What Projects Benefit Most from Ready Mix Concrete?

Ready mix concrete isn’t right for every job, but it’s perfect for many. Knowing which projects work best with ready mix can save you time, money, and hassle. Let’s look at the jobs where ready mix concrete really shines.

Driveways and Car Parks

Driveways are one of the best uses for ready mix concrete. Here’s why it works so well:

You need a lot of concrete quickly. Most driveways use 10-20 cubic metres of concrete. That’s far too much to mix by hand. With ready mix, you can pour the whole driveway in one go.

The concrete needs to be strong and consistent. Cars are heavy, and your driveway gets used every day. Ready mix gives you reliable strength throughout the whole area.

You want a smooth finish. When concrete arrives all mixed and ready, you can focus on getting a good surface instead of rushing to mix more batches.

Most driveways also need the concrete to set evenly. With ready mix, every part of your driveway has the same strength and will last the same amount of time.

House Foundations

Foundations are probably the most important use for ready mix concrete. Your whole house sits on the foundation, so it needs to be right.

Building regulations are strict about foundation concrete. You need specific strength grades, and the mix has to meet exact standards. Ready mix concrete comes with certificates that prove it meets these requirements.

Foundations need to be poured quickly and continuously. If you stop halfway through and let some concrete set before adding more, you create weak spots. Ready mix lets you pour large foundation areas without stopping.

The concrete also needs to be completely consistent. Every part of your foundation must be equally strong. This is almost impossible to achieve when mixing by hand, but standard with ready mix.

Commercial and Industrial Floors

Factory floors, warehouse floors, and shop floors all work brilliantly with ready mix concrete.

These floors need to handle heavy loads. Forklifts, machinery, and stored goods put enormous stress on concrete floors. Ready mix gives you the exact strength grade you need.

The areas are usually large. A typical warehouse floor might need 50-100 cubic metres of concrete. You simply can’t mix this much by hand in any reasonable time.

These floors also need special additives. Things like steel fibres for extra strength, or chemicals to make the surface harder. Concrete plants can add these properly, but they’re difficult to mix in by hand.

Patios and Garden Areas

Large patios benefit hugely from ready mix concrete.

Most patios are 20-50 square metres. At 100mm thick, that’s 2-5 cubic metres of concrete. Ready mix makes this a one-day job instead of a week-long struggle.

Patios need to look good. With ready mix, you can add colour, texture, or decorative aggregates easily. The concrete plant mixes these in properly, giving you a consistent finish.

You also want your patio to last. Garden furniture, barbecues, and weather all put stress on patio concrete. Ready mix gives you reliable, long-lasting results.

Swimming Pool Construction

Swimming pools are perfect for ready mix concrete.

Pool construction is complex and time-sensitive. Once you start, you need to keep going. Ready mix lets you pour pool walls and floors continuously without breaks.

Pool concrete needs to be waterproof and strong. It has to hold back thousands of litres of water. Ready mix can include waterproofing additives that are difficult to add when mixing by hand.

The concrete also needs specific properties for pool construction. Things like low shrinkage and high durability. Concrete plants can design mixes specifically for pools.

Structural Work

Any structural concrete work benefits from ready mix.

Structural concrete includes things like:

• Support beams
• Columns
• Retaining walls
• Bridge work
• Multi-storey construction

All of these need concrete that meets strict engineering standards. Ready mix comes with test certificates and guaranteed strength grades.

Structural work also can’t have weak spots. If one part of a beam is weaker than the rest, the whole structure is at risk. Ready mix eliminates this problem.

Large Landscaping Projects

Big landscaping jobs work well with ready mix concrete.

This includes:

• Large garden paths
• Extensive paving areas
• Retaining walls
• Decorative concrete features
• Access roads

These projects often need several cubic metres of concrete, but they’re not quite big enough to justify buying a concrete mixer. Ready mix hits the sweet spot perfectly.

Agricultural Buildings

Farm buildings like dairy sheds, grain stores, and livestock housing all benefit from ready mix.

These buildings need floors that can handle heavy machinery, animal traffic, and constant cleaning. Ready mix gives you the durability you need.

Farm buildings are also often quite large, so you need substantial amounts of concrete. Ready mix makes these jobs much more manageable.

When Ready Mix Isn’t the Best Choice

Ready mix doesn’t work well for every project:

Very Small Jobs Setting a few fence posts or filling small holes. The minimum delivery charge makes this expensive.

Remote Locations If concrete trucks can’t reach your site, ready mix won’t work.

Experimental Work If you’re trying different mixes or doing craft projects, mixing your own gives you more control.

Very Tight Spaces Sometimes you need to move concrete through narrow gaps or up stairs. Ready mix needs reasonable access.

Getting the Most from Ready Mix

To make ready mix work best for your project:

Plan Properly Work out exactly how much concrete you need. Order 5-10% extra to be safe.

Prepare Your Site Have everything ready before the concrete arrives. You can’t make the truck wait while you finish preparations.

Have Enough Help Ready mix arrives fast, so you need enough people to handle it quickly.

Choose the Right Grade Different projects need different concrete strengths. Your supplier can advise you on the best grade for your job.

Making the Right Choice

Ready mix concrete works best when you need:

• More than 1 cubic metre of concrete
• Consistent, reliable quality
• Quick completion
• Guaranteed strength grades
• Professional results

These projects include most driveways, foundations, large patios, commercial floors, and structural work.

For smaller jobs or special situations, mixing your own might make more sense. But for most substantial concrete projects, ready mix gives you better results with less effort.

Talk to the Experts

At Express Concrete, we help customers choose the right approach for their projects. We can tell you whether ready mix makes sense for your job, and if so, what grade and quantity you need.

We’ve supplied concrete for everything from small garden patios to major construction projects. Our experience helps you get the right concrete for your specific needs.

Ready mix concrete transforms difficult jobs into manageable ones. For the right projects, it’s simply the best way to get professional results without professional equipment.