next door in trench first :laugh:

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

The youngster next door is out my hair. Twisted his ankle playing with his pals and then his dad came to get him for weekend

Got everything dug out today and sleepers get put in tomorrow. Could of started to put sleepers in this afternoon but decided against it. Thought best doing it in one go. Checked forecast for tomorrow and it's crap - mixer on a weekend hire so need to carry on.

Cheers