Warm ceramic masonry is blown through the groove-comb joint. How should the block be laid? (Examples on 3 houses)

  • Dec 10, 2020

Greetings, dear reader!

On the agenda is the question of eliminating the blowing of the masonry joint with warm ceramics! This article describes various options for laying a two-layer wall (brick + ceramic block) using the example of 3 houses built before my eyes.

Ceramic block - masonry. Photo source: http://dachnaya-zhizn.ru/
Ceramic block - masonry. Photo source: http://dachnaya-zhizn.ru/

Many of us have heard about the groove-ridge laying of ceramic stone. This technology does not provide for the use of masonry mixture in the vertical joints between the blocks, since there is a lock, i.e. tongue-and-groove connection. And since there is no solution, a gap inevitably remains, through which, in the absence of sealing, the wind "walks".

So, the first house and the first sad experience:

Author's photo
Author's photo

The masonry is made in the classical way - as required by the technology of the tongue-and-groove connection from the manufacturer, in addition, there is a ventilated gap between the facing brick and the block:

Author's photo
Author's photo

On the diagram, it looks like this:

instagram viewer
Author's illustration
Author's illustration

The naked eye can see that due to the presence of a ventilated gap, a warm room is separated from the street only with a plaster layer and everything, as a result, is a dew point on the plaster, hence the waterlogging of the wall and freezing.

Subsequently, the ventilation gap was replaced with insulation by drilling holes in the brickwork and injecting a "warm" mass.

Second house (built in 2019)

It is made of a ceramic block and a full-bodied backing brick (ordinary building brick).

Author's photo
Author's photo

The construction of this house and each stage from A to Z is described on my channel "I build for myself". The block is laid according to the scheme - without a ventilated gap, i.e. facing brick close to the block with filling the joint with masonry mortar:

Author's photo
Author's photo

To eliminate the blowing effect, the block was laid with a thin layer of mortar applied to the side edge (seam depth 3-5 cm). According to the technology, the groove-comb joint remains without mortar:

Author's illustration
Author's illustration

Making such a masonry, the bricklayer applied a thin layer of mortar, 1 cm thick, to the edge of each block. and a depth of 3-5 cm. When the block is being laid and docked, the tongue-and-groove connection under the weight of the block displaces the excess mortar, while all irregularities inside the seam remain filled with the mixture, thereby excluding the through slit.

Author's illustration
Author's illustration

Third object

The third house is a guest house (parent business). The house was built in November 2018. (at the moment - landscaping of the territory is being carried out).

It is made of a ceramic block and a full-bodied backing brick, like the second option, but there is a nuance in the masonry technology.

Author's photo
Author's photo

The same two-layer wall, block and brick masonry was made without a ventilated gap with filling the interlayer joint with masonry mortar, but without filling the groove-comb joint.

Scheme:

Author's illustration
Author's illustration

After conservation of the house (i.e., ensuring tightness from the street side), there was a slight blowing of the masonry, but it was still there. It would seem that there is a seam filled with mortar between the facing brick and the block, but this did not give the desired result.

Why is this happening:

There are two options for laying a multi-layer block-brick wall:

A) First, the facing brick part is placed, then a block is placed after it.

B) First, a block is laid, after which it is faced with brick.

Author's illustration
Author's illustration

If you carefully consider option A, then after installing the block, the builder is uncomfortable in a narrow gap at a block height of 22 cm. - push the masonry mortar with a trowel (trowel), it simply does not fall through to the full depth. This is exactly what happened during the construction of the guest house (3rd option) - that's why it was blown out, albeit slightly. The second version of the house was built according to method B, a block was laid in the first rows (as you can judge from the photos above), then a row of bricks was formed.

If you pay attention and compare both drawings, then according to method B - it is much more convenient for a bricklayer after after laying each brick, fill a gap with a depth of 7-8 cm with mortar, than after laying the block - a gap of 22 cm. (3 times difference).

So, if you decide on warm ceramics, I advise you not to lose sight of the described moment !!!

Thank you for attention!

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