Monolithic foam concrete is used today in many areas of construction. This fact cannot be called surprising, since the material has excellent performance characteristics. If we compare with other solutions, then foam concrete is different in that it can be made directly at the construction site or in the factory.
Production technology
The production of foam concrete began to actively develop after the requirements for thermal insulation of buildings became tougher in Russia and some other countries. Therefore, high-performance materials that meet all the necessary standards began to appear on the market.
Foam concrete is made using cement and sand, from which the mortar is mixed. After the composition is subjected to aeration. The air temperature at the construction site should not fall below +10 degrees. If we mention the stages of work, then the concrete mixer is filled with liquid, then sand and cement are poured into the rotating drum. At the next stage, the finished foam is laid, the composition is mixed and fed into the pre-made formwork. To improve strengthreinforcement is used in the structure. Quite often, fixed formwork is used, which is made in such a way that it is possible to strengthen the finish layer from the outside. The most popular are glass-magnesite sheets.
Density
If you use this technology, you will be able to reduce the consumption of foam concrete and the foam itself, speeding up the work and reducing financial costs. It is possible to control the quality of the manufactured material in the process of pouring the mixture by measuring the density and by testing samples. In order for the house to be provided with high-quality thermal insulation, foam concrete should be used, the width of which will be equal to 250 millimeters. Whereas the density should be approximately 200 kilograms per cubic meter.
The main advantages of foam concrete
The production of foam concrete can be done by you yourself at the construction site, this is one of the main advantages of this material. Among other things, the walls are sound and heat insulated, and heating costs can be reduced by 30%. Further finishing is simplified, the walls are durable and reliable.
If you use monolithic foam concrete when building a house, then a good microclimate will be provided inside, as the material is able to maintain favorable humidity and temperature. In the summer, the premises will not overheat, and in the winter the heat will be well preserved inside. Quite often, consumersfoam concrete is also chosen for the reason that it is environmentally friendly. Harmful substances are not used during manufacture, toxic components are not formed during operation.
The walls are fireproof, they do not ignite under the influence of high temperatures. The tests carried out show that foam concrete is completely safe. Due to the fact that it can be used to create any design, cellular concrete is used to form arches, pyramids and other complex structures. During the construction process, you will realize that it is economical, and you can use it to achieve various goals. For example, for the manufacture of panels, floors and roof insulation.
Main flaws
If you decide to build a house from monolithic foam concrete, you should take into account that this can only be done using the frame method. This indicates that all the disadvantages of such structures will be expected by residents without fail. When designing and installing, you may encounter certain difficulties. After all, only a person with experience in construction will be able to choose the material for the frame (formwork).
The material is demanding on insulation, which must be carefully selected, otherwise the useful properties of foam concrete will come to naught. Despite the fact that environmental friendliness is at a high level, some manufacturers use synthetic foam concentrates in the manufacturing process, which cannot be called safe. But they are usually less than half a percent in the composition.
Monolithic foam concrete, reviews of which may be negative, has high hardness, but the fragility of the material cannot be ignored. The walls will be able to withstand high loads in a static position, but a sharp impact can cause cracks to form. This indicates the need for care in operation. Among other things, concrete needs to be reinforced.
Using a metal frame may incur additional costs. If you decide to choose monolithic foam concrete for construction, it is recommended to consider the cons of the material in advance. Among them, high porosity should be distinguished, which causes water absorption up to 15% of the total mass of the material. As practice shows, in general, this is not so scary, however, high humidity can lead to loss of thermal insulation qualities. You can deal with this problem by using a large amount of waterproofing, which will separate the material from the external environment. The downside is that the method of carrying out the work cannot be called too simple.
Additional cons
Monolithic foam concrete is used in construction quite often today, but it has some disadvantages, namely low vapor barrier, which can cause high humidity indoors. In order to form a high-quality foundation for such walls, only a monolithic slab can be used, otherwise cracks cannot be avoided. It is possible to fill the resulting space between the foam concrete walls onlyonly with a well-chosen adhesive composition. A bad solution is to use a solution of cement and sand. In this case, you risk getting seams that are 3 mm thick or more. In this case, the thermal insulation qualities and sound insulation properties will be reduced.
I can't like the fact that after the construction of walls using removable formwork, you have to additionally grind the surface, which complicates the work and makes it more laborious. Monolithic foam concrete, like any other material, shrinks after construction. If we compare with aerated concrete, then it is higher. But subject to technology, it will not exceed 0.1%. Maximum shrinkage will occur within 1 month.
Why you should not choose foam concrete yet
Quite often, monolithic foam concrete is poured using fixed formwork, however, if the frame elements are used repeatedly, the material can cause difficulties in finishing. Not all materials are well fixed on its surface. When installing decor elements into the wall, it will be easy to drive screws and nails without any extra effort, after which they fall out back. Inside the channel for installing fasteners, the material crumbles, but there are no such problems with brick or wood.
Construction applications
Monolithic foam concrete, the manufacturing technology of which was described above and can be mastered by you on your own, is used invarious areas of construction. This material can be found in screeds, which are made of foam concrete with a density of up to 800 kilograms per cubic meter. In this case, the strength is 3.5 MPa. An additional advantage of such ties is that they reduce the load on the structure.
Among other things, foam concrete is actively used to insulate flat roofs. The average density in this case should be approximately 250 kilograms per cubic meter. But the upper protective layer can be made of foam concrete with a density of 600 kilograms per cubic meter.
This material is used in the arrangement of interfloor ceilings, as well as for thermal insulation of walls. In the presence of a silicate brick building, foam concrete can be used, the density of which starts from 200 kilograms per cubic meter. Insulation by this method reduces labor costs and eliminates the need to use expensive and unsafe materials such as polystyrene foam and mineral wool. You can find the described material in structures for insulating chimneys. For example, in the conditions of the metallurgical Novolipetsk Combine, they abandoned the use of mineral wool, switching to foam concrete, the density of which is 400 kilograms per cubic meter.
Cost of foam concrete
If you decide to use foam concrete in construction, the price of this material should interest you. By purchasing it, you will have to pay 4000 rubles. per cubic meter. We are talking about a density ranging from D400 to D1200, such material is suitable for the devicescreeds and other work.
Price of foam concrete house
The cost of a foam concrete house can be much lower than when using other materials. Thus, for 242 square meters you will have to pay 3,500,000 rubles.
Aesthetic qualities
"Monolithic foam concrete, or Building without money". It is this motto that people who have chosen cellular material for their future home adhere to. But you should take into account that the appearance of the resulting building may not be very attractive. Compared with glued beams, the latter option will find more admirers. In addition, the foam block, according to buyers, gives a very dubious freedom of creativity. With the help of cellular material, it is problematic to build an original and beautiful cottage that will repeat the traditions of any style.
It is much more common to see standard options that do not catch the eye. Foam concrete, the price of which was mentioned above, has a very poor color range. This requires additional finishing and combination with all kinds of materials, which increases costs. After all, the foam block is very plain.
Conclusion
Despite the disadvantages of foam concrete, it does not lose popularity among consumers. If you, too, have decided to build a new home, you can consider the characteristics of the honeycomb material.
