When building a house from foam blocks, professionals recommend using special compounds that are close to this material in density. The consumption of glue is very economical, the mixture sets quickly and allows you to create a monolithic integrity of the walls. The sound and heat insulation qualities of the house, as well as its strength, largely depend on the properties of the connecting solution.
How to choose the best adhesive based on composition
Before choosing an adhesive for foam blocks, you should consider the ingredient composition in more detail. For preparation, many components are used, among which Portland cement should be distinguished. If it acts as a binding base, then the strengthening of the solution will occur quite quickly.
You can set the joint thickness to 3 mm or less with a fine quartz sand adhesive. Adhesive for foam blocks must contain modifiers that help retain moisture and notallow the seams to crack. Manufacturers manage to achieve plasticity thanks to polymer powders, which provide high-quality filling of all cavities. With the help of such compounds, it is possible to achieve an increase in adhesion between blocks.
How to choose glue according to the working conditions
Adhesive for foam blocks can be designed for masonry in winter or summer. The first version of the composition has a gray color and is used for manipulations at temperatures from +5 to -10 ˚С. Antifreeze components are added to the ingredient composition, while the temperature of the solution remains positive. Water for this should be heated to 60 ˚С.
This adhesive for foam blocks is recommended to be used up within half an hour after mixing. The mixture can be summer, white cement is added to it. The effectiveness of the composition is maintained at temperatures from +5 to +30 ˚С.
Glue consumption
Consumption of glue for foam blocks may vary depending on the composition and thickness of the seam. In order to achieve a strong connection with cement mortar, the layer thickness should be from 6 to 8 mm. At the same time, 0.1 cubic meter of composition will be needed for 1 cubic meter of masonry. Cold bridges often form in the seam zone, which leads to the need to form a second row of foam blocks. This allows you to increase the thermal insulation characteristics of the building.
Consumption of glue for foam blocks per 1m3 can be about 16-20 kg ifuse specific mixtures. The final figure will depend on the accuracy of the geometry of the products, as well as compliance with the thickness of the seams. The last parameter should not be more than 3 mm. In difficult places, the thickness of the seam can be increased up to 7 mm.
Choosing the best glue from different manufacturers
When choosing an adhesive, you should not focus only on the cost, as this, on the contrary, can lead to unnecessary costs. If you choose products from little-known manufacturers, you may find that the mixture will have low adhesive and penetrating characteristics, and consumption will increase. As a result, you will get unreliable masonry and poor quality thermal insulation.
By choosing products from more well-known brands, you can facilitate the installation of foam blocks and use less glue. Below are the prices for the most popular brands of glue for foam concrete blocks.
Most Popular Solutions
If you want to buy the best adhesive for foam blocks, you should pay attention to Ceresit CT 21. This brand is the most popular. For a 25 kg bag you will have to pay one of the highest prices - 265 rubles. The winter version of Praktik Bergauf is somewhat more expensive, you will purchase it for 274 rubles. One step lower in cost - the composition from the manufacturer "Kreps". For a bag you will have to pay 199 rubles. 179 rub. Aeroc glue costs, while the summer Praktik Bergauf will cost 165 rubles. for a 30 kg bag.
Consumption of EURO glue from the manufacturer "Titan"
Glue "Titan"for foam blocks is designed for the construction of partitions and load-bearing walls using high-precision building materials. Application temperature varies from -10 to +30 ˚С. You can correct the product after applying the glue within 3 minutes. The cylinder will be enough for 60 running meters. The material is rated F/B3 fire retardant.
Compound is light gray in color and does not adhere to the following materials:
- polyethylene;
- teflon;
- polypropylene;
- silicone;
- polyamide.
If you are faced with the question of which foam block adhesive to choose, you should consider the characteristics of several options at once. For the composition described in this section, the flow rate can vary from 1.1 to 2.7 cylinders per cubic meter. It all depends on how many strips of glue you apply.
Features of installing drywall on foam block
If you need to level the wall, you can lay drywall on foam blocks, this material is mounted quite simply on glue. First you need to prepare the surface, for this the plane is cleaned of old coatings. The base must be level. Next, a primer layer is applied to increase the adhesion of the composition to the surface.
The wall can be wetted for greater reliability. The next step is to prepare the material. Before installing drywall, through holes are made on the sheets. Their location should be as follows: two holes along the top edge, the same- on the bottom. About 3 or 4 - in the central part of the canvas. Pieces of foam rubber are glued near the holes. After that, you need to wait for the glue to dry.
Now you can start editing sheets. But first, the sheets are applied to the wall to make marks for the holes for the dowels. After installing the fasteners, the GKL is applied to the wall and fixed with self-tapping screws. Around each self-tapping screw, it is necessary to drill holes, the diameter of which will be 6 mm.
Mounting foam or foam glue is pumped inside to fix the drywall to the foam block. The most reliable and simplest option for finishing walls from the inside is to install drywall on glue. Sheets can also be installed on the frame.
Laying foam blocks
How to put foam blocks on glue? This question is asked by many novice home masters. If you are one of them, you should familiarize yourself with the technology below. The surface of the masonry layer should be leveled with a grater or mortar, and then cleaned with a brush from foreign particles and residues after grinding. If work is carried out on the foundation, waterproofing is laid on top. The first layer must be laid on a cement-lime mortar substrate.
The first product is placed on the prepared mixture. It is important to keep the ideal level. A layer of mortar is applied to the cleaned surface, the thickness of which can reach 3 mm. In this case, it is necessary to use a spatula corresponding to the width of the walls.
When laying on a thin-layer mortar, the blocks are not sprayed with water. The controlthe location of elements in the corners and along the walls must be checked with a cord and a level. The unevenness of the masonry elements should be corrected with a rubber mallet.
Before plastering the surface, potholes and damage are filled with mortar. Such errors may appear during laying. Thanks to the use of an adhesive solution and special tools for applying the adhesive, the time and consumption of the mixture can be reduced. Thin seams will help reduce heat loss.
Mastics can act as a special glue. Many are wondering why apply the mixture to the entire surface of the foam block, which is quite wide. You may decide that you can limit yourself to applying glue only to the edges of the product, leaving the middle without mortar. There is no single answer to this question. The horizontal layer of adhesive on the blocks must be continuous and cover the entire surface, otherwise the load on the edges of the blocks will increase, which will reduce the stability of the wall. Thermal insulation performance may also become worse.
Strengthening vertical seams
Looking at the side surfaces of the foam blocks, you can see the tongue-and-groove locks that provide a snug fit for the products to each other. This is also necessary for the distribution of horizontal loads. No matter how thin the seams are, this can reduce the thermal insulation performance. Depending on what type of finish will be used, the issue of reinforcing vertical joints can be solved in different ways. If the wall isplastered with a continuous layer, the vertical surfaces of the blocks do not stick together.
When plaster is applied only on one side of the wall, the opposite vertical seams are only half filled with glue to prevent heat leakage or cold air from entering the room. When the load on the walls is approximately 70% of the strength of the foam block, or it is necessary to give the structure additional resistance to external loads, the vertical seams must be completely filled with glue. It is important to exclude voids.
In closing
Foam blocks have almost perfect geometric characteristics, which means that they can be laid on glue, with which seams of minimum thickness are created. Laying should start from the corners, while dressing the rows is done in the usual way.
In some cases, a part of the block is inserted into the middle of the wall, in this case, special attention should be paid to fixing it. To do this, the side surfaces are lubricated with mastic, and the adhesive seams are completely filled. Additionally, sometimes reinforcement of the masonry is also carried out. In order to reduce the consumption of glue, products with rebar grooves should be used in this case.
When reinforcing, the entire space of the strobe is filled with glue after laying the rod. In the corners, the rod should be bent. It is important to ensure that the reinforcement overlaps in this place, otherwise there will be no effect from the reinforcement.
