When it came to building a house, I was sure that there was no better material for this purpose. When it directly affected me, I opted for autoclaved aerated concrete.
I'll make a reservation right away that before that I was building a wooden bath, so I had experience with a bar. In the process of laying the blocks, I realized why some do not risk dealing with stone blocks.
Many people are afraid to use aerated concrete in the construction of houses, because they think that this material is too fragile and short-lived, prone to cracking. To erect a stone structure, you must first make a powerful foundation, which is not cheap. In fact, the insulation and cladding of the foundation on screw piles also costs a lot of money.
In addition, few people know that B 2.5 aerated concrete has excellent strength. It is suitable for the construction of even 3-storey buildings. And no wall blocks, in particular expanded clay concrete, brick, are insured against cracks and chips. If the foundation is poured incorrectly, such problems cannot be avoided in the future.
The main point that scares many developers and forces them to abandon the stone is the "wet" work and technical solutions during the laying. You need to possess certain knowledge, study a lot of subtleties, so that the structure turns out to be durable and reliable.
Another thing is timber. In the case of him, everything is intuitively clear, and the construction of the frame can be entrusted to a team of builders. The work is done quickly and easily, the wooden buildings look very nice. In addition, the cost of timber is lower than that of stone.
The fact that there are many subtleties and nuances in the laying of aerated concrete blocks, I was personally convinced. Fortunately, literally everything can be learned today thanks to the Internet. After looking at a couple of rollers, I learned that it is better to grind the seams between the blocks with coarse sandpaper, and the masonry is more reliable if you use glue foam.
Some inexperienced builders fear that the blocks are too heavy. I had a friend from Siberia who did not dare to use 400-mm blocks, but chose 300-mm blocks, because he was afraid that he would not be able to lift them. Frankly, they are really heavy, but a person adapts to everything, and already on the third row of masonry, I stopped noticing the weight.
I want to share a few life hacks that helped me lay aerated concrete:
Aerated concrete blocks must be sawed. For many, this becomes a real problem. I will say that it is not difficult to cut aerated concrete using a hand saw.
- In order to avoid mistakes in masonry, it is advisable to make a double thread mooring. Then the lower thread will be responsible for the vertical plane, and the upper one - for the horizontal one. This will prevent the blocks from falling over.
- I reinforced the blocks with fiberglass composite reinforcement. This helps to compensate for the shrinkage that aerated concrete will give over time (1 millimeter by 1 meter). If you use foam concrete, then the amount of shrinkage can reach 4 millimeters per 1 meter. For pouring the reinforcement, I took mineral glue, since it has good adhesion.
- To make the work go faster and more fun, I place the blocks using a carriage I made myself. I use foam glue for vertical seams.
That's all the tricks. If you use them when laying aerated concrete, then the process will not cause any difficulties.
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