Wall block is a modern material that allows you to build strong walls in a short period of time. Therefore, today he is a leader in the construction of any structures, including country houses and cottages.
What are concrete wall blocks?
Concrete wall blocks are a durable material, but it has a low thermal efficiency. Therefore, during the construction of a residential building, they are placed together with a heater. The latter can be facing bricks, decorative stone, plaster and the like.
As a rule, the standard block size is 20 x 20 x 40. These parameters are optimal for convenience in laying this material, and also allow you to complete the object in a short time of construction.
Due to its hollowness, the wall block allows you to perform any design solution. With their help, it is easy to build walls, as well as quickly, evenly and efficiently lay corners.
Types of concrete wall blocks
In the modern construction market, you can find a large amount of material for the construction of private houses, cottages, garages and othersstructures. The best option, as we have already mentioned, is considered to be a wall block. Let's now try to understand the concept of "concrete wall blocks".
This material is divided into two categories:
- hollow blocks (those with through or non-through voids);
- solid blocks (those that do not have any voids).
If we compare these two types, then full-bodied blocks are used during the construction of a multi-storey building. This is due to their greatest strength. For the construction of a one-story house, hollow blocks can also be used. But if a large load is planned for one or another wall in the future, then in this case the voids of the block are filled with mortar or concrete.
What should I pay attention to when choosing wall concrete blocks?
As a rule, when a consumer chooses wall blocks, prices are the main criterion for his final choice. Unfortunately, buyers are neglecting technical indicators, trying to save on housing construction..
In addition to the hollowness, which we talked about above, it is necessary to pay attention to the frost resistance of the material. This characteristic is denoted by the letter F. When buying concrete blocks, you need to ask about this indicator. It can vary from F15 to F200.
The frost resistance of blocks implies the ability to maintain their primary characteristics (in this case, strength) during significant temperature and moisture fluctuations. Many of you have probably seen thata wall or corner of a newly built house after a few years in the spring began to crumble or crumble. This indicates that the frost resistance index is very low. Thus, experts recommend not saving and opting for the material and the largest number of F.
Concrete wall block reviews
Today the greatest demand among builders are concrete wall blocks. The prices for this material are the lowest (from 38 rubles per 1 block), in addition, concrete blocks have a number of positive characteristics that are heard in customer reviews.
Firstly, concrete is a non-combustible material. It perfectly resists even open fire.
Secondly, concrete blocks have high sound insulation, which is noted in the reviews. Thus, any structures can be built from them.
Thirdly, modules and parts from any other materials can be attached to the concrete block wall.
Fourthly, this material is considered environmentally friendly. It is believed that the concrete wall block "breathes", so in the future "living" house you will feel comfortable.
And the last important point - good thermal insulation. Although expert reviews recommend lining walls from such a block with bricks or other material anyway.
According to this, we can conclude that concrete wall blocks are an excellent option for building an inexpensive high-quality country house.
Other types of wall blocks
Thanks to technological progress today inconstruction stores appeared all sorts of materials for masonry walls. This was not limited to concrete wall blocks alone. Over the past decade, their varieties have become much larger. All of them differ in their characteristics, as well as in the price category.
So, in addition to concrete, today it is worth noting the following wall blocks:
- aerated concrete;
- gas silicate;
- expanded concrete;
- polystyrene concrete;
- foam blocks.
All of these materials are also in great demand in the modern construction market, as well as concrete blocks. But still, they have more positive aspects. First of all, it concerns greater thermal conductivity and sound insulation. Secondly, they are all laid on a very thin layer of mortar or special glue, which makes the process of laying them less laborious. In addition, it is worth considering that all this material has ideal angles. Therefore, in order to expel a perfectly flat wall, it is necessary to make plumb lines and adjust everything to fit them.
It is also worth adding that after building a house, the internal walls of aerated concrete or silicate, for example, do not need to be plastered. In order to give them smoothness, it is enough just to apply several layers of putty.
The only disadvantage of these types of block is the cost. The price of this material is high. Therefore, not everyone can afford to buy them.
Production of wall blocks
For each type of block - its own wayproduction. Foam concrete and gas silicate are cellular wall blocks. During the production of foam concrete, cement, water, sand and foam are used. As for gas silicate, it consists of quartz sand, water, cement, lime and aluminum fine chips (it is needed as a blowing agent).
After forming any wall blocks, they must be allowed to dry. If the foam concrete dries naturally, then autoclave conditions are necessary for gas silicate blocks.
The dimensions of all these types of wall blocks can vary significantly. In addition, this applies not only to different, but also blocks of the same material. For example, the parameters of aerated concrete blocks can be as follows: 600 x 300 x 100, or as follows: 600 x 200 x 400 mm.
What is the best material to build a house from?
Modern production of wall blocks is so diverse that sometimes people do not know what material to choose to build a country house. Based on the above characteristics, you need to choose, taking into account how many floors you want to build and in what climate zone you live. And of course, you need to build on your financial resources. Do not focus on one material, perhaps you will find a more affordable analogue for it.
Remember that you can always choose the best option in a given situation. This also applies to the material for the walls of your country house.
