And now, the foundation is completely ready. It's time to build walls. Some people prefer to use old, proven materials to build walls, while others choose modern heat-saving materials, one of which is ceramic blocks. What is ceramic block made of? What are its advantages and disadvantages? How to lay ceramic blocks? The answers to these questions can be obtained by reading the article.
What is a ceramic block
The very name of this building material contains its description; for this you just need to remove the abbreviations. As a result, we will get a ceramic block. Many people know what ceramic brick is, but how does the building material we are considering differ from it? Its composition is the same - baked clay, but otherwise there is nothing similar.
Advantages
The size of the blocks is large, which is convenient for loading and unloading operations.
The vertical tongue-and-groove design significantly increases the speed of laying, thereby reducing construction time and reducing the amount of mortar consumed.
Another feature is light weight. This effect is achieved due to the porous structure of the blocks.
A house made of porous blocks does not need a strong foundation.
Due to the fact that the material is not monolithic, it has excellent heat-insulating and sound-absorbing properties.
Ceramic blocks can be filled with heat-insulating material.
A special point should be made about the ability of ceramic blocks to withstand heavy loads, so they, unlike foam and gas blocks, can be used to build a house with several floors.
The described advantages apply only to ceramic blocks manufactured in a factory in compliance with all standards.
Flaws
For laying hollow ceramic blocks, special heat-insulating masonry mortars are needed.
The cost of the material is quite reasonable, but slightly higher than blocks made from other materials.
When laying, you need to use a mesh, otherwise the solution will fall inside the blocks.
Since the seams between the blocks remain without mortar, it is necessary to plaster the outside of the house.
When building from blocks that will not front part at home, the vertical seams will have to be sealed.
The material is not impact-resistant, so some damage may occur during transportation.
The strength of blocks is 3 times lower than that of brick.
If the blocks are not made in compliance with the standards, then they become unsuitable for the construction of load-bearing walls.
How to make polystyrene concrete with your own hands - making polystyrene foam concrete (10 photos)
Preparatory work
So that you don’t have to waste time later, you need to bring the required number of blocks to the house in advance, but do not stack them in one place, but lay them out around the foundation. If the masonry will be done from the inside, then it will be most convenient to bring the blocks there too.
It would be a good idea to lay out the blocks on the foundation the way they will be installed, but not end to end. This will help to correctly distribute the building material so that you don’t have to trim it later.
Surface finished foundation It is never perfectly level, so the base needs to be leveled. You need to find the highest point, and, raising the level by 2 cm, stretch the string around the perimeter, checking building level horizontal position. Now you need to make a waterproof solution and level the surface of the foundation with it. After this, 2 layers of waterproofing are laid over the solution so that the outer edge is flush with the edge of the outer part of the wall, and up to 3 cm of this material must be left from the inside. If a plinth is first built on the foundation, then the waterproofing is placed on top of it.
In windy weather, to prevent the waterproofing material from being torn off from the foundation, you need to put several bricks (stones, blocks) on it.
All that remains is to prepare the solution and you can start building the walls.
Block laying
Laying ceramic blocks begins from the corners.
On top of the laid waterproofing material in the corner, a masonry mixture is applied in a layer of about 12–15 mm, the blocks are installed and leveled.
A mooring cord is installed on the ceramic blocks laid in the corners along the outer part of the wall.
Mark the place where the front door will be located, otherwise you will have to cut a hole for it in the wall later.
The solution is applied and lightly sprinkled with cement. Then, aligning along the cord, the blocks moistened with water are carefully (without distortions) installed in their places. You need to check with a level that they are all aligned in the same plane.
Installation of ceramic tiles - how ceramic tiles are laid (8 photos)
If you need to adjust the position of the block, this can be done using a rubber mallet.
After laying the first row, laying should be continued the next day or no earlier than 12 hours later. To prevent water from getting inside the blocks during rain, the masonry is covered plastic film. The same procedure, just in case, should be done at night.
Laying the next row also starts from the corner and is done after laying the mesh, and on top of it masonry mortar.
If instead of a solution you use a special solution in the form polyurethane foam, then the mesh is not needed.
After laying five rows of the block, you need to take care of the window openings. If the windows have not yet been made, then you need to make the openings such that the blocks do not have to be cut.
Upon reaching the desired height above window openings And door frame jumpers must be installed. It is better to use specially designed crossbars made of the same material as the blocks for this purpose. When installing concrete lintels, care must be taken to insulate them.
The connection of the outer wall with the partitions (built from thinner blocks) is carried out with perforated metal anchors. They should be secured to the wall with dowels. Even at the laying stage, anchors can be placed in the seams of all odd rows.
Load-bearing walls experience large statistical loads, so when laying, it is necessary to make a continuous bed seam. When constructing partitions, you can make an intermittent seam, since this part of the structure is not loaded.
The crown of the masonry will be the armored belt. Some people make reinforced concrete, while others use solid ceramic bricks, using mesh reinforcement. But this is a topic for another article.
In contact with
In low-rise construction, instead of hollow brick Ceramic blocks are increasingly being used. They have more voids inside, which means less thermal conductivity. Plus, ceramic blocks are larger in size, which reduces the time spent on wall construction by 2–4 times brick house. This ceramics is produced according to the standards of GOST 530-2012 and according to it it is correct to call such blocks “ceramic stone”.
What is a porous ceramic block?
Often a ceramic block with pores inside is called a large-format stone or porous or warm ceramics. This is a more high-tech replacement for hollow red brick. In terms of raw materials and many operational parameters, they are similar. But the ceramic block is at least 2.1 times larger than its analogue.
The shape of this building material is complex with a tongue-and-groove system on two long sides. Such a comb allows you to minimize the number of through seams in the masonry, which reduces the overall thermal conductivity coefficient of the wall. Compared to buildings built from ordinary brick, houses made from ceramic blocks are obviously warmer.
When producing this building material, the clay mass is first molded with porosizers added inside, and then dried in a dryer and fired in a kiln. The entire production cycle of such artificial stone takes several days. This is not a handicraft, but a factory product. By purchasing this material, the owner of the future home can be sure that the product is of high quality and complies with GOST. This is strictly monitored in factories.
The following can act as a porosizer:
Wood sawdust;
Husks of seeds or rice;
Peat, etc.
All these are combustible materials natural origin. Their main task is to burn out to the ground when firing ceramic stone in a kiln. After them, only numerous voids remain inside, which give them high thermal characteristics.
Types and sizes of ceramic blocks
According to GOST sizes, ceramic blocks are as follows:
Length – 250, 380, 398 or 510 mm;
Width – 180, 250 or 255 mm;
Height – 140, 188 or 219 mm.
The minimum size of a stone block is 250x120x140 (i.e. 2.1 NF - 2.1 from the size of a standard brick 250x120x65). In addition to the 14 standard sizes specified in the standards, some manufacturers produce blocks with other dimensions. But it is best to buy GOST products. They simplify the calculation of wall thickness and allow you to use ordinary bricks side by side in masonry without any problems.
The outer walls of a ceramic block are always larger than 8 mm. The thicker they are, the denser and stronger the stone. However, as the density increases, the thermal conductivity of a ceramic block increases. Here you need to look for a middle ground. It all depends on how many storeys the house will be and whether it is planned to insulate its external walls.
Table of characteristics of a ceramic block of the Braer brand
| Characteristic | Format | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.7NF | 14.3NF | 7.1NF | 5.2NF | 12.4NF | |
| Length, mm | 380 | 510 | 510 | 380 | 440 |
| Width, mm | 250 | 250 | 130 | 130 | 250 |
| Height, mm | 219 | 219 | 219 | 219 | 219 |
| Weight, kg | 17 | 24 | 13 | 9,5 | 19,4 |
| Brand, kgf/cm2 | M 75-125 | M 75-125 | M 75-125 | M 75-150 | M 100-125 |
| Frost resistance, cycle | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Water absorption,% | 11-14 | 11-14 | 11-14 | 9-11 | 11-13 |
| Quantity on pallet, pcs. | 60 | 40 | 72 | 108 | 40 |
| Loading rate per vehicle 20 tons, pcs. | 1080 | 800 | 1440 | 2160 | 960 |
| Emptiness, % | 59 | 59 | 49 | 49 | 59 |
| Thermal conductivity, (W/m °C) | 0,14 | 0,14 | 0,166 | 0,166 | 0,139 |
Like standard brick, its larger counterpart is divided into ordinary and facing products. The first ones are used in the construction internal partitions, as well as external wall structures, which will then be covered with facade finishing. The latter have a polished side and are intended for laying exclusively external walls of houses. They no longer need additional decor on top.
Advantages of ceramic blocks
The advantages of ceramic blocks are as follows:
Low thermal conductivity - voids with air closed at the top and bottom with a solution by default conduct heat extremely poorly;
The speed and ease of laying large blocks - the speed of building houses from ceramic stone is two to four times higher than from ordinary brick;
Environmental friendliness – the use of harmful substances in production is completely excluded;
Lightweight building material - in hollow red brick, the voids occupy 25–40% of the volume, and in a block this figure reaches 70%;
Low water absorption and good vapor permeability;
High sound insulation and non-flammability (group “NG”) of porous ceramics.
The light weight of ceramic blocks allows you to reduce the load on the foundation of the cottage being built. Here only SIP panels and porous concrete products can compete with them. Only for frame structures and walls made of foam concrete blocks can the foundation be made less massive.
Minuses ceramic stone also has - this:
High cost of building materials;
Difficulties with transportation and loading/unloading;
High demands on the mason's competence;
Difficulties in cutting dense ceramics to the required sizes.
To cut the material, you will need to use a power saw, which often complicates the masonry process. At the same time, the mason must not only be able to handle such a tool, but also correctly lay the stone itself. It has grooved sides. If the tongue-and-groove joint is made inaccurately, the brick wall will end up with cold bridges.
On the one hand, the large dimensions of porous ceramic stone make it possible to speed up the construction process, and on the other hand, they require additional skills from workers. In this regard, it is much easier to work with aerated concrete. The shape and dimensions of aerated concrete blocks allow a mason to lay walls from them even without experience. Yes, and you can cut them with a regular hacksaw.
Due to the slot structure, the porous ceramic block is quite fragile. This often manifests itself during transportation and loading and unloading operations. If the block is dropped, it can simply crack into two parts.
Photos of houses made of ceramic blocks
By enough high price porous stone is inferior to many other building materials. But the numerous advantages of ceramic blocks more than compensate for this disadvantage. There is a high pace of construction, excellent thermal insulation and strength characteristics, and excellent sound insulation.
Compared to logs and laminated veneer lumber, these stone blocks are superior in fire resistance. They are superior to analogues made of foam and aerated concrete in strength and moisture resistance. Brick is no match for them in terms of thermal conductivity. However, there are as many cottage owners as there are so many opinions about choosing the ideal building material for their home. Personal preferences and wallet capabilities play a big role here.
But if a private house is being built in the region with high humidity and low winter temperatures, then ceramic blocks have practically no competitors. Wood and porous concrete will last much less in such conditions. And on brick walls you will have to install insulation, which will be constantly exposed to moisture. Porous ceramics win here in all respects.
Example of a house made of ceramic block
House box made of porous ceramic blocks
Large two-story house made of ceramic blocks under construction
Porous hollow ceramic blocks are materials that help preserve and accumulate heat in the house. But despite this, in some cases walls made of this material also require insulation.
Heat loss in a house occurs through walls, windows, doors, roofs and even the basement. No more than 20% of heat is lost through the walls of low-rise buildings, since the areas of the roof and walls are almost equal. Significant heat losses (up to 40%) occur through air exchange, and the rest occurs on the roof. In the first climate zone, building codes(GSN) for energy saving provide for a heat transfer coefficient of enclosing structures (walls) of 2.8 (was 2.2), and for the roof - 4.95 (was 2.8). During the transition period we are in today, this coefficient for roofs could be 3.3.
Is it necessary to insulate walls made of blocks 38, 44 and 50 cm wide?
When building a house from hollow porous ceramic blocks, the walls can be of two types: single-layer, that is, made only from one block, or multi-layer. The latter, in turn, are divided into two-layer, consisting of a block and insulation, and three-layer, which includes a block, insulation and facing brick. For the construction of single-layer walls, porous blocks with a width of 38, 44 and 50 cm are used. It is not practical to insulate such walls, since the wall material from which they are made has a sufficient coefficient of resistance to heat transfer. The funds that are supposed to be spent on insulating such walls are better used for exterior finishing or installing translucent structures of higher quality from the point of view of energy saving - doors and windows. However, with the introduction of new energy saving standards, even walls made of ceramic blocks with a width of 38 cm are subject to insulation.
Which ceramic blocks require insulation?
Sometimes walls are erected from ceramic porous hollow blocks 25 and 30 cm wide. This happens when the wall material has not yet been selected, but construction works are already underway. For example, if a foundation is made, and its width does not correspond to the width of the porous block, which can provide the required thermal conductivity coefficient of the walls of the house. Then, when choosing a material for external walls, they are tied to the thickness of the block.
Since these blocks are originally intended for the construction of internal load-bearing walls, they do not have a sufficient heat transfer resistance coefficient.
When insulating a wall made of porous blocks, you must remember to install windows in the house with a heat transfer resistance coefficient of 0.5 m² - °C/W and, accordingly, insulate the roof - only then can the house be considered fully insulated.
Laying insulation
It is better to insulate walls made of porous ceramics with mineral wool slabs, which, unlike expanded polystyrene, have good vapor permeability. The insulation is attached to the wall with glue or with dowels so that it fits tightly to the wall surface. Further finishing of the walls is done at the discretion of the house owner. As for the thickness of the insulation for ceramic porous blocks, for a block with a width of 25 cm it is 100 mm, for a block with a width of 30 cm - 60 mm.
Another important point, which must be taken into account when insulating a house, is the use of so-called “light” (“warm”) masonry mortar when laying blocks, rather than ordinary cement-sand mortar. This solution also contains cement, which acts as a binder. Used as a filler thermal insulation material- perlite or expanded clay sand.
The area of joints with a thickness of 12 mm is only 4% on a wall made of ceramic porous hollow blocks. If you replace the cement-sand mortar with a “light” one, then the thermal characteristics of the wall will improve by 17% due to the large difference in the thermal conductivity coefficient of these solutions: for cement-sand it is equal to 0.9 W/(m*°C), and for warm solution - 0.3 W/(m*°C). The production of such dry mixtures has not yet been developed in Ukraine, so they are imported from abroad.
There are not many ways to combine load-bearing structure with thermal insulation, so porous ceramic blocks definitely deserve attention. Today we’ll talk about the properties of this building material, the features of working with it, the technique of laying and finishing the walls of buildings of different heights.
The situation with porous ceramic blocks is very ambiguous. Distributors praise warm ceramics, while at the same time some well-wishers criticize them. Let’s try to get to the bottom of the truth, it’s not for nothing that these blocks have become so widespread.
Porous blocks: characteristics and essence of the material
The main problem in the production of red building bricks a high degree of defects has always been considered: during the firing process, the clay mass tends to change linear dimensions and become deformed; moreover, a considerable amount of debris is formed during transportation. Create from such material building blocks large sizes until some time was a very difficult task.
The issue was resolved by extrusion molding of ground clay mixture. The composition of the latter may vary depending on mineral additives and pore-forming inclusions. Thus, in addition to the presence of large vertical channels that lengthen the path of heat outflow, the brick pillar itself may have micropores that increase heat transfer resistance.
At its core, warm ceramics are nothing more than a type of hollow brick. But the linear dimensions of the blocks are nine or more times larger, which gives a noticeable increase in the speed of wall construction. The void ratio is also much higher and can reach 80%, this is a huge plus in terms of thermal conductivity and in terms of reducing the structural load on the foundation.
Large blocks, oddly enough, do not have high dimensional tolerances. First of all, because the cellular format, together with mineral and pore-forming additives, eliminates shrinkage during firing; in addition, some types of warm ceramics may have ground ends. In general, the deviation from the declared dimensions is up to 2-3 mm for each block. The material is packaged on cargo pallets rather than in bulk, so the amount of waste during transportation is kept to a minimum.
Types and formats of blocks
There are two main types of PCB - for insulation and laying the load-bearing layer. Adding ground wood flour to clay at the stage of preparing the mixture results in its burning out during firing. The brick becomes brittle and is not suitable for constructing a load-bearing layer (strength grade M30-M50).
Various kinds of mineral additives, which have good sinterability along with clay, can increase strength to grade M100, which makes warm ceramics suitable for laying entire external and internal load-bearing walls. The thermal conductivity of such blocks is higher, but this is eliminated by a relatively thin outer layer of insulating cladding.
In construction practice, it is customary to combine materials in one wall. The inner load-bearing layer occupies 50-70% of the total thickness of the wall; it is laid out in high-strength blocks. This is followed by a layer of 20-30% of the total thickness with high resistance to heat transfer and the structure is completed by an external cladding of half a small-sized brick with a hollowness of about 30%. This scheme is considered generally accepted, and we will describe its advantages later.
Ceramic blocks have wide choose formats. Regardless of the material, structure, blocks are divided into basic masonry and additional facing. Both types have a strict direction of masonry: tongue-and-groove side edges complicate the flow of heat by convection, and such a connection of blocks of the same row is mandatory. When choosing a format in advance, you can focus on the final thickness of the load-bearing walls of 25, 38, 44 and 51 cm. The facing blocks provide a heat-protective layer thickness of 8, 12 and 20 cm. For the end masonry, there are appropriately sized additional elements for each format.
Use with caution: how to avoid construction defects
The main argument of critics of porous ceramic blocks is their insufficient compressive strength. “Experts” tend to compare incomparables and pass off the low strength of insulating blocks as the complete technological unsuitability of the material as a whole. However, combining different brands allows you to correctly distribute the load along the wall: the main part of it is borne by the internal load-bearing layer, and the outer cladding, although it does not directly perceive the axial vector, serves to general strengthening array.
Technically so three-layer wall is equivalent to a pillar of two and a half solid bricks of grade 100, while in terms of thermal conductivity it corresponds to 60-80 cm of hollow brick. Therefore, the construction of four floors from PCB (including the attic and basement) is quite realistic with proper design. If the building is built on a reinforced concrete frame, there are no restrictions on the number of storeys.
Another argument against warm ceramics is insufficient fastening ability. The blocks are really fragile and practically do not hold standard dowel-nails, which makes finishing using hanging systems difficult. Special fasteners for cellular concrete and chemical anchors: in the end they are not much more expensive, at the same time they benefit from easy and warm wall much more important.
One of the specific subtleties of working with PCB is cutting grooves for laying electrical or pipes. A common mistake is hammering with a hammer drill in impact mode, leading to severe crumbling of the porous wall. You should only work with wall chasers or angle grinders, but it is better to gouge out the channels manually - with a chisel and hammer; this will not take much longer, but will eliminate the formation of dust.
It is impossible to argue with the fact that PCBs require the involvement of qualified personnel to erect walls. Warm ceramics are only part of the technology, but not its basis. The material must be of high quality and certified, this is not even discussed. But here is the masonry technique, the final protective cladding, the use special materials- all this is no less important so that walls made of warm ceramics are truly warm and meet the declared characteristics.
Correct technique for laying walls
One of the supposed disadvantages of porous blocks is the partial elimination of porosity during the laying process due to spillage into the cells cement mortar. This phenomenon is eliminated when using a special mesh, which is placed in each row spacing and retains binder. An ordinary fiberglass mesh can be used for facade plaster, but experts recommend using basalt mesh in order to increase the uniformity of the masonry mass.
Strictly speaking, cement mortar or sand concrete is not used in laying warm ceramics. They do not have a high enough resistance to heat transfer, so in technological construction liquid adhesive mixtures are used for polished blocks and mortar for unpolished ones. The dry block is dipped into the solution or glue mixture, the adhering layer is quite enough to securely fasten the rows.
Cold bridges are not completely eliminated, but their number is reduced to a minimum. To completely eliminate thermal conductivity, it is customary to lay 30-50 mm of extruded polystyrene or cheaper PBS between the layers of masonry. In this case, the vapor permeability of the wall is artificially limited by membranes different types, and with outside There is a 30-50 mm gap left from the separator for ventilation. If there is no insulation between the layers, when laying each row, roll out a 10 cm strip of polyethylene foam.
When bandaging elements of the same row, no binder is used. Technically, such a wall remains ventilated, which is why it is so important to have facade plastering with a thickness of 30 mm or more or facing it with traditional bricks and cement mortar. Sometimes this rule is deviated from in low-rise construction, and the outer layer of the wall made of insulating blocks is removed with finishing masonry. If there is no insulation between the layers of the wall, the gaps between the blocks are filled from the inside with polyurethane foam, the consumption of which is minimal due to the precise fit of the blocks.
Despite their low dead weight, walls made of porous ceramic blocks are not recommended to be loaded with prefabricated and monolithic reinforced concrete floors in buildings more than two floors high. It is much more correct to arrange frame floors on wooden trusses or beams.
There is a myth that a reinforced crown is not required under the ceiling. However, it is still necessary to distribute the load along the pitch of the beams. The crown has minimum thickness: 12 mm reinforcement and two protective layers of 30 mm each. In multi-layer walls it is cast using panel formwork placed with inside, the outside barrier is insulated masonry.
For single-layer walls, special trays made of warm ceramics are used according to the type permanent formwork. They not only provide floor protection, but also create a uniform surface with front side building.
Technologies for constructing walls of a private house are developing in three main directions:
- Relatively thin and durable walls are insulated with highly effective insulation. The wall consists of two layers- a load-bearing layer that absorbs mechanical loads, and a layer of insulation.
- For the construction of single-layer walls, materials are used that combine a sufficiently high resistance to both mechanical stress and heat transfer. The construction of single-layer walls from cellular concrete(autoclaved aerated concrete, gas silicate) or porous ceramics.
- A combination of these two technologies is also used when walls made of cellular and porous materials provide additional insulation layer high effective insulation. This combination allows make both wall masonry and a thin layer of insulation. This can be beneficial for structural reasons, especially when building a house in a cold climate.
Advantages of single-layer house walls made of warm ceramics
Especially in areas with mild winter It is more profitable and easier to build a private house with single-layer stone external walls. Modern building materials make it possible to build a single-layer wall of reasonable thickness and required strength that is sufficiently heat-saving for the specified climate.
Compared to two- or three-layer walls, Single-layer external stone wall construction has the following advantages:
- The total cost of building a house with single-layer external stone walls with a masonry thickness of up to 51 cm, at least, does not exceed the cost of building a two-layer, and less than a three-layer wall. Such walls make it possible to provide high consumer properties of housing, and at the same time reduce the cost of construction in areas with less severe winters.
- The homogeneous design of a single-layer stone wall provides greater durability, environmental friendliness, and better resistance to mechanical, fire and climatic influences. In the thickness of a single-layer wall there are no less durable and impact-resistant insulation and polymer films, there are no ventilated gaps, there is no risk of moisture accumulation at the boundary of the layers, and protection from rodents is not required.
- A house with external single-layer walls made of stone materials predicted durability 100 years, service life up to the first overhaul- 55 years. For comparison, the duration efficient operation For buildings insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene slabs, the period before the first major repair is 25-35 years. During this period it is required complete replacement insulation.
- Single layer wall least susceptible to accidental or deliberate damage.
- Single layer wall is a guarantee of absence hidden defects: it is impossible to place insulation poorly in it, since the insulation is the masonry material itself; it is impossible to perform a bad vapor barrier in it, since it does not need a vapor barrier; the entire wall is in front of your eyes and you don’t have to worry about the state of the foam or mineral wool hidden in its depths - nothing is hidden in the wall.
- Laying a single-layer wall is faster, since it is made from large-format blocks and does not require additional work on wall insulation.
- For laying single-layer walls, as a rule, blocks with a tongue-and-groove side surface are used, which makes it possible not to fill the vertical joints of the masonry with mortar. As a result masonry mortar consumption is reduced by 30-40%.
For example, in Germany, approximately 50% of private houses are built with single-layer walls made of autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) or porous ceramics. According to this site, 10% of readers chose single-layer walls for their home.
Porous ceramics It is made from raw materials and in a way that is similar to the production of ordinary ceramic bricks. The difference is that components are added to the clay-based mass, which form pores when fired.
Hollow ones are made from porous ceramics. large format blocks and brick. The hollowness further increases the heat-saving properties of products made from porous ceramics.
Masonry of a house wall from large-format blocks of porous ceramics with brick cladding of the facade
The compressive strength of porous bricks is higher than that of blocks. But a brick wall turns out to be more thermally conductive compared to masonry made from large-format blocks. In addition, brickwork is more labor intensive. For low-rise construction up to 3 floors it is more profitable to use large-format blocks rather than porous bricks.
On the construction market there are blocks of several standard standard sizes, from which single-layer masonry can be made with a thickness of 25, 38, 44 and 51 cm.
When laying the wall, large-format hollow blocks made of porous ceramics Place the long side across the wall. The thickness of the wall is equal to the length of the block.
For single-layer walls, blocks with a masonry thickness of 38, 44, or 51 cm are used. For double-layer walls with facade insulation, the masonry thickness is most often chosen 38, 44 or 25 cm.
A single-layer wall made of large-format blocks of porous ceramics 44 cm thick with masonry on a heat-saving mortar will have a heat transfer resistance of 3.33 m 2 *K/W. This wall corresponds Russian standards on energy saving for private houses located south of the St. Petersburg - Kazan - Orenburg line. North of this border, blocks with a masonry thickness of 51 cm are used, or two-layer walls are chosen from blocks of porous ceramics, with a masonry thickness of 25 - 44 cm and facade insulation mineral wool or heat-insulating slabs made of low-density aerated concrete.
Except blocks standard size, produce small-format additional blocks - halves and blocks of a size convenient for dressing masonry in corners.
Porous large-format blocks, as a rule, have a compressive strength of 75 or 100 kg/m2 (M75, M100). The strength of porous bricks and small-format blocks can be M150, M175.
For construction it is advantageous to choose finished project house, which initially involves laying walls from porous large-format blocks. Horizontal dimensions and the height of walls, openings, piers in such a project will be chosen so that the need for cutting blocks is minimized. It is better to adapt the design of a house with walls made of other materials to walls made of large-format ceramics.
Mortar for laying walls made of porous ceramics
The side surface of ceramic blocks usually has a profiled tongue-and-groove surface, which allows them to be connected without masonry mortar in a vertical seam. This connection facilitates and speeds up the laying, but requires the mason to be careful - the joints of the blocks must be smooth, without gaps or distortions. When laying cut blocks, the vertical joint must be filled with mortar.
To reduce the air permeability (blowability) of the wall, The masonry must be plastered on both sides.
The blocks can be laid using ordinary cement-lime masonry mortar with a joint thickness of 8-12mm. But It is beneficial to use a heat-saving mortar for laying walls made of porous blocks. This solution has lower thermal conductivity than the traditional one.
A wall made of porous ceramic blocks 44 cm thick on a heat-saving mortar will have a heat transfer resistance of 3.33 m 2 *K/W, and when laying on ordinary mortar only 2.78 m 2 *K/W.
A wall built using a heat-saving mortar will cost more, about 10%, than masonry using a traditional composition.
It should also be taken into account that the heat-saving solution reduces the compressive strength of the masonry by approximately 20%. Therefore, the use of heat-saving mortar for masonry walls should be provided for in the project.
Masonry of porous blocks in two-layer walls with facade insulation is usually carried out using traditional cement-lime masonry mortar. A slight increase in the thermal conductivity of the wall in this case is not so critical.
Before laying on the solution The blocks must be moistened with water. This is necessary so that the water from the solution is less absorbed into the ceramics of the block. Otherwise, the solution in the joint will quickly lose water and will not gain strength.
Some manufacturers produce blocks with milled (polished) horizontal edges. This processing makes it possible to achieve minimal deviations in the size of blocks in height, no more than plus or minus 1 mm.
The laying of blocks with milled edges is carried out on glue solution with a seam thickness of 2-3 mm. Installing blocks with glue increases the heat transfer resistance of the wall compared to laying with mortar.
In the European Union countries, laying milled blocks on polyurethane foam glue - foam - is gaining popularity. The composition differs from conventional polyurethane foam in its faster setting and less ability to increase in volume. Laying on adhesive foam reduces bearing capacity walls
Features of masonry walls made of large-format ceramic blocks
It should be noted that wall materials for single-layer walls have mediocre both mechanical and thermal properties. We have to improve them with various design tweaks.
A large-format ceramic block is pressed against an already installed block and lowered vertically onto the mortar so that no gap is formed in the vertical seam between the blocks. Hollow ceramic blocks are cut using special stone-cutting saws - hand-held or on a stone-cutting machine.
To lay communications in the masonry of the wall, you have to punch holes - fines. Horizontal and vertical fines along the entire length of the wall or the height of the floor are allowed to be made with a depth of no more than 3 cm. Short vertical fines located in the lower third of the floor height are allowed to be made up to 8 cm deep.
Deeper grooves weaken the wall's masonry. Therefore, their dimensions and location must be indicated in the project and confirmed by calculations. Deep and extended cuts are especially dangerous for walls less than 30 cm thick.
After laying communications, the grooves in the external walls are filled with heat-saving mortar.
Connection of external and internal walls from large-format ceramic blocks
Internal walls are bearing, taking the load from the structures lying above - floors, roofs, and self-supporting- partitions.
Domestic load-bearing walls erected simultaneously with the laying of external walls. Load-bearing walls must rest on the foundation. In turn, load-bearing walls serve as support for the floors and roof truss system.
1 - load-bearing internal wall, 38 or 25 cm; 2 - thermal insulation, 5 cm; 3 - outer wall
Internal load-bearing walls connect with outer wall method of dressing masonry. To do this, install an internal wall block, position 1 in the figure, in outer wall, position 3, to a depth of 10-15 cm. The blocks are placed not in each row, but every other row. In the second course of masonry, the inner wall block is simply adjacent to the outer wall masonry block.
Partitions in the house They serve only to separate rooms. They do not bear the load from the overlying structures of the house. The laying of partitions can be done simultaneously with the construction of external walls, but it is more convenient to do this after the construction of the frame of the house.
In any case, the height of the partition should be 2-3 cm below the ceiling so that the ceiling cannot put pressure on the partition. The gap between the ceiling and the masonry of the partition is sealed, for example, with a strip of mineral wool.
Non-load-bearing internal walls and partitions can be connected to external walls using galvanized steel anchors, placing at least 3 pieces in the masonry joints. along the height of the partition.
The basis for partitions made of masonry materials can be a ceiling or concrete screed floor on the ground. The ceiling or other foundation must be designed to bear the load from the weight of the partition. If necessary, provide reinforcement of the base by installing a monolithic reinforced concrete beam under the partition.
The thickness of the masonry is chosen based on need provide the necessary sound insulation between rooms. Solid, without doorways, partitions separating living rooms from other rooms in the house, it is recommended to make it from ceramic blocks with a masonry thickness of 25 cm.
Other partitions are made of ceramic blocks or bricks with a masonry thickness of 12 cm.
To improve sound insulation, vertical joints in the masonry of partitions and interior walls It is recommended to fill with solution.
Foundation and basement of a house made of ceramic blocks
If the foundation of the house is made of prefabricated concrete blocks, then a monolithic reinforced concrete belt must be installed on top of the blocks. The masonry of walls made of large-format ceramic blocks should be supported by a continuous strip of reinforced concrete.
The thickness of single-layer walls of a house made of large-format blocks is quite large: 38 - 51 cm. To reduce construction costs, the width of the foundation (basement) walls is made smaller than the load-bearing walls of the house. The wide wall of the house overhangs on one or both sides over the narrower wall of the basement. Vertically, the wall of the plinth falls behind the surface of the masonry walls of the house.
Without performing calculations, the width of the plinth wall can be made 20% narrower than the thickness of the masonry made of porous blocks. For example, with a block masonry thickness of 44 cm, the width of the plinth wall can be reduced to 35 cm. Reducing the width of the plinth wall by 30% is allowed, but must be confirmed by the designer’s calculations. The horizontal surface of the wall overhang above the plinth is plastered from below.
For guard ceramic walls at home from splashing water and moisture when snow melts, it is recommended to choose the height of the base above the level of the blind area at least 30 cm.
Ceiling in the wall made of large-format ceramic blocks
1 - compensation tape; 2 — seam reinforcement (if necessary); 3 - reinforced concrete belt; 4 - thermal insulation 10 cm; 5 — additional ceramic block; 6 - wall made of ceramic blocks; 7 - a cushion of cement mortar no less than 2 cm. 8 - prefabricated monolithic, often ribbed ceiling; 9 - concrete screed 5 cm; 10 - thermal and sound insulation.
At the level of supporting the floors on load-bearing walls made of ceramic blocks, a continuous reinforced concrete belt is installed, pos. 3 in the picture. A continuous belt is installed on top of all load-bearing walls of the house. A monolithic reinforced concrete belt forms a rigid frame that absorbs vertical and horizontal loads of floors, as well as upper floors, and evenly transfers them to the load-bearing walls of the house.
The installation of a monolithic belt is mandatory if the floor is made of monolithic or precast reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete belt is also required in seismic hazard areas. Minimum dimensions monolithic reinforced concrete belt in section 150x150 mm.
By the way, you can also use large-format ceramic blocks to install floors in your home.
Length of support for prefabricated reinforced concrete, precast monolithic or monolithic ceiling on a wall made of large-format porous ceramic blocks should be at least 125 mm.
Steel and wooden beams prefabricated floors are supported on a monolithic reinforced concrete belt with a width of 150 mm and a height of at least 100 mm. The belt is installed under the ceiling.
IN one-story houses beams wooden floor it is allowed to rest on a masonry of three rows of solid ceramic bricks. There is no need to make a monolithic belt in such houses.
Window in the wall made of porous ceramic blocks
1 - seam reinforcement (if necessary); 2 — additional ceramic block; 3 - thermal insulation 10 cm; 4 - window; 5 - masonry made of large-format ceramic blocks; 6 — reinforced concrete lintels; 7 - reinforced concrete belt; 8—frequently ribbed ceiling; 9 — heat and sound insulation slabs; 10 - concrete screed 5 cm; 11 - compensation tape.
As lintels over window and doorways, item 6 in the figure, it is recommended to use reinforced concrete products - crossbars, specially designed for walls made of large-format ceramic blocks. Such lintels have dimensions convenient for placement in the wall and do not require adjustment to adjacent wall elements.
Heat loss through windows can also be reduced by using modern designs. When making heat-saving windows, the number of chambers in a double-glazed window is increased, special glass with a selective heat-reflecting layer is used, and the thickness of the window frame is increased.
It is recommended to install roller shutters on the windows of a private house from the outside. Closed roller shutters not only protect windows from burglary, but in severe frosts they reduce heat loss through the windows, and in summer heat reduce overheating at home sun rays. It is better to foresee the installation of roller shutters on windows in advance, at the design stage of the house.
Connecting the roof to a wall made of ceramic blocks
1 - mauerlat beam; 2 - monolithic reinforced concrete belt; 3 — additional block made of porous ceramics; 4 - masonry of the wall from large-format blocks; 5 - insulation boards
The roof of the house rests on walls made of large-format ceramic blocks through a monolithic reinforced concrete belt, position 2 in the figure. A continuous belt is installed on top of all load-bearing walls of the house. A monolithic reinforced concrete belt forms a rigid frame that absorbs the vertical and horizontal loads of the roof and evenly transfers them to the load-bearing walls of the house.
Finishing single-layer walls from large-format ceramic blocks
Warm ceramic walls, both outside and inside, can be plastered with traditional cement-lime plaster.
For interior decoration Gypsum plaster solutions are also used.
Heat-saving plaster can be applied to the facade of the house in a layer of up to 10 cm. This will significantly increase the heat-saving characteristics of the external walls.
The facade of a house made of ceramic blocks is often faced with facing or clinker bricks. There is no need to create a ventilated gap between the wall made of ceramic blocks and the cladding masonry.
Watch the video tutorial on how to properly lay walls from large-format ceramic blocks.
Porous ceramic blocks in your city
Porous ceramic block for walls.
Insulation of walls made of porous ceramics
When building a house in areas with harsh winters, walls made of warm ceramics require additional insulation.
The outside walls are covered with a layer of highly efficient insulation - slabs of mineral wool or extruded polystyrene foam.
Foam glass slabs are glued to the wall masonry. Plaster is applied on top metal grid. The mesh and insulation boards are fixed with dowels to the wall. More expensive ones are used less often thermal insulation boards foam glass with double-sided fiberglass coating. Fiberglass provides good adhesion to cement-sand mortar and others building materials. Compared to traditional insulation, foam glass insulation is more durable, has increased compressive strength, does not get wet, does not burn, is environmentally friendly, is not damaged by rodents, and is vapor-tight.
Thermal insulation slabs made of low-density aerated concrete (gas silicate)- another one, comparatively new material, is gaining popularity for insulating facades. Some manufacturers have learned to make and produce aerated concrete with a density of 200 kg/m 3 or less, with a fairly high strength index.
When insulating walls, at the boundary between masonry and insulation, there is a risk of water vapor condensation and moisture accumulation in the wall.
For walls made of warm ceramics, the following facade insulation options are most often used:
- Plates are fixed to the wall for facade insulation from mineral wool with a density of at least 125 kg/m 3 or thermal insulation slabs made of low-density aerated concrete. The façade is finished with a thin-layer vapor-permeable material.
- medium density 45 — 75 kg/m 3. Insulation boards are placed between the lathing of the ventilated facade.
- Walls insulated with slabs of mineral wool or low-density aerated concrete can be faced with brick, but there must be a space between the cladding and the insulation. arrange a ventilated gap.
- When insulating with extruded polystyrene foam or foam glass, thin-layer insulation is used to finish the façade. facade plaster on insulation or .
When insulating walls with polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam or foam glass, it is important to choose the correct layer thickness. If the insulation thickness is too small, steam will condense and moisture will accumulate at the border with the masonry wall. The thickness of the insulation from these materials is selected based on the calculation of moisture accumulation in the wall. Consult local planners on this topic.
When insulating walls with mineral wool or aerated concrete, moisture accumulation in the wall does not occur regardless of the thickness of the insulation.
When choosing a method of finishing a facade, it should be taken into account that the service life of mineral wool and polymer insulation is significantly shorter than brickwork cladding. Under brick cladding It is recommended to use more durable mineral insulation- thermal insulation boards made of low-density autoclaved aerated concrete or foam glass boards with double-sided fiberglass coating, for example, trademark FOAMGLAS® BOARDS WALL BOARD W+F.
Thermal insulation boards made of autoclaved aerated concrete have a density of 100 - 200 kg/m 3 and a dry thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.045 - 0.06 W/m o K. Mineral wool and polystyrene foam insulation have approximately the same thermal conductivity. Slabs with a thickness of 60 - 200 mm are produced. Compressive strength class B1.0 (compressive strength not less than 10 kg/m 3.) Vapor permeability coefficient 0.28 mg/(m*year*Pa).