| If you want to buy bricks, check
the finish of the brick. It should be rectangular
with sharp edges and bright red. See that the bricks
don't even have the tiniest of cracks.
 Check the relative strength of a brick
by a simple test :
Take a brick and drop it from a height of about
three to four feet. Start from three feet and
keep increasing the height. The point where it
crumbles completely gives you an idea of the relative
strength. If one variety of brick breaks at three
feet and the other at four feet, the latter is
almost twice as strong as the former.
There are also various labs where you can send
samples to test the crushing strength of a brick.
Weigh a brick, then immerse it in a pail of water
for about 24 hours and weigh it again. If the
weight gain is very high, then the brick is of
inferior quality.
Installing
The Casing Pipe Is Most Important..
Here are a few things to remember before you
hire your borewell drilling contractor :
 * Make sure that the contractor has all
the required infrastructure (like drilling rigs)
for the job and can source qualified geologists
to conduct a survey of the land to locate water.
* The drilling company should also have the technology
for installing pumpsets and servicing these sets
later on.
During the construction of the borewell, the most
important thing is the installation of the casting
pipe. If this is not done properly you are liable
to get silty water. If you use inferior casting
pipes they will quickly corrode and the life of
the borewell will be lessened.
The size of the drilling pit is very important.
According to government rules, the pit's diametre
should be 147 mm. If the diametre is less than
this, the submersible pumps won't fit in. If you
are not careful, the contractor can just dig the
pit and walk away, which would be of no use.
The actual quantity of the water yield can be
measured with the help of a V-Notch. Make sure
the contractor shows you the yield by passing
the water through the V-Notch. When you have installed
your pumpset, see that the contractor guarantees
after sales service.
It Should Be Smooth, Dry &
Cool To Touch...
There are two types of cement: Grey cement -
used only for construction purposes, and White
cement -for a variety of uses like mosaic flooring,
in cement paints, and as a primer for paints,
etc. Grey cement costs more than white cement
because the production costs and excise duty are
higher. White cement also sets faster. For grey
cement, the strength after 28 days of setting
is taken as the final strength. White cement achieves
this strength in about three days time.
 How do you buy cement
?
The cement has to be fine in texture. It should
be smooth, dry and cool to touch. Fineness gives
more strength to cement because the chemical reactions
take place faster. Do not buy cement which is
in rough, granular lumps. This indicates it has
been exposed to moisture. Cement is now available
in grades and is easier to buy . For eg: 53 grade
cement implies that a cube of cement can withstand
a pressure of 530 kgs per square centimetre. You
can check this on a compressing machine. This
is called the breaking strength of cement. Good
cement hardens faster. You can therefore remove
the scaffolding / formwork faster than usual.
You save on centering and labour costs, and your
bulding is ready much faster .
See That Marble Tiles And Slabs
Are Sqare Edged..
Marble has qualities and advantages over other
stone materials. It is more durable, attractive
and is available in various colours - white, yellow,
red, black and green, which can be used to match
any kind of decor.
 When
used for flooring it provides a highly elegant
finish which is hard, durable, dust free and suits
Indian climatic conditions.
Marble possesses great reflective qualities and
its crystalline structure gives it a bright lustre.
Marble is broadly classified into two categories
- white and coloured. For exterior finishes, sound
marble with uniform quality should be used. If
the marble contains flaws, voids, is discoloured
by veins and lines, it should be treated for soundness
by spraying surface treatment compounds.
Good marble should comply with
the following requirements:
* If immersed in cold water for 24
hours the marble should not gain more than 0.4%
in weight.
* On Moh's scale (a scale of 1 to
10 to measure hardness of solid materials, where
talc, the softest material occupies No.1 position,
and diamond, the hardest material is No.10), hardness
of marble should measure more than 3.
* When you buy marble slabs and tiles
see that they are square edged. Tiles and slabs
are available in the following finishes:
Sand abrasive finish - a flat non-reflective surface.
Hone finish: a velvet smooth finish with little
or no gloss.
Polished finish: a highly glossy finished surface
which brings out the full colour and character
of marble .
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