Don't throw away leftover sand and cement from your renovations! Learn how to make useful bricks with a small home brick-making machine

Don't throw away leftover sand and cement from your renovations! Learn how to make useful bricks with a small home brick-making machine

After each renovation, the leftover half-bag of sand, cement, and some gravel often cause a headache—keeping them takes up space, but throwing them away seems wasteful. Actually, with a small home brick-making machine, you can turn these "waste materials" into sturdy and usable bricks, providing ample materials for your yard or the next small project.

The process is very simple, requiring only four steps:

Mixing the raw materials: Mix the leftover sand, cement, and a small amount of gravel in approximate proportions (e.g., about 7 parts sand, 2 parts cement, and 1 part gravel). If the mixture is too dry, slowly add water while stirring until the mixture can be formed into a ball by hand but crumbles easily when dropped. Be careful not to add too much water.

Filling and pressing: Pour the mixture into the mold hopper of the brick-making machine and start the machine. The machine will use hydraulic pressure or vibration to quickly compress the loose material into shape within the mold. After a few tens of seconds, a wet brick blank is ready.

Demolding: The machine will automatically or manually eject the formed wet bricks from the mold. Carefully move them to a flat, shady surface.

Drying and Curing: Stack the brick blanks neatly, avoiding direct sunlight and rain. Sprinkle a little water daily to keep the surface moist and allow them to harden naturally for at least a week. The bricks will become very strong.

Bricks made in this way are strong enough for non-load-bearing uses such as paving garden paths, building small flower bed edgings, and making parking space pavers. You not only clean up construction waste and save money on buying bricks, but you also gain a sense of accomplishment from DIY.

A small machine and a weekend's work can give discarded materials a "new life." Next time you have leftover sand, gravel, and cement, don't hesitate to try turning them into truly useful home building materials!