Today no one can be surprised by innovative building materials. Every year, experts release some new product on the market. Recently, in the construction industry, too, everyone started talking about the need for environmentally friendly products. And the result was not long in coming. Russian specialists have released a relatively inexpensive and at the same time reliable material that does not harm the environment. This is a wooden brick. It has already been appreciated and used in construction.
Wooden brick: what is it?
It must be said that this innovation is similar to ordinary brick only in its shape and name. In fact, a “relative” of this product is a bar, but with smaller dimensions. In appearance, it is a block with dimensions of 650x190x60 cm.
For ease of use, special locks are made on the sides of each brick, designed for fasteners.
To make wooden bricks, only high-quality softwood is used.
In productionShe is undergoing several surgeries. First of all, the raw wood is dried until the moisture content reaches 8-12%. Then mechanical processing of all side surfaces is carried out. The final stage is grinding.
The result is a building material that no longer requires any additional finishing work. This is a profitable solution. If you build a house from such blocks, then you no longer need to finish the facade - it already looks great.
It will be enough to apply a layer of wax as a protection against the external environment and moisture.
In addition to standard sizes, individual wooden bricks are also produced. The block can be any size you want and need.
Green innovation benefits
When this building material was created, the inventor of the product solved most of the problems that arise during construction work on the construction of wooden houses.
So, houses are made of wood for several years - you need to wait until the structure dries out. Then they wait for it to shrink. Next install doors and windows. And only after that the builders move on to finishing work. Using a new innovative material, you can safely skip the stages of drying and shrinkage. The environmentally friendly building is ready for use immediately after construction.
Besides, blocks of wood do not deform during the drying process - they have small dimensions. As a result, the original shape of the blocks is perfectly preserved, and the products themselves are perfectly connected to each other.with friend. At the same time, you can forget about the gaps - there are none.
Another advantage of this know-how is the low cost of construction if wood bricks are used. A structure built in this way costs much less due to the absence of the need for expensive machinery for work, sealants, cement and sand, as well as the need for further plastering. The most expensive to build will be pillars and crowns. Naturally, you can build a great eco-house without them, but no one wants the building to suddenly take shape. If you want to get a reliable building, then you can use glued beams. It is cheaper and the result is no worse than with a solid post.
Designers do not limit the overall dimensions of the bricks, as in the case when logs or timber are used. So, this building material allows you to create on its basis even the most unrealistic and amazing elements of architecture.
And, finally, the price of a brick made of wood is several times lower than the cost of glued beams. This is definitely an important benefit.
Flaws
This material has many advantages. But potential buyers should be warned of some of the downsides of wood bricks.
In regions with a harsh climate, it is better to build a house from traditional bricks - a wooden house will not work in this case. It will be too cold there.
It is also not recommended to build multi-storey buildings from eco-brick, which are distinguished by a large area - notwill be the necessary resilience.
You should not start construction work without a project developed by competent specialists. A house made of such building material, made without a project, can fall apart under the influence of even minimal loads.
Wooden bricks: DIY production
Building professionals, manufacturers and suppliers will unanimously say that this is simply impossible, but nothing is impossible. For production, it is necessary to have high-precision milling and grinding machines. In addition, raw materials must be selected very carefully. Wood for bricks must meet a lot of requirements. If there are such opportunities, then there is nothing difficult.
Masonry rules
Among professionals, there is an opinion that they cannot cope with the process of laying this building material on their own. One can argue with this. There are a number of rules to follow.
So, the brick must be laid strictly orderly. Be sure to follow the order.
The block is placed edge-to-edge. For external and internal blocks, transverse ligation is required. This is done every three blocks. Moreover, the dressing should be the same as the masonry itself. It is impossible to allow the dressing to coincide with the details from the bottom row. It should be shifted by 0.5 bricks. This is the only way to get a reliable, well-made construction, as well as a beautiful pattern of natural wood and a hollow wall.
In the gap between the outer and inner wall is placedthermal insulation layer. In rare cases, sawdust can be poured into it. They also have excellent heat retention properties.
Where is wood brick made?
In Russia, there are several enterprises that produce this construction know-how. So, brick is produced in St. Petersburg, in the same place where it was invented. It was in this city that this innovation was created on the basis of the Stankom company. You can see the first houses in the construction of which the material was used. These buildings are in Zaozerye, Zaichikhino, in the village of Harmony. The company produces products under the Woodbrick trademark.
Another company is located in Tomsk. They produce products from pine. The product is supplied under the brand "Cozy House". This is what these wooden bricks look like. Photos can be seen below.
The price of these eco-friendly building materials is significantly lower than Woodbrick's.
Reviews and perspectives
This material has good prospects, however, it is only suitable for low-rise construction. Professionals say that this material is suitable for those who already have a house and additionally want other buildings on the site.
The second nuance is the price. Manufacturers are not very willing to share information about them, but the cost of the material from the "Cozy House" is $470 per 1 cubic meter, while profiled timber with the same size can be bought for $320, rounded logs for 240.
Stinkom offers grade A products at$860 and glued laminated timber for $600.
There is another problem with wood bricks. Reviews indicate a large deviation from tolerances. The size must be strictly maintained to hundredths of a millimeter, especially on locks. A large number of connecting surfaces can turn the building into a sieve if the gaps are too large. The locks are connected either with serious backlash or with a hammer.
Wooden bricks: raw technology
Such a wall, in which there are an abundance of gaps and mechanical stresses, sooner or later it will crack.
More gaps will appear. There are still a lot of problems in this technology that have not been solved. It hasn't been fully developed yet. Those advantages, which manufacturers talk about in advertising booklets, are still only wishful thinking, rather than reality. Here it is, an innovative wooden brick. Like glass, it can only be waterproof if all installation rules have been followed.
