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cement

A cement is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource.Cements used in construction are usually inorganic, often lime or calcium silicate based, which can be characterized as non-hydraulic or hydraulic respectively, depending on the ability of the cement to set in the presence of water (see hydraulic and non-hydraulic lime plaster).
Non-hydraulic cement does not set in wet conditions or under water. Rather, it sets as it dries and reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. It is resistant to attack by chemicals after setting.
Hydraulic cements (e.g., Portland cement) set and become adhesive due to a chemical reaction between the dry ingredients and water. The chemical reaction results in mineral hydrates that are not very water-soluble and so are quite durable in water and safe from chemical attack. This allows setting in wet conditions or under water and further protects the hardened material from chemical attack. The chemical process for hydraulic cement was found by ancient Romans who used volcanic ash (pozzolana) with added lime (calcium oxide).
The word "cement" can be traced back to the Ancient Roman term opus caementicium, used to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick supplements that were added to the burnt lime, to obtain a hydraulic binder, were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cäment, and cement. In modern times, organic polymers are sometimes used as cements in concrete.
World production is about four billion tonnes per year, of which about half is made in China. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8 billion tonnes, surpassed only by China and the United States. The initial calcination reaction in the production of cement is responsible for about 4% of global CO2 emissions. The overall process is responsible for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, as the cement kiln in which the reaction occurs is typically fired by coal or petroleum coke due to the luminous flame required to heat the kiln by radiant heat transfer. As a result, the production of cement is a major contributor to climate change.

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  1. D

    Adhesive for heavy cement encaustic tiles

    Hi, I need an adhesive suitable for 20x20cm cement encaustic tiles on unskimmed plasterboard please, I found this mapei ultraflex lft recommended in several places but can’t source in uk, what is widely available that is like it ? Thanks
  2. H

    USA Looking for advice with cement burns

    Hi guys looking for advice in regards to how to help prevent/treat cement burns. Parents have come home with some nasty burns on their fingers just wanted to know what you guys use or what to do really
  3. Slippery

    USA Porcelain laid on sand and cement?

    A friend of mine (who is a great brickie) laid his patio the other day, he used a wet bed of sand and cement and back buttered the tiles with a sand and cement slurry. He didn't use a decoupling mat or cement board, just a MOT base. He does a lot of stone paths and patios like this but I have...
  4. Kilo

    Cement vs foam core boards

    Hi, I'm about to redo an en-suite after taking it back to the stud. I have been doing a little reading on backer boards (but clearly not enough to be sure what to use!) I have gyp-frame 40 cm studs and an external block wall that needs dot and dab. I guess a lot of people rate Hardie backer...
  5. A

    Marmoleum on sand cement screed

    Can I lay marmoleum tiles directly onto a sand and cement screed? Or is it better to lay down a plywood subfloor on top of it? It will be a freshly lad screed by the way with water UFH.
  6. M

    B&Q urban Matt cement cream tiles

    Can anyone help me source some discontinued tiles from B&Q they were urban cement floor tiles in cream originally Johnson tiles exclusively for B&Q. We didn’t keep spares and 2 years later desperately need a few after making changes to kitchen! Thanks
  7. M

    Stubborn cement on bricks

    Morning, Just put clay brick tiles on a wall.was advised by builder to grout with sand and cement. I can't remove the dull after of cement from the brick. Tried a mortar remover but still not getting the expected colours from the brick. Any ideas
  8. D

    solution to remove cement/ grout off

    Hi, my name is Eddy, my forum nickname is Dobalganero. I am looking for advice here. I hope I can get help. My son-in-law offered to grout the walls of our bathroom but he did not take the grout off quick enough, he let it rest there for some time and even plastered some around the tiles. Does...
  9. A

    Sand and cement screed down. How long

    I have a newly laid screed 75mm thick sand and cement laid 2 weeks ago. I'm stuck for time and need the ensuite floor tiles asap. Is there any products you can recommend for me so I can start laying now rather than wait another few weeks before it's fully dry.
  10. S

    I'm Looking For This Tile B&Q Urban Cement Cream by Johnson Tiles

    Looking for a few of the Urban Cement matt cream tiles made by Johnson for B&Q discontinued about 1yr ago. Urban Cement Cream Matt Stone effect Ceramic Wall & floor Tile, Pack of 5, (L)600mm (W)300mm | DIY at B&Q -...
  11. R

    Knauf Cement Board Odour

    My contractor has put down some Knauf cement board in my kitchen to prep the floor before tiles. The product smells very strong like ammonia/ chemicals. Is this normal for this product? Im Assuming that it won’t be apparent after tiling/ grouting?
  12. H

    How to fix this disaster

    Hello, I was looking for help on getting my floor ready for porcelain tiles and was directed here. Old tiles were taken out of an old floor leaving dry dirt patches where the concrete was removed with tile, lots of broken concrete bits and, in the kitchen, exposed pipe (which seems to be...
  13. G

    22mm No More Ply or ply and cement board

    Hi All, I’ve searched endlessly for an answer to this and can’t seem to find an answer, so I thought I’d bite the bullet and ask. We’re redoing our en-suite and have found that the existing flooring has completely disintegrated, so it’s gotta go. We’ve got two options: 22mm No More Ply...
  14. S

    Cement tiles cracked right after laying and no idea why

    Hello! Totally new here and in need of some advice: I had cement tiles ("encaustic" tiles) installed yesterday by a professional tiler. Tiles are 20x20 cm, 1.2cm thick. They used Mapei Keraflex maxi s1 adhesive. Maybe 15 minutes after laying the last tile we heard loud crack and then another and...
  15. P

    joining plasterboard and cement board / hardiebacker

    Good Afternoon, we're ready to start prepping the wall for tiling. it's in the shower and it's all going to be tiled. what should you use to join cement and plasterboard together? ive read that plasterboard is tape and compound and cement board is alkaline tape with thin set (though...
  16. B

    Which cement board tape?

    I used to use Fibatape buts its a nightmare to get hold of now, what do use guys use? That orange stuff?
  17. H

    Preparation Re-Tiling over cement Sheeting

    Hello Tilers, I've lifted and are preparing to re-lay part of our kitchen floor. We are using the existing tiles as they had an issue with, over time, releasing themselves. We’ve removed as many tiles that are loose, chipped away at the existing adhesive, cursed at hurting arms and damaged...
  18. S

    Cement board and redoing tanking

    Hi all, 13 years ago I placed cement boards in the shower area on an old style shower tray. I have just removed all tiles and the cement boards with the 'rubberised' tanking has held up well - (more than I can say for the plasterboarded walls elsewhere in the bathroom. I intend to put a...
  19. A

    USA Cement Contractors Hoffman Estates

    The #1 Concrete Contractor in the Chicagoland area. Specializing in concrete foundations, concrete walls, concrete patios, concrete driveways, and more! Ask us about our concrete repair pricing.
  20. T

    USA 24 year old tile over cement slab floor failing-tenting and popping up

    Hi, I've put down quite a bit of tile over the years but always worked with backerboard. I'm renovating a house in Florida (first one in Florida) that was built in 1996. It's concrete slab foundation and the tile was laid directly on the slab with what appears to be basic thinset. When I was...
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