Modern construction technologies have long stepped forward thanks to the use of polymeric materials. They not only facilitate the construction process, but also reduce the weight of the structure. Additionally, heating costs and construction costs are reduced. One such polymeric material is polystyrene. It can be found in sheets and granules. It is the latter that are used for the manufacture of polystyrene concrete. Let's look at the main properties of this building material, highlight its negative sides and, in general, get acquainted with the reviews of those who have already built a house from it.
What is called polystyrene concrete?
Polystyrene concrete is a composite material that consists of concrete and polystyrene granules. This material is one of the most effective among all existing in our time. It can be used both as separate elements in the form of blocks, and in monolithic construction. Another very big plus of polystyrene concrete is the possibility of itscooking right at the construction site.
The production of polystyrene concrete consists in the gradual addition of polystyrene granules to the mixture. The latter can be both crushed and whole, in the form of balls with a diameter of not more than 3 mm. Portland cement, Portland slag cement or gypsum can be used as a binder. Aerated concrete, which is produced using autoclave hardening, is quite different from polystyrene concrete due to the fact that the latter gains strength over time. This guarantees a much longer service life. But polystyrene concrete also has disadvantages. When using it to create monolithic elements at home, it is required to wait at least 28 days for the next work to begin.
Use of polystyrene concrete
Polystyrene concrete has become very popular in construction since its inception. Due to the possibility of preparing the mixture on their own, people massively began to build houses from this composite material. At the same time, the technology was not adhered to, and as a result, a fragile material was obtained. Due to this carelessness, polystyrene concrete received negative reviews from people who simply did everything wrong. So let's break this down a bit.
Main types of polystyrene concrete
Now with self-preparation, two types of polystyrene concrete are used: D350 and D1200. The first of them is used as a heater, and the second - as a structural material. The composition of polystyrene concrete is as follows:
- for polystyrene concrete grade D350it is required to use 300 kg of cement M400 and 1, 1 cu. m polystyrene granules;
- for D1200 polystyrene concrete, 300 kg of M400 cement, 1, 1 cu. m of polystyrene granules and 800 kg of sand.
As a result, we get two types of solutions that are almost the same in strength, but the first concrete is obtained with less filling of the gaps between the granules. It is for this reason that D350 is used for insulation, and D1200 for building walls.
It is also worth noting that even monolithic polystyrene concrete cannot withstand heavy loads, and it cannot be used to create load-bearing structures.
Disadvantages of polystyrene concrete
Among all the properties that polystyrene concrete has, the disadvantages stand out against the general background. The main problem is the granules. And although polystyrene concrete is classified as a difficult to combustible substance, elevated temperatures have a negative effect on it. The fact is that polystyrene granules begin to break down, and this significantly reduces strength.
Reduced vapor permeability is also a minus. Compared with the same cellular concrete, polystyrene concrete has this indicator 4 times lower. This property has a negative effect in the form of high humidity in the room. Forced exhaust is mandatory if polystyrene concrete is used.
Polystyrene concrete also has disadvantages in the form of strong water adsorption and low resistance to freezing. This affects the overall service life and with sudden changes in temperature, the basecollapses.
One more thing to say about people's complaints about the large shrinkage of the material due to the use of granules. This feature requires a 15 cm minimum layer of plaster to be applied. Accordingly, the cost of work increases.
Reviews of polystyrene concrete houses
Houses made of polystyrene concrete began to be built from the very appearance of this composite material. The popularity grew rapidly, and industries appeared that not only produced it to create monolithic structures, but also produced blocks. They are light, strong and inexpensive. But let's really analyze what people are saying.
So, most often there are reviews about the cost of blocks and mixtures. It is not surprising that they are good, because the savings here are obvious. So, when compared with cellular concrete, polystyrene concrete can reduce costs by up to 20% with the same energy efficiency.
As for the bad reviews, most of them are due to the ignorance of citizens. People think that polystyrene concrete houses burn like dry matches. This is absolutely wrong. The fact is that polystyrene granules are enclosed in a concrete shell, and they simply cannot catch fire. Even if a fire occurs, the material simply collapses, and as a result, the blocks become more fragile. But there is no question of any emissions and combustion products.
Polystyrene concrete received good reviews due to the high speed of building houses with itsapplication. Blocks of this material are large, which makes it possible to quickly build walls. Approximate construction time for a one-story house of 120 sq. m is one and a half to two months (with pouring and defending the foundation).
Filled monolithic polystyrene concrete has big disadvantages. The first is a large shrinkage during solidification. Very often, builders do not count on it. The second is the need to apply a large layer of plaster. This solution makes the structure heavier and more expensive. Thirdly, it is undesirable to load polystyrene concrete walls.
To use or not?
Summing up, we can say that the use of polystyrene concrete leads to overall financial savings, and at the same time, the heat loss of the building is reduced. It is recommended to use this material as an additional heat insulator. But due to the low resistance to dynamic and static loads, polystyrene concrete is not recommended for the manufacture of critical elements of the house.
