Alpha Pro Fluidizer 1 lb - Dry superplasticizer for Any Concrete Countertop Mix

this stuff works great. I am unsure the results if you mix it with pure portland cement, as thats going to be shrinking disaster. But mixing this only 2 table spoons with a 3:1 ratio of mason sand and portland concrete (more sand less concrete) results in using so much less water, and super strong concrete. I would do like a comparison, but i made 2 mini-slabs one without and one with. And noticed far less bug holes and much more solid concrete. I use a pencil vibrator to get the air out, but i still had bugs in the one without it. Anyways, best thing to do is read directions on the packages you are using. Manufacturer recommends for portland a 1:2:3 ratio, 1 part portland, 2 parts sand, 3 parts gravel - for a countertop, 1 part portland 3 parts mason sand. you can use pure concrete for filling in bug holes, using it solo results in extreme shrinkage, super brittleness, cracking is not even a question. Cement needs a skeleton. Reviews citing this when someone uses pure portland should be akin to "I drove the car and it just stopped moving, i put the whole bag of sugar in the gas tank and i think there is something wrong with these cars." Clearly user error, nothing wrong with this product.

Excellent

Bought this to test out the behavior of the concrete when using it and It’s a great additive to a concrete pour , less water and more movement and cure, Really liked it.

It works! But the amount you get for the price is not that much. So we used it to plasticfy about 2 bags of Portland cement to make concrete more flow able with less water. Concrete came out strong and seems durable. Also half of it was lost in transit as it arrived with the lid broken.

I love this product. All it took was one or two tablespoons added to a bag of Rapid Set concrete which was mixed with the minimum amount of water/latex admixture to turn it from barely able to clump to the consistency of a thick pancake batter. This makes it easy to pour the mixture into 2 inch wide cracks in concrete slab as well as finishing the surface. Using minimum amount of liquid gives the highest strength concrete. This helps reduce cracking due to winter freeze and thaw . I filled about 35 feet of cracks in patio varying from 2” to 6” last fall. This spring the patio is solid without any cracks. Note the Rapid set concrete has a higher strength than typical bags of concrete made with Portland cement. The one downside is that the Rapid set concrete sets up within about 15-20 min even when using set control and working at 50F (late fall. Western NY). Great product.

I had a problem with one of the items. They immediately solved the issue and sent me a new one.

Using this product to reduce water in cement mix going into molds. Makes the mixture easy to work with and so far cement seems very strong after curing. Adding about a teaspoon to 8 pounds Portland cement, first try I used too much and cement was foamy.

Perhaps I’m doing something wrong. The instructions are very unclear on how much to add. Then it takes awhile to start working. So most of the fluidity came when it was already in my mold. Then all the water extraction became an issue.