Why cement is the main building material

Cement is one of the main ingredients of construction as its used in almost every stage of building.

What you need to know:

During construction, different materials are used. However, cement is one of the main ingredients of construction materials.

Materials are required to build a structure (a home), vary for every stage of construction. The common building materials include cement, stones, sand, steel, timber, lime, bricks, paint, tiles and many others.
Different materials have different measurement standards, which are controlled by the - Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). These standards are meant to ensure that the applied materials are not harmful or are applied in a way that is not harmful to the human or livestock health and are environmentally friendly and durable.
Among the many construction materials, cement is one of the commonly used material on a construction project, from the foundation to finishes, to external works like pavers, road kerbs, and boundary walls, among others. Cement is a binding material, which sets and hardens, and is used to bind other materials together.
There are different types of cement required for different construction projects and conditions, but the commonly used one is ordinary Portland Cement. It is used in;-

Concrete works
A mixture of a given ratio of cement, sand, crushed stone and water, that’s used to make foundation footing, slabs, columns, beams, concrete walls, staircases and other formwork.

Mortar
A mixture of a given ratio of cement and sand and water, that is mainly used in bonding other materials together, for example, to bond bricks, blocks and stones.

Plaster / render
A mixture of a given ratio of cement, lime, sand and adequate water, used as surface treatment of walls and ceilings. The word plaster is used in reference to the interior works, and when used outside, it’s called render.

Setting of cement works
Cement mixtures especially concrete, take time and require dump/humid conditions (to attain required hardness and strength, therefore keeping the newly poured concrete dump, by constantly pouring water and keeping it covered by water holding materials will enable you achieve the desired results. The process of watering the slab and maintaining low temperatures is known as curing.

Storage of cement
Unused cement needs to be stored in a cool dry place, avoid placing it in direct contact with the ground. The solution is placing it on a raised platform like pellets, timber and the like. Avoid dump places, or contact with water for unused cement as this will make it harden before and will not be useable.

Precaution
Cement causes allergic reaction to skin contact; it is also irritating to both eyes and lungs, therefore, it should be handled with care by using protective wear.
In Uganda, cement comes in the standard measurement of 50kg a bag. You only need to know how many bags of cement are required for a particular stage. The average price of cement is Shs31,000.