This winter I completed a 17x21 foot patio using an electric concrete mixer using just the earth on the ground and cement mixed 5 scoops earth and 1 scoop cement. It looked and worked like concrete and is solid. I'd recommend the next guy or gal use 2 scoops cement just to be safer.
This method worked great as the earth I dug out to make the patio was taken straight into the mixer. 1 five gallon bucket equaled 5 scoops so I filled two buckets earth, added two scoops of cement, and them poured it back down as cement. Be sure to pull aside 4 buckets worth of earth to give yourself some working room on the ground. use these 4 in the end to finish up the job.
I also believe you need to minimize the clay to less then 20%. Use the soil in a glass bottle method (with water) to find out what you have.
It'd also make a nice top coat over a papercrete wall.
Joel
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "alexis.marcil" <alexis.marcil@...> wrote:
>
> when I said earthcrete, I was really thinking of soil cement/ stabilized soil...
>
> From what I read, you're not supposed to have more than 10% clay in your soil and then you add 5 to 15% of portland cement.
>
> I made some test block using soil from my yard wich is mostly clay. I didn't add sand and added 10% portland cement. The result is a very hard block that doesn't seem to suffer from the clay content.
>
> I will let it dry a few days still and then will test the strenght...
>
> Alexis
>
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