An easy reference for anyone interested in construction details

1. JK Cements LtdGetting the construction right
Construction of any building requires expert guidance in every aspect. Right from
the beginning, delicate and precise detailing is required. But lack of tech-how
creates obstacles, and the consumer’s satisfaction gets compromised.
We at JK Cements believes in giving priority to customers’ requirements.
We help you in every stage right from the choosing of materials to helping you
after construction.
We are always there with you!!!

2. Why you should trust JK CEMENTS
JK Cements has always followed the ethical aspect when it comes to dealing with
its esteemed customers. Our CTS department is the oldest in the cement
industry and has shown its full commitment towards them.
Right from receiving customers’ suggestions to addressing their grievances, we
have provided solutions in a time-bound manner.
JK Cement is a brand name, and has a considerable presence along the length and
breadth of the country. Our CTS officials have a good experience in the
construction industry and are well aware of the intricacies that come with any
type of construction.
CTS has lived up to its name-’’Customer Technical Services.”
We are launching a pocket guide that will give you the tips that can be counted on
fingers. We have tried our best that every aspect of construction should be
covered.
We hope our customers will appreciate our endeavor.

3. Stages in Planning
Selection of Land
Following points must be remembered:
• Basic Amenities like water supply, road connectivity, electricity must be in
proximity.
• Distance of public buildings like school, bazaars, post office, banks, post
offices, hospitals should be as near as possible.
• Present and future requirements of your family.
• Ventilation in the rooms,DPC in bathrooms, and minute details must not
be overlooked.
• Experienced Contractors must be consulted.
• Charted Architect should be consulted.
• Pricing and quality of materials of various brands should be compared.

4. Ways of reducing Expenditure
• The construction should fulfill your need in every manner.
• Good quality of materials should be selected in first place, because replacing
them costs a lot.
• Before the construction begins, estimation in every aspect should be covered.
• Planning for interior furniture and furnishing should be in place.
• Durability should be given priority over appearance of the building.
• Electrical connections should as minimum as possible.
• A location should be planned in advance to keep the stock of materials in a safe
place.
• A building should be such that it can meet all the weather conditions.

6. Involvement of Experts
Architects/Engineers
A charted Architect/Engineer must be taken into consideration. These two
experts can cover all the technicalities and legalities involve with
construction. A good Engineer can help you chalk out a plan and can help
a great deal in the proper utilization of space your building will occupy.
They can help you choose the right material, registered contractors. A
reputed or Architect may charge you a little more, but they help keep
discrepancies at bay.

7. Technical Persons’ Involvement
Fitting of electric equipment
• Only a registered electrician should be selected for wiring the house.
• There should be a provision for switch board.
• Only branded electric equipment should be used.
• MCB box should be installed to avoid overload.
• A thorough inspection of the connection of wires should be done.

8. Plumbing
• Galvanized Iron pipes of branded companies should always be used .
• For sewer lines, tube pipes must be adopted.
• Hydraulic investigation regarding all aspects should be carried out.
Otherwise, there are chances of leakage.

9. Financial Back-up!!!
Requisite allocation of funds for buying land for purchasing a house is not an
easy. A person looks for a financial institution that can lend him loans at an
affordable rates. There are many banks , housing finance companies, and
housing finance institutions from where you can take loans.

10. Estimation of materials
Area
(sq.ft)
225 450 900 1350 1800 4500
Bricks 7250 13000 26000 38200 55000 145000
Aggregate
20mm
76 151 298 445 596 1650
Aggregate
10mm
41 82 165 243 325 910
Steel 250 360 725 1080 1445 4100
Sand 261 530 1055 1590 2105 5840
Cement
bags
73 148 296 445 590 1600

11. 3 5
25
206
15
6
3
4
8
3 2
Expenditure in %
Foundation
stoning up to plinth
Brick work above plinth
Roofing
flooring
Wooden work
Internal Plastering work
External plaster
water supply
sanitary work
Electric Work
design life

12. Selection of Materials
Good work in construction begins with good quality of materials. Procurement of
right materials is not an easy take. If right quality of materials is chosen, the
executed work will be strong and durable.
A little knowledge in this can help save money and time. The selection of
materials should be such that it does not burn the hole in your pocket.
The basic materials remain the same, i.e. sand,
aggregates,bricks,reinforcement bars (commonly called steel rods).
Here, we are helping you find the right criterion to choose the best quality of
materials.

14. Cement
Cement is a binding material that can bind stone, bricks, sand and reinforcing
bars. The more strong the cement, the more strong will be the construction.
So, cement of a branded company should always be used. A branded
cement might be a little costly, but use of such cements can make a building
much stronger.
Only a fresh cement should be used in construction. More fresh the cement is,
more strong will be the paste. To know how fresh the cement is, its week
number should also be noted down.
It is a misconception among the people that color of cement influences its
color. The color of cement depends upon raw materials and has no influence
on strength.

15. Choosing the right Cement
There are basically two types of grey cements are available in the market.
OPCs and blended cements. Blended cements offer some advantages over
OPCs. They are:
• Less generation of heat.
• Gives protection to steel rods from corrosion
• Resistance to chemical attacks from environment.
• Less water is required to prepare concrete mass. Leads to 10% savings in
water.
• The bulk volume of 50kg bag is slightly more than OPC and therefore gives
more volume of mortar than OPC.
• Gives better durability and strength to buildings.
• Eco-friendly.
• JK Super Cements surely meets all the above
requirements.

16. Strength of cement with time
TIME Decrement in strength
After two months 15-20%
After three months 20-25%
After six months 25-30%
After one year 35-40%
After two years 50-55%

17. STORAGE OF CEMENTS
• Cement bags should be protected from moisture.
• Not more than 10 bags should be kept above each other.
• It should be made sure that bags should not be in contact with walls and
on floor it should be paced on wooden or steel panels.

18. Quality of Sand
Sand also influences the quality of construction.
Method of identifying good sand
Take a handful of sand and close your fist and then rub it. Any contamination
like mud, will stick to your palm. Any presence of pebbles, grit and dirt
can be harmful to construction. So screening of sand should be done on
sieve.
Scientific Method
Fill the half glass tumbler with sand, add water into it add stir it properly. If
water turns muddy, it means sand is contaminated, it will turn muddy.
It is a thumb rule that if mud or dust is more than 4% of the sand, the sand
should be cleaned with water.

19. Problem with wet sand
Wet sand is avoided in construction. If sand contains more than 5% water, it is
advisable to add 25% sand. Adding too much water is dangerous for
construction work

20. Aggregates
Aggregates play the second most important role after cement in strengthening
concrete.
It is advisable to wash aggregates before use if it contains dirt and mud.
For making a good concrete mass, aggregates of two sizes should be used. In
normal construction practices, aggregates of size 10mm and 20mm are mostly
used by grading them in an optimum amount. By doing so, durable concrete
work will become more strong, and will result in reducing cement usage.

21. Brick work and their Selection
Following are the criterion to judge the quality of bricks
• Two bricks should give a metallic sound when hit with each other.
• It should not leave a trail when scratched by nail.
• When it is dropped from a height of 1 meter, it should not break into pieces.
Scientific Method
Water absorption Test
A brick should be randomly picked up and placed in water for 24 hours. If that
brick exhibits an additional weight of more than 15% by weight, than that brick
should be rejected. For example, a brick that weigh 3 kg should not weigh 3.45
after being soaked for 24 hours.

22. Brick Masonry
• Brick Masonry should only be begun only after wetting the bricks
continuously for one hour.
• If plaster is applied on dry bricks, the dry bricks will soak the water from the
plaster, and the strength of plaster will get reduced.
• Only the amount of plaster that can be used in one hour should be prepared.
• Brick masonry should be carried on not more than 1.5m height on any
structure.
• Joints in bricks should be filled internally and externally in a proper manner.
• After brick masonry is complete, the curing should be carried on brick wall for
7 days.

23. Proportion of Plaster for Walls
Thickness of wall Proportion
4” thick wall 1:4 (1 part cement;4 parts sand)
9” thick wall 1:5 (1 part cement;6 parts sand)

24. Selection of Steel Rods
Compressive strength of concrete is quite good, but it does not have adequate
tensile strength, so to give it the much needed tensile strength, steel rods are
inserted into the concrete, and so comes the Reinforced Concrete Cement.
Points to remember
• Steel rods should not have the presence of rust on them.
• Only the BIS certified rods should be purchased.
• While laying down the roof, a layer of water-cement paste should be placed
over steel rods to prevent it from corrosion.

25. Selection of Steel Rods
Compressive strength of concrete is quite good, but it does not have adequate
tensile strength, so to give it the much needed tensile strength, steel rods are
inserted into the concrete, and so comes the Reinforced Concrete Cement.
Points to remember
• Steel rods should not have the presence of rust on them.
• Only the BIS certified rods should be purchased.
• While laying down the roof, a layer of water-cement paste should be placed
over steel rods to prevent it from corrosion.

26. Cover Blocks
Cover blocks are used to ensure proper concrete cover to steel bars. They have
different thickness for different structures
Type of structure Thickness
Footing 2 inches
columns 1.5 inches
slab .5 to .75 inches
Beam .5 to .75 inches

27. Removal period of Shuttering
Type of structure Removal of shuttering
Shuttering of walls and pillars 24-48 hours
Slab shuttering(without removing bottom
supports)
3 days
Lower surface of beam(wooden supports not
removed)
7 days
Supports of slabs up to 4.5m long
Supports of slabs more than 4.5m long
7 days
14 days
Supports of beams and arches up to 6m long 14 days

28. Construction of Roof
• Laying down of roof is very important is very important. One can say that the
strength of building depends upon it.
• Before laying roof, it should be made sure that shuttering is strong and there
must be no spacing between plates.
• Steel rods must be at least one inch above shuttering, and conduit
pipes(for electric wires) should be above steel rods.
• For roof, concrete Mix 20 (1:1.5:3), should be used.
• For concrete to be used on large scale, machine mixer should be used.
• If concrete is to be made by hand mixing, it is advisable to add 10%more
cement.
• If concrete is to be prepared by hand, it must be prepared on wooden or steel
platform or on clean concrete surface.
• Concrete must be used within one hour of preparation.
• Placing of concrete on any slab should be a continuous process.

29. • The maximum height from which concrete should be allowed to place is
1.5 meters. Otherwise, the concrete may disintegrate.
• For increasing the strength of the concrete work, vibrator must be used.

30. Basics in roof construction
A roof is a type of slab. There are two types of slab
• One way slab
A slab in which the ratio of the length to breadth is more than or equal to two.
It is known as one-way slab. Here, main reinforcement is provided parallel to
the smaller side. For example , 8mx18m is a one way slab.
• Two way slab
A two way slab is one in which the ratio of the length to breadth is less than
two. Here, main reinforcement is provided in both the directions.
For example, 10mx12m slab is a two way slab.
A mat like structure of reinforcing bars is called rebars.

31. Cantilever Part
The cantilever part of the slab must be properly placed. The steel rods in them must
be placed in the tensile zone i.e. in the upper part. This will prevent bending. The
figure below will make the things more clear

32. Simply Supported Part
In simply supported beam or slab, the reinforcement is given mostly in the
compression zone i.e. in the lower part. The illustration is given below.

34. Precautions in Roof construction
The placing of bars should be adequate. In one way slab, primary
reinforcement is done parallel to the smaller side, and secondary
reinforcement is done parallel to the larger side. The diameter of primary
reinforcement is greater than secondary bars. In this case,primary
reinforcement remains below secondary reinforcement.
In two way slab, the case is a little different.
The main reinforcement is given both parallel to the shorter and the larger
side. The diameters of both the bars should be the same.

35. Plastering
The main objectives of plastering are:
• To provide finishing on the walls.
• To provide protection to masonry work from outer environmental attack.

36. What to do during Plastering?
The surface that needs to be plastered should be properly cured, because it leads
to proper adhesion of plaster on the surface.
The mason must be asked to prepare mortar that can be easily, utilized in one
hour. Otherwise, hardened mortar is not workable.
Plastering on different parts of the building requires different proportions
tabulated below:
USE Cement:Sand ratio
Plaster on Interior Walls 1:5
Plaster on exterior Walls 1:4
For Roof 1:3

37. • Plastering should begin 28 days after the completion of brick masonry work.
• Sand should be used after sieving.
• Concrete surface should be made rough before applying plaster, so that
proper adhesion of plaster can take place.
• Before plastering, concrete layer should be wetted with a thin paste of
cement.
• First layer of plaster should be about 12mm. If more thickness is needed, then
2 or 3 coats should be applied.
• In plastering also, concreting should take place at least for 10 days.

38. Curing
Curing is the method of maintaining a satisfactory moisture content and
favorable temperature in concrete just after placement, so that the
desired properties can be attained to a sufficient degree to meet the
requirement during life of structure.
The important points to follow are:
• Curing should start as soon as the concrete sets.
• During summer, curing should start right from the first day of placement.
• Curing should be carried out during afternoon in summers.
• During rainy seasons and winters, the concrete mass starts gaining
strength a little late.
• On roof, curing should be carried out by making small boundaries of sand,
and then making small ponds of it.
• For curing of column, wet jute bags should be wrapped around it.
• Curing should be carried out at least for 7-10days.

39. Flooring
• Soil should be spread on the floor and be compacted properly.
• One layer of aggregates, above soil be placed.
• Concrete mix1:2:8 should be used
• At least 7 days’ curing should be done.

40. Painting
In construction of any building, painting work is carried out in last. Besides
giving the wall a pleasing look, it also protects them.
• In a newly built building, white wash using white cement should be
executed, because moisture remains in the walls for one to two years. JK
White Cement is a brand name having a life span of three years.
• If distemper has to be applied, removal of whiteness on the wall ,should be
done using sand paper.
• First of all, at least two coats of primer must be applied.
• It is advisable to again have two coats of primer.
• Finally, two coats of paint should be applied.

41. Points to remember regarding painting
• Light colors should be preferred for keeping the temperature low, and to
have maximum reflection of light.
• The paints from the well known companies should only be used. Cement
paint made by using JK White Cement gives snow-white like appearance.
• If there is any defect in the walls like dampness and cracks, it must be
rectified first.

43. Stairs
Points to Remember:
• Along the west Slab, the main reinforcement should be laid below
distribution bars.
• In landing, the main reinforcement should be above distribution steel.
• Stair is a delicate structure, so the construction should take place under an
experienced Civil Engineer.
• Concrete Mix of at least M20 should be used.
• Curing should be carried out for at least 14 days.
• Shuttering should be removed only after 14 days.

45. Water Tanks

46. Following points are worth considering :
• At least M20 concrete mix should be used.
• For 50kg bag,26 liters of water must be used.
• At least 15x15cm size fillet should be used, and extra reinforcement should
be provided.
• When the tank is being filled for the first time, fill it to the height of 2-3feet,
in one day, in order to avoid instability in the structure.

47. Reinforced Brick Slab
• Quite similar to Reinforced Concrete Slab, in terms of placement. The
difference is that concrete is either partially or completely replaced by bricks.
• Concrete is placed between the joints or above it.
Other Points to remember
• Steel Shuttering should be used; if any material other than shuttering is to be
used, then the proper compaction of soil should be done. If possible , a plastic
sheet should be placed over it.
• In steel shuttering camber of 20-25mm should be provided. Bricks should be
soaked in water for four to six hours and must be taken out 15-20 minutes
before use.
• Reinforcement should be place under the supervision of an experienced
Engineer.
• Concrete Mix 15 can be used in this case. Water should be added according to
requirements.

48. • After 10 hours, a little sprinkling of water should be done.
• After 24 hours, small ponds of water made on the roof.
• Curing should be done in this manner for 10 days.
• Shuttering should be removed after 14 days. Plastering should be carried
out in the proportion of 1:3.

49. Rainwater Harvesting
Importance of Rainwater Harvesting
• It helps in reducing excessive exploitation of water resources as
dependence on rivers, lakes and ponds .
• It can help in the revival of wells and tube wells.
• When there is heavy rainfall, there are chances of inundation of canals
and drains, such problems can be avoided by using rainwater harvesting.
• For areas facing accurate shortage of water, this technique is a boon.

50. Precautions in Rainwater Harvesting
• Water that has to be recharged must be free from dirt and contamination.
• Only in places where G.W.L(Ground Water level) is more than 3 meters,
rainwater harvesting technique works efficiently.
• In places, having hard stratum, this technique usually does not work. So in
such places, it can be avoided
• The rainwater pipe that discharges water