The correct masonry of shell rock is more difficult to find than a woman with perfect figure. This article will primarily be useful to those who will build buildings from shell rock on their own, by hired builders, and for masons who do not have experience working with Crimean stone.
In the vast majority of cases, when purchasing shell rock or shell stone, buyers unreasonably purchase a higher grade of stone than is required for their buildings, explaining this by the fact that “they want something stronger and more reliable.” But after the purchase, during construction they completely ignore building codes and rules, relying on the safety factor of the stone and the experience of the masons and thereby negating the purchase of stronger stone. In the absence of insulation: the unreasonable use of stronger stone than required leads to a deterioration in the thermal properties of the building and entails an increase in heating costs.
So, about the correct masonry
The strength of the masonry is influenced by many factors: the method of dressing, the strength of the stone, the composition and mobility of the mortar, the temperature and humidity conditions during construction, the method of applying the load, the speed of loading the load after the work is completed, the quality of the masonry work, deviations in the horizontal and vertical projection. All these factors are strictly regulated by building codes.
Methods of dressing for laying shell rock (shell rock)
Let's consider the first factor - the dressing method for small-block masonry made of natural stones. The building codes give direct instructions on the length of overlap of masonry stones and partly on the methods of dressing:
1. The overlap of one stone relative to another must be at least 1/4 of the length of the smallest element.
2. Masonry joints in any direction have width restrictions from 6 to 15 millimeters.
3. With all ligation methods, the first row must be laid with a butt, and it is also necessary to lay the butt row under the floor elements.
4. Vertical and longitudinal vertical joints of masonry walls in lintels, piers and pillars must be filled with mortar.
5. There are no direct instructions anywhere to limit the height of the tray masonry, however, the current building codes before 2010 and those still in force in the Russian Federation require the fulfillment of the condition - in each three rows masonry one row bonded. The first condition is satisfied even when maximum thickness the seam is 15 millimeters and is 8.25 cm, which is more than 4.25 cm as normalized. As the seam decreases, the overlap of the elements will only increase. This condition is performed for both single-row and three-row unreinforced shell stone masonry and therefore does not require any additional measures to ensure the functioning of the wall as a single structural element.
Single-row or chain ligation is one of the most ancient, strong and durable types of masonry used to this day. Three-row dressing system, maximum permissible; for unreinforced shell stone masonry. Splice rows: 1, 4, 7, 10,... etc. Spoon rows: 2, 3, 5, 6,... etc. Laying bonded rows is more labor-intensive compared to spooned rows, since it requires the mason to fill the vertical joints of the masonry to the entire height and length of the seam, and spooned rows do not require filling with mortar to the entire height of the seam, with the exception of pillars, lintels and piers. That's the whole secret. The masons, taking advantage of the developer’s ignorance, simply do nothing or persuade the client by motivating: “it stands everywhere and does not fall.”
Most building materials are transformed from raw materials into marketable products after several stages of processing. Clay bricks are molded and fired in a kiln, while aerated concrete goes through a cycle of mixing, autoclave curing and cutting. Cinder block is formed from mineral filler and cement mortar.
The only material that nature has given us completely “ready-to-use” is shell rock.
It is a conglomerate consisting of mollusk shells that lived in ancient seas. Accumulating at the bottom, calcareous shells over millions of years have turned into durable stone, which a person can only cut into blocks of the required size.
Large deposits of limestone shell rock are found in Crimea, Dagestan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. This material is mined open method, without high energy consumption. Therefore, the selling price of blocks in the quarry is very low. As you move away from the deposit, shell rock becomes significantly more expensive (transportation costs are added to the cost of the material).
Extraction of shell rock is carried out in several stages. First, excavation equipment clears the soil and levels the shell massif. After this, a machine with a huge cutter is installed on the site, which slowly moves along rails and cuts the layers required thickness. Having cut the multi-meter “pie” from the shell into blocks, they are put into vehicles and taken to the buyer.
The answer to the question of where shell rock is used is obvious. This material is intended for laying external walls and internal partitions residential buildings, construction outbuildings, garages, basements and fences.
The high decorative qualities of shell rock allow it to be used in landscape design for the construction of retaining walls, grottoes and fountains.
In addition to wall blocks, shell rock tiles are used in construction. For external cladding, it is polished and treated with water-repellent compounds (hydrophobic). Indoors for finishing walls, floors and stair steps sawn tiles are used.
Main characteristics of shell rock
The density of shell blocks depends on the deposit and ranges from 800 to 2300 kg/m3. The lower limit of the density of the material corresponds to freshly sawn wood, and the upper limit brings it closer to concrete.
The density of shell rock is directly related to its weight and strength. Block standard size(380x180x180mm), cut from light shell rock, weighs about 10 kg. The mass of masonry stone from the densest massif reaches 25 kg.
According to the level of strength, shell rock is divided into three grades (M15, M25 and M35).
The lightweight block (compressive strength 15 kg/cm2) is optimal for laying walls of one-story residential buildings, garages and outbuildings. Grade 25 is most often used for construction two-story houses. The strongest and heaviest shell rock (grade 35) is used for basement walls and basement parts of foundations.
An example of the appearance of the M25 block
Since blocks of the M15 and M35 brands are often difficult to distinguish by appearance, the manufacturers themselves recommend testing them for strength simple method. Taking a block in your hands and throwing it onto a hard surface, look at the result. Durable shell rock of grade 35 does not break under such an impact, but less dense material of grade 15 with a high sand content falls apart into several pieces. The most accurate and reliable method for determining strength is testing in a construction laboratory. To remove all doubts, you need to transfer several blocks from the purchased batch to specialists.
The level of frost resistance of shell rock blocks is very high (50-60 cycles). In this respect, they are not inferior to ceramic bricks and are almost 2 times superior to gas and foam concrete.
The water absorption of this porous material is high (up to 17% of the volume). Therefore, without external plaster, facing with brick or installing a ventilated facade, this material will draw dampness into the house.
The heat resistance of shell rock is low (at the level of aerated concrete), so stoves, fireboxes and chimneys cannot be built from it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Environmental friendliness is the main plus of this material. Extracted from seabed sediments, it does not contain chemical substances and impurities heavy metals. However, this advantage can easily be lost by insulating a shell rock house with polystyrene foam.
This material has one size standard - 380x180x180 mm. Unfortunately, this value is more theoretical than practical, since the actual sizes of shell blocks “walk” within 2-3 cm. For this reason, builders do not really like to work with shell rock, preferring even aerated concrete blocks. Consumption plaster mortar for finishing porous and not too flat wall significantly higher than that of ordinary bricks and cinder blocks.
The dimensions of shell tiles differ from the standard masonry blocks and are 35x17 cm with a thickness of 2 to 3 cm. For its production, the most dense and durable material brand M35.
Popular with developers southern regions In Russia, Crimean shell rock when delivered to the central and northern regions of the country becomes significantly more expensive (2-2.5 times). This eliminates the important advantage of this material - low cost.
Shell rock of low grades (15-25) is a fragile material, so the percentage of its breakage during transportation is quite high. Despite this, you can avoid excess losses and buy quality material. To do this, you need to personally visit the seller’s loading dock and inspect the batch of purchased material.
The approximate price for 1 block in the central region of Russia is from 70 to 80 rubles. For comparison, let’s say that in Crimea this material is sold for 25-30 rubles per block.
If we compare the price of shell rock with the cost of gas silicate blocks, we get the following result. 72 blocks fit in 1 m3. With an average price of 75 rubles per piece, we get a cost per cube of 5,400 rubles, which is significantly more expensive than the price of gas silicate blocks (2,700-4,500 rubles/m3).
Price facing tiles from shell rock depends on the deposit and transportation distance. The lower price limit is 700 rubles, and the upper limit rises to 1200 rubles/m2.
Reviews from owners of houses built from “shell” are most often positive. Natural porous material “breathes” well and retains heat. If the masonry is not done correctly (in 1 block without thermal insulation), then the building turns out to be cold. If the insulation is done according to the simplest scheme - sheet foam, then without forced ventilation Living in such a house will be uncomfortable.
Features of masonry
Having talked about the pros and cons of a house made of shell rock, you need to consider the features of constructing walls from this material. During construction one-story house, overlapped wooden beams, reinforcement of the masonry is not required. If the building is built on two floors and covered reinforced concrete panels, then a reinforced concrete belt is poured over the fragile shell rock.
The shell masonry does not have fundamental differences from working with other types of wall blocks. The higher labor intensity is explained, as we have already said, by the variation in the sizes of individual blocks. To level the row in height, it is necessary to lay a thick layer of mortar (2-3 cm).
Features of laying shell rock with your own hands
Origin and scope of application
Shell rock is a natural material consisting of the shells of sea animals. The closest place of its extraction and production for Russia is Crimea. It was in the southern regions that it gained its popularity most of all.
Shell rock is a natural material consisting of the shells of sea animals.
Shell rock is excellent for making walls of houses, barns, foundations of various buildings and many other buildings. Depending on the density of the material, its functionality is selected.
Marble and limestone are also natural materials, similar in composition to shell rock, but their density is much greater than the latter.
Shell rock is excellent for making walls of houses, barns, and foundations of various buildings.
Shell rocks are formed over hundreds of years under the influence of external conditions from mollusk shells settling on the bottom. When extracting it, they find red-brown, yellow or Brown color rocks that are easily deformed when sawing. Despite the porous structure of shell rock, it is strong enough and suitable for the construction of even three-story buildings. Excellent sound insulation and thermal conductivity are attractive qualities of this material during the construction process. A house or building built from shell rock will never have an excess amount of moisture inside. This is explained by the fact that all its excess is removed through the porous walls of the shell rock.
The cost of a building erected from this material is much lower than the cost of a brick one, this gives additional benefits to the owner. In addition, in private homes attic floors They are built from shell rock, since the attic should not be heavy.
Basic properties of shell rock
Shell rock is environmentally friendly pure material.
In addition to the fact that shell rock is an environmentally friendly material, it has a number of properties useful for construction. Low thermal conductivity allows you to retain heat and save on heating during the cold season. The release of substances such as iodine and salt by the material helps maintain health and maintain favorable chemical composition in the air. The porous structure of shell rock allows moisture not to linger inside the room, but to go outside, keeping dry and comfortable atmosphere in the house. The low cost opens up the prospect of using this material not only in the process of laying the walls of houses, but also foundations. Since shell rock is heterogeneous in its structure, it can be used in landscape design and decoration decorative elements building. There are known cases of using the latter in the process of constructing fireplaces with incidental use refractory brick.
From positive qualities One can also note the absolute chemical inertness of the material, thanks to which the walls and foundation of the house are absolutely not susceptible to rotting and exposure to fire. In addition, shell rock allows the room to maintain sound tightness, which is especially important if neighbors live close together. This is the only material in the world that does not transmit radiation! Experts have calculated that the cost of a house made of shell rock is 35% cheaper than the cost of a house of the same size built of brick. In summer, such a room is quite cool, while in winter the heat does not leave the house. Recent construction trends are aimed at environmental friendliness, so the demand for shell rock is growing.
Masonry material
In order to lay shell rock with your own hands, you will need a certain set of tools. Containers for mortar and a trowel are the primary equipment for masonry. In addition, a building level is required, rubber mallet and plumb line. Experts are unanimous in their opinion that it is worth paying enough attention to the process of upholstering corners. It will depend on him appearance and the strength of the walls. Do-it-yourself masonry begins with the fact that we need to lay the first two bricks at an angle to each other. Then a couple more stones are placed and the second row is laid on top of the already laid ones.
If you are doing masonry with your own hands for the first time, experts recommend using a protractor or level to check the correctness of the angles. To facilitate the process, a special cord will help, which is pulled tight after the first corners have been laid. It will be a kind of landmark that will make future wall flat. When laying shell rock, it is necessary to decide which side will be the front side and which side will be the internal side. A more processed or polished one can claim to be a façade.
After you have done the basic work of laying shell rock with your own hands, you can begin the process of constructing an armored belt. It is made in order to avoid forced deformation of the walls and evenly distribute the load. Do-it-yourself formwork from scrap materials can help with this.
Preparation of the solution
Rows of shell masonry
Before you begin the process, make sure that your hands are protected with special gloves. Preparing a solution for laying shell rock with your own hands involves choosing a consistency. It should not be too hard and not too plastic (liquid). A solution of medium plasticity prepared from the following ratio is suitable: a bucket of cement, a bucket of water, 4 buckets of sand. In order for the solution to meet all installation requirements and not be overly plastic and resistant to delamination, it is recommended to use a special additive, for example, DOMOLIT-TR. The consumption of this additive per 1 m³ of solution is 0.5 kg. It is no secret that instead of the named agent, they add liquid soap or a cleaning agent, the consumption of which is 10 ml per 1 liter of water. It must be remembered that the quality of the solution directly depends on its consistency.
Before starting masonry with your own hands, make sure that the volume of work performed will correspond to the productivity of one person. If the volume of masonry is large, and the expected consumption of the mortar will require additional time and effort to mix it, it is worth using a concrete mixer and involving a separate person in this process, who will control the mortar and its availability. Laying according to the measuring level and along the thread you stretched will allow you to maintain the evenness of the walls. The solution, the consumption of which can be calculated online on a specialized website, knowing such parameters as the brand of shell rock and cement, as well as the height and length of the walls, must be prepared in advance.
If laying shell rock is a new activity for you, you can entrust it to a professional. Many masons are able to carry out high-quality masonry in a short time.
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The construction of houses from shell rock is widespread mainly in areas where there are deposits of this natural building material. The walls of houses built from it are environmentally friendly, have lower thermal conductivity than brick and require less labor for their construction. In this article you can find information about limestone-shell rock as a building material, features and technology for building a house from it
Building a house from shell rock (shell rock) - quickly and inexpensively
Limestone-shell rock is one of the most environmentally friendly and relatively cheap building materials.
Just like during construction stone houses from other materials: brick, aerated concrete, ceramic block, the walls of a house made of this material can be different thicknesses and designs.
Standard stone blocks made of shell limestone can be of three sizes: 390x190x188, 390x190x288 and 490x240x188 mm. Although in practice, such blocks are often cut with deviations from these standards, so the dimensions must be checked. The mass of a stone block, as well as its thermal conductivity and strength, depends on its density.
Shell rock blocks that are used to construct the walls of a house must have a grade from M15 to M35, where the number indicates the compressive strength of the material according to laboratory tests. Stones of lesser grade are not suitable due to low strength, while stones of greater grade are too dense, heavy, have less water absorption and are “colder”. Blocks medium density, if necessary, can be cut with a regular hacksaw, hand, electric or chainsaw. With the help of these and others hand tools, such a block can be given any shape, especially if its structure is sufficiently homogeneous.
Typically the block weight is about 20-25 kg (M15 - 35) and should not exceed 40 kg.
High-density shell rock (M 50-100) can be used for the construction of a basement or plinth. Such blocks are heavy and have less water absorption.
Foundation for a house
The foundation for a house made of shell rock must be built reliable and durable, as it stone material and despite its porosity, it still has quite a decent weight. A strip reinforced concrete or rubble concrete foundation is best suited for such a house.
Limestone-shell rock has a fairly high water absorption, so for houses made from this building material it is better to install a high base (at least 40 cm) and careful horizontal waterproofing of the foundation.
The use of shell rock itself for the foundation is undesirable, since it is quite porous and hygroscopic (absorbs water) construction material. When constructing such a foundation, it will be necessary to carry out very careful and costly waterproofing.
For the construction of a foundation or basement can only be used recrystallized limestone - shell rock. It has a high density (compression limit 50-100 kg/cm3 or more) and practically does not absorb moisture. But not all deposits have blocks of such grades, since recrystallized limestone is very hard and difficult to saw out from the massif.
Wall masonry
Laying the walls of a house made of shell rock is usually done using single-row, double- or multi-row methods, with bandaging of the seams. With the two- and multi-row method, masonry is carried out with alternating spoon (laid along the wall) and bonded (laid across the wall) rows of blocks. With a two-row method of laying blocks, spoon and bond rows constantly alternate, and with a multi-row method, several spoon rows (3-5) are laid, after which the bond row is laid. The single-row masonry method is used to build a wall of 1/2 brick.
In all cases, it is necessary to ensure that the vertical joints are sufficiently filled. Sometimes you have to pour the solution into them from above. The thickness of vertical seams should not be more than 20 mm, and horizontal seams should not be more than 15 mm.
Thickness load-bearing walls usually corresponds to block length: 390 or 490 mm. Internal walls or shell rock partitions that are not load-bearing are usually laid out in half a block: 190-240 mm. They are also erected on solid foundations with mandatory horizontal waterproofing.
Masonry solutions
When building a house from shell rock, it is best to lay the walls using lime (lime: sand - 1:3) or cement-lime mortar (cement: slaked lime: sand - 1:1:6-8). Sometimes such masonry is carried out using cement mortar (cement: sand - 1:4 or 1:5, depending on the brand of cement) or a mortar of clay and sand (1: 1-3). When using ordinary clay as a binder, it is pre-soaked in a large container for at least a day. This is not required if packaged powdered clay is used. The requirements for any of the above solutions are identical: it must be sufficiently plastic and ensure the strength of the masonry after setting.
Jumpers
Lintels over window or doorways made from the same shell rock, brick (wedge or row) or, most often, concrete. Concrete lintels are used ready-made or poured on site using wooden formwork and steel reinforcement. Reinforcement of lintels is best done in the form of two rows of longitudinal horizontal reinforcement, 12-16 mm in diameter, connected into a rigid frame using clamps with a diameter of 8-10 mm and soft knitting wire. You can make the clamps yourself. Instead, you can use pieces of reinforcement. The reinforcement must be covered with a layer of concrete on any side of at least 5 cm.
If shell rock itself is used for wedge lintels, then it is necessary to select dense blocks with a uniform structure. The blocks are laid on cement mortar, at an angle, on both sides, and in the middle the laying of the lintel is completed with a lock - a wedge cut from shell rock.
Completion of masonry: screed or reinforcing belt
At the top, the masonry of the walls must be completed with a leveling screed made of cement mortar, the task of which is to level the upper part of the wall horizontally, since the shell rock blocks are not always the same height and the upper part may be uneven. On this screed, after it has set, it is advisable to install a reinforcing belt of brick or reinforced concrete.
When installing brick belt, lay two or three rows of high-quality solid ceramic bricks on cement mortar, alternating tie and spoon rows, with dressing. A cement mortar screed is placed on top of the bricks.
If a concrete reinforcing belt is installed, it is done around the entire perimeter of the building, which is best, or at least on the walls on which the floor elements (beams, slabs, trusses) will be laid. To construct the belt, you can use reinforcement with a diameter of 8-10 mm or welded reinforcing mesh. The height of such a belt depends on the weight and type of ceilings that will be laid on it and can be within 10-20 cm.
To reduce heat loss through a concrete reinforced belt, you can outside lay one or two rows of clay bricks (half a brick) or a layer of dense insulation (for example, regular or extruded polystyrene foam) on the walls, and with inside arrange a reinforced concrete armored belt. Brick or insulation, in this case, will also serve as permanent formwork.
Combined masonry walls
Combined masonry of walls is possible: shell rock on the inside (in a block or 1/2 block), on the outside - ordinary clay brick or facing red, silicate or “torn stone”.
Between the limestone blocks and the brick, insulation is usually laid (preferably mineral wool).
Rows of limestone-shell rock and brick are connected to each other using L- or U-shaped steel rods with a diameter of 4-6 mm. In places window openings a brick dressing is arranged across the entire width of the wall - at least 3 rows.
When using a combined wall construction (brick + limestone block), it is advisable to choose blocks with a height that is a multiple of the height of the brick (including seams), since limestone blocks are cut out and not stamped or poured, their dimensions almost always have deviations from the standard, both in height and width. This must be taken into account.
Roof and roof installation
When building a house made of shell rock, the roof and roofing are arranged in almost the same way as when building houses made of brick, foam blocks or aerated concrete.
Since this building material can absorb moisture, the overhang of the roof for a house made from it should be at least 250 mm, and best of all 600-700 mm. The roof itself can be of almost any type, shape and complexity.
Wall finishing and insulation
The walls of a house made of limestone-shell rock must be plastered on the outside with cement mortar, decorative plaster or faced with brick. Plastering is best done using previously laid and secured plaster mesh. The inside can first be plastered with the mortar on which the masonry was carried out or with lime-cement mortar, and then finishing(plasterboard, gypsum putty or decorative plaster).
It is advisable to carry out wall insulation from the outside, using materials with a vapor permeability greater than shell rock ( mineral wool) followed by plastering over a reinforcing mesh or brick cladding. Although often polystyrene foam is used for external insulation, regular, but of high density or extruded. In this case, the insulation boards are attached using an adhesive mixture and plastic dowels - “umbrellas”.
Shell rock is an inexpensive building material for the home with excellent performance properties. The walls come out warm and do not require additional insulation.
The material itself, due to its porous structure, is quite easy to install, since its surface has stable adhesive properties.
And, nevertheless, the laying of shell rock is significantly different from the laying of concrete blocks, cinder blocks or bricks. Therefore, before laying shell rock, it is worth learning about the nuances of the upcoming work.
To lay walls made of shell rock, you can use ordinary cement mixture. However, it is very important that it be plastic, since with a rigid solution, it will be very problematic to remove shell rock walls.
For this reason, the solution for laying shell rock should have good pliability, be like a paste in consistency, but in no case should it spread. So, the proportions of the solution for shell rock are as follows:
- For 1 bucket of grade 400 cement, use 4 buckets of clean sand;
- To the same amount of dry mixtures, you need to add 10-12 liters of water;
- It is important to use a plasticizer, which will make the solution plastic. For 1 m³ of solution, you need approximately 0.5 liters of plasticizer
Can be used for laying shell rock, also concrete mixture marks 10-25-50. In addition to cement mortar, cement-lime and cement-clay mortar are no less popular when working with shell rock.
A cement-clay mortar for laying shell rock is made using the following calculations: 1 part cement, 1 part water and 5 parts clay. Cement-lime mortar consists of 9 parts lime, 1 part cement and the same ratio of water.
It is necessary to begin laying shell rock on a previously prepared foundation surface. To do this, it is laid on the base in several layers. waterproofing material, as a rule, ordinary roofing felt.
Then, starting from the corners, along a stretched rope, the first blocks of shell rock are laid. This is the most important part of the work, on which the evenness of all rows depends. Next, using the same stretched thread for checking, the forcing of the first row begins, followed by bandaging the corners.
At the same time, it is very important to take into account the thickness of the horizontal seam, it should be no more than 2 cm. The same indicator for vertical seams, slightly lower - 1.5 cm. Control over the evenness of the masonry of shell rock walls is carried out taut thread And construction level, at the entire stage of wall construction.