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I would like to mix up a few cubic feet of air entrained structural concrete so I can repair some water damage to an exterior wall on my New England home. (Recommended by a local professional mason to prevent further damage.)

Unfortunately none of the big hardware stores seem to carry Quikrete Q-Max Pro any more, and none of the other mixes mention air entraining.

Is there a commercial product or effective home-made substance I can add to a concrete mix to entrain air during the mixing?

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    I don’t remember the brand of soap but my dad used powdered soap flakes to create bubbles in concrete.
    – Ed Beal
    Mar 6, 2021 at 1:06
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    Since I did not remember the kind of powdered soap I looked on line and found this: 1) fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and add 2 cups dawn detergent (diluted 40/1 with water) or your preferred foaming agent. (3) Collect foam in quart container and weigh it on scale. Adjust your air pressure until you achieve the foam density between 90-100 grams. More air pressure reduces the weight of your foam.
    – Ed Beal
    Mar 6, 2021 at 2:08
  • Very interesting, Ed. For those following along, Ed has quoted diyaircrete.com. Aircrete is not the same as regular air entrained concrete. It has significantly less compressive strength so probably generally should not be used for load bearing structures. But it is fascinating to read about as an eco-friendly housing material! Thank you, Ed!
    – Clark
    Mar 6, 2021 at 15:42
  • all air entrapped pours have less strength that’s why we vibrate walls and some large footings to get the air out.
    – Ed Beal
    Mar 6, 2021 at 17:48
  • I remember, while researching DIY headstones, getting sucked down the YouTube rabbit on DIY Aircrete. youtube.com/results?search_query=aircrete
    – Alaska Man
    Mar 6, 2021 at 20:57

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Well don't I feel silly? I looked at the package of Quikrete Commercial Grade Crack Resistant Concrete Mix (Product No. 1006) that was in the back of the shed and it says right on it that it contains "air-entraining" admixtures.

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