Construction Tips

Here are some suggestions to make your beautiful home all the more fantastic.
Land: A rectangular or a square plot is more preferred for construction purposes.
Cement: Quality cement is of utmost importance so choose the cement for your construction very
carefully. Brands from Orient Cement are always there for you.
We strongly recommend Birla A1 Premium Cement as it is ideal for all types of constructions.
Aggregate: Uniformly graded aggregate of 20mm is best advised for RCC constructions.
Water: Always prefer clean, potable water as opposed to saline water; the latter weakens the
cement and also rusts the reinforcement used in the construction.
Steel: A BIS approved steel (TMT or HYSD) is a must.
Foundation: Before starting construction get a thorough knowledge of the nature of the land and
soil and build accordingly.
Plinth Level:Optimum plinth level can be determined by the height of the current road and any
future changes to this level.
Concrete: 1:2:4 (1 cement: 2 sand: 4 aggregate) is the ideal ratio of concrete mixture.
25 liters of water is to be used for every bag when you are using PPC e.g. Birla A1 Premium

Cement while preparing concrete.

De-shuttering oil helps in easy removal of the shuttering after the laying of concrete.

A Concrete Miller machine is preferred for mixing of concrete for any type of construction.

At extreme high or low temperatures laying of concrete is not advisable.

Concrete should cover the Iron bars up to a height of 15 mm

Concrete height should not be more than 5 ft than the columns

Vibrator should be used for better compaction of the concrete that is laid.

Bricks and Brick Masonry:

The mixture ratio should be 1:6 (1 cement: 6 sand) for a wall of 9 inches thickness.

The cement, sand and water mixture should be used maximum within 2 hours.

The joint between the bricks should not be one above the other.

At the end of the day, the length of the wall should end at an angle of 45 degrees.

Curing
The strength of the cement largely depends on curing. Ideally, curing should be done continuously
for a period of 14 28 days.
The strength of the cement does not depend on its color.

Excess usage of water in concrete lowers its strength

Plastering:
Plastering should be done after curing on the brick masonry.

Cement and fine aggregate mix ratio should be 1:6 (1 Cement: 6 fine aggregate) for

internal plastering of bricks and 1:4 for external plastering.

Never do a plastering beyond 12 or 15mm thickness on a brick wall.

Avoid plastering beyond 6 mm thickness on concrete in one go.

Hacking should be done before plastering work on ceilings and columns only.

Cement and Mortar ratio should be 1:3

Compulsory usage of mesh while plastering the electric and water pipes is advised.

More tips:
Avoid usage of black soil under the flooring.

A raised platform is advisable for the water tank on the slab.

Primer or tar should be applied behind the door frames.

The stairs height should not exceed 15 cm.

QUANTITY OF CEMENT & SAND CALCULATION IN

MORTAR
Quantity of cement mortar is required forrate analysis of brickwork and plaster or
estimation of masonry work for a building or structure. Cement mortar is used in
various proportions, i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8 etc.
Calculation of quantity of cement mortar in brickwork and plaster:
For the calculation of cement mortar, let us assume that we use 1m 3 of cement
mortar. Procedure for calculation is:
1. Calculate the dry volume of materials required for 1m 3 cement mortar.
Considering voids in sands, we assume that materials consists of 60% voids. That is,
for 1m3 of wet cement mortar, 1.6m3 of materials are required.
2. Now we calculate the volume of materials used in cement mortar based on its
proportions.
Lets say, the proportion of cement and sand in mortar is 1:X, where X is the volume
of sand required.
Then, the volume of sand required for 1:X proportion of 1m 3 cement mortar will be

3. Volume of cement will be calculated as:

Since the volume of 1 bag of cement is 0.0347 m 3, so the number of bag of cement
will be calculated as:

Example:
For cement mortar of 1:6, the quantity calculated will be as below:
Sand quantity:

Quantity of cement (in bags):

Volume of cement =

There number of bags required =

= 6.58 bags.

LAYING OF TILES
LAYING INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLOORS
1. Prepare base mortar with cement and sand in the ratio 1:4.
2. Set the levels for floor (i.e. dead level or slope as specified by the Architect / Contractor).
3. Prepare cement slurry i.e. mixture of cement and water to form a thick paste and spread it on
the leveled base mortar.
4. Wet the back side of the tile with water. Complete immersion of water is not required.
5. If tiles are square or rectangular in shape, set the right angles for the area and place the first
tile along the right angle lines and place it on base mortar. Tap gently only with a rubber or
wooden mallet to obtain perfect levels.
6. Clean the surface of the tile with clean water immediately after laying with wet sponge,
Ensure the base mortar cement which squeezes through the joints does not settle on the tile.
Also ensure that the water used is not hard to brackish.
7. Do not use the area laid for at least 24 hours.
8. Fill in the joints with pointing material which is a mixture of white cement and desired color
pigment. For higher quality of finishes, You could use, if required, a polymer based
cementitous tilling joint filler like Roffe rainbow. To get the desired color/shade, mix the
same with water to form a smooth paste which should be applied to the joints, preferably with
the use of rubber squeeze or rubber sheet. Do not apply the pointing material all over the
surface.
9. Allow pointing material to set for 15 minutes and then clean the surface of the tile with a
clean wet sponge, removing the excess pigment on the tile surface.
10. Wash the surface with soap water or mild detergent to obtain a clean surface and wipe it.

LAYING INSTRUCTIONS FOR WALLS

1. Plaster the surface to be tiled with mortar (cement and sand in the ratio 1:3).
2. Prepare cement mortar i.e. mixture of cement sand and water to form a thick paste and spread
it on the back side of the tile after wetting the tile with sponge.
3. Instructions given for Floor (Nos.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 above) should be followed.

DESIRED SITE CONDITIONS FOR LAYING OF ULTRA TILES

The following works are to be completed prior to commencing laying of Ultra Tiles.
1. Final painting of ceiling in rooms.
2. Two coats of wall painting in all rooms (the final painting should be done only after laying of

Instructions for Laying Floor Tiles

1.

Prepare base mortar with cement and sand in the ratio of 1:4.

2.

The total mortar thickness should not be more than 25 mm.

3.

Set the levels for the floor i.e., dead level or slope as specified.

4.

Prepare cement slurry with cement and water to form a thick paste and spread it on the leveled base mortar.

5.

Wet the rear side of the tile with water.

6.

If tiles are square or rectangular in shape, set the right angles for the area and place the first tile along the right angle
mortar. Tap gently with a rubber mallet to get perfect level.

7.

After laying, immediately clean the surface of the tiles with clean, wet sponge. Ensure that the base mortar cement wh
through joints does not settle on the tile.

8.

Also make sure that the water used is not hard or brackish.

9.

Do not use the area laid for 48 hours.

10. Fill in the joints if required with pointing material ie., mixture of white cement and desired colour pigment. For higher q
finishes, you could use, if required, a polymer based cementitous tiling joint filter. To get the desired colour / shade, mi
with water to form a smooth paste which should be applied to the joints, preferably with the use of a rubber squeegee
the pointing material all over the surface.

11. Allow the pointing material to set for 15 minutes. And clean the surface of the tile with clean wet sponge, in order to re
excess pigment on the tile surface.
12. Wash the surface with soap water or mind detergent to get a clean surface.

Instructions for Laying Wall Tiles

1.

Plaster the surface to be tiled with mortar ( ratio of cement and water is 1:3 )

2.

Prepare cement slurry ie ., mixture of cement and water to from a thick paste

3.

Wet the rearside of the tile with sponge and then spread the cement slurry on it

4.

Instructions given above starting from 5 10 of floor tiles laying should be followed

Desired Conditions For Laying Of Dazzle Designer Tiles

The following have to be completed before laying of our tiles

1.

Final painting of ceiling in rooms.

2.

Two coats of wall painting in all rooms ( the final painting should be done only after laying of floor tiles)

3.

Wiring and fixing of all electrical components to be completed

4.

Plumbing work to be completed

5.

Fixing of grills for windows.

6.

Fixing and polishing of windows / window frames / door frames and doors To be completed

7.

If mosaic /marbles/any other natural stone which needs machining or polishing is being done in any part of the floor , i
that this work is completed before commencing the laying of these tiles

If all the above precautions are taken and instructions followed First Floor Designer Concrete tiles will give you decades of tro
service.

Instruction for Laying Pavers

1.

Set the floor level with wet sand for 50mm thickness and compact by using Vibrating Plate
Compactor.

2.

Keep the sand with moisture content. Do not use sand which is 100% dry.

3.

Do not spread the sand for larger areas, as it will dry out and reduce the performance.

4.

Use sand of 50mm screeded properly.

5.

Lay the Interlock paver in compacted sand floor and tap gently with a rubber mallet to get perfect
joints.

6.

Spread river sand on the laid area to fill joint gaps and run the Vibrating Plate Compactor to get
the perfect level. Construct retention wall all-around the laid areas to arrest the movement of
Paver blocks.

7.

It is recommended to provide the slope of 3 inch on the wider side and 2 inches on the linear side
for every 10 feet of the laying area.

Specifications

S. No

Type of Paver

Thickness

Compressive
Strength

Load Bearing Capacity

Medium Duty

60 mm

5000 + PSI

Heavy Vehicle upto 30 MT

Heavy Duty

80 mm

6000 + PSI

Heavy Vehicle upto 40 MT

Particulars of items
Q
u
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i

1.

Brick work inl

i
m
e
o
r
cement
mortari n f o u n d a t i o n a n d p l i n t h 1 . 2 5 c u m ( 4 5 c u f t ) p e r
m a s o n 2.

Brick work inl

i
m
e
o
r
cement
mortarins u p e r s t r u c t u r e 1 . 0 0 c u m ( 3 5 c u f t ) p e r

m a s o n 3.

B r i c k w o r k i n mud mortar infoundationand

p l i n t h 1 . 5 0 c u m ( 5 5 c u f t ) p e r m a s o n 4.
B r i c k w o r k i n mud mortar
insuperstructure1 . 2 5 c u m ( 4 5 c u f t ) p e r
B r i c k
inarches0 . 5 5

m a s o n 5.

i n c e m e n t
o r lime mortar
c u m ( 2 0 c u f t ) p e r m a s o n 6.

B r i c k
i
i n jack arches0 . 5 5

n c e m e n t
o r lime mortar
c u m ( 2 0 c u f t ) p e r m a s o n 7.

H a l f b r i c k w a l l in partition5 . 0 0 s q m ( 5 0 s q f t ) p e r
m a s o n 8.
Coursedr u b b l e s t o n e m a s o n r y i n l i m e
ludingd r e s s i n g 0 . 8 0 c u m ( 3 0 c u f t ) p e r

c e m e n t mortari n c
m a s o n 9.

Randomr u b b l e s t o n e m a s o n r y i n l
i
m
e
ment mortar1 . 0 0 c u m ( 3 5 c u f t ) p e r m a s o n 10.
Ashlarsm a s o n r y i n l
i
m
e
mortar0 . 4 0 c u m ( 1 5 c u f t ) p e r

o
r
cement
m a s o n 11.

S t o n e
a r c h work0 . 4 0 c u m ( 1 5 c u f t ) p e r
m a s o n 12.
L i m e c o n c r e t e i n f o u n d a t i o n or
floor8 . 5 0 c u m ( 3 0 0 c u f t ) p e r

m a s o n 13.

ce