I chose aerated concrete for the construction of the House-Bath 12x8, I will tell you what I was guided by when I made this informed choice. And what a specialist in laying building materials in even rows advised me.
I have a relative, he works as a bricklayer, there was a desire to hire him to lay blocks. But, unfortunately, he is so in demand that in the next six months he was busy at construction sites. And no, he didn’t get rid of me, but he was really very busy. Therefore, I asked him to advise on gas blocks during a personal meeting. Here's what I learned from a conversation with him:
What size of gas blocks to choose
When building a year-round heated house made of gas silicate in central Russia, its minimum thickness should be 300 mm. Provided that it will be insulated and sheathed outside.
Moreover, the mass of such a block will be approximately 30 kg. It is convenient for bricklayers to erect due to its relatively lifting weight.
With a block thickness of 400 mm (density D500), its mass increases to 40 kg. That is already at the limit of physical capabilities, when working all day. But having laid such a block without side gaps, it is already relatively warm in it, practice shows that it is not always sheathed (for the middle lane).
What is the best gas block density
In his words, the brand D500 the most optimal. It has a relatively high strength compared to the brand D400, but he is "colder" than himself. D 600 should be used in houses with more than 2 storeys. But you need to understand that its thermal conductivity is high, so it is "colder".
How to choose a gas block manufacturer in your region?
An important criterion for any gas silicate block is its geometric manufacturing accuracy. They must be the same width and length. In this case, the maximum error for a good block agrees with GOST 1 mm. But in practice, up to 2 mm. If the blocks of the same company differ more than 3 mm-5 mm. This is a bad block. Don't take it. The bricklayer will struggle to equalize them. And the thickness of the glue line can be greatly increased. Which will affect the thermal conductivity for the worse. And if the laying is carried out on foam glue, then not a single grater will wear out and the laying time will increase many times.
As a result, in my region I compared two manufacturers
Stopped at Build Stone, he said that it was pleasant to work with him, the manufacturing error is not high, durable, there are no broken blocks in the pallet.
Do you need grooves in blocks
Sometimes manufacturers make recesses in the block for easy transfer and stacking. That makes the work of the master easier. Smooth blocks without grooves are used where external finishing will not be done soon. But at the same time, it requires a lot of attention when filling vertical joints. So that the wind does not walk.
Blocks with side ridges are loved by bricklayers, they do not fill vertical seams with glue, because the grooves do not give the ability to check the work in the light, in their opinion, filling there is simply not necessary (but it is better to glue them foam glue).
That's all I could get out of the bricklayer's revelations. I am sure that among the readers there are real experts in this difficult work. Please add a helpful comment to the article. Thank you.
This is the seventeenth article in this series. In this series, information awaits you: what material for construction I stopped on, how the shallow foundation was poured, why the wall cracked and how the roof rose and many others solutions. Not entirely correct. Learn from my mistakes. Don't let your own. Subscribe . Articles are published every day at 8 am Moscow time. You can also click on the tag below "Timofey's bathhouse".
From SW. Timofey Mikhailov.