Immediately clarify - a small warm house. As well as a bungalow, a hunting lodge, a gazebo, a summer kitchen. When there is a capital house, and an extension or a veranda is needed for it, wooden modular briquettes ... that is, bricks are just a godsend in capable hands. As piers, masonry made of wooden bricks is also an excellent option, as well as interior and interior partitions, niches, even "furniture" for summer cottages.
Houses of two or more floors, in which wood bricks are one of the main materials, exist today, and receive mostly favorable reviews from people who have lived in these houses for the winter. A house with wooden walls is much easier to warm up than a stone house, and it keeps heat very well. When choosing, we evaluate the heat-shielding properties of building materials first, along with strength and durability. This is understandable, because today energy efficiency is one of the main criteria for evaluating a good home.
According to the manufacturers, a brick made of wood has many of the advantages of real wood, and some qualities of natural wood have been significantly improved.
You can guess that for the production of wooden bricks, not only products in the form of finished timber are used, but also woodworking waste - a broken timber, a short cut, etc. After all, the modular dimensions of the bricks allow this. Raw materials affect the price of the finished product, and it is known that many enterprises produce wooden bricks, where the main product is serious lumber - calibrated logs and profiled timber. But in practice - the price of wooden briquettes is not always happy.
Wooden bricks are processed coniferous wood blocks - spruce, pine, cedar, larch. The brick has locking grooves on all four sides, and computer ones. Modern equipment is high-tech, and its product - a wooden brick - eliminates the error in the geometry of lock fasteners. There is no need to talk about the importance of such accuracy for even dense masonry of the wall, everything is clear anyway. And it is also clear that no mortar, no sealants and sealants for brick and wood masonry will be needed. The brick is polished and the groove fits into the groove, so it is important to take this material only from trusted manufacturers. After all, inaccurate locks or loss of geometry as a result of improper storage at an unacceptable level of humidity will negate all the advantages of assembling the “Lego constructor”.
Laying is carried out in rows, with an offset. The fixation of the lock grooves is provided by tapping with a mallet. Bandaging is required, as for all modular wall materials. The material is easy to work with, special equipment is not required. There is practically no shrinkage.
The range of sizes of wooden bricks is small, but available. The most demanded "block" is 65*19*6 cm. Equipment capabilities and production technology can realize other sizes of bricks, almost any - at the request of the customer. This is a good plus, not available for all wall materials. One of the design solutions for walls made of wooden briquettes 65 * 19 * 6 cm is a frame with a sealant laid inside two rows.
All building materials have both pluses, and vice versa. Wooden brick, as a relatively new material, is easier to consider in a complex.
One of the main advantages is the clean composition, 100% environmental friendliness. The tree is environmentally friendly, as a house structure, the tree heals, heals, creates a comfortable microclimate. It is possible to use 60 mm thick wooden bricks for interior cladding.
Wooden brick is processed with complete drying, and the deformation of the walls is excluded both during the construction process and in further operation. It is important to properly store this material, because moisture is the enemy of many building materials, and for natural wood bricks, water is just a saboteur. The downside is the presence of handicraft products on the construction market, the shortcomings of which are revealed both during the laying process and in operation.
Making a brick out of wood with your own hands is difficult, but impossible in the right amount. The lock fasteners are complex, and it is impossible to perform the exact parameters of the cuts without special equipment. You can only buy this material, and from a responsible manufacturer, with a guarantee of not only accurate assembly, but also proper storage and shipment. Improper storage leads to exceeding the permissible moisture level of wooden bricks, and as a result, to difficulties and inaccuracies in assembly and deformation of the structure.
The laying technology is simple, the bricks are assembled as a constructor, without mortar and adhesive mixtures, "dry process". Polished wooden blocks and grooves… Unfortunately, practice justified the assumptions about good ventilation of the future facade. The vapor permeability and breathability of the walls were at their best. There are reviews of the owners about drafts blowing through the walls in strong winds.
Strength and bearing capacity is sufficient for building a house up to two floors, subject to preliminary calculation of the bearing capacity. But the stability of the resulting structure does not allow building houses with a large number of floors without the use of a supporting frame or fixtures. The stability of the masonry is insufficient, and before starting construction, a project and load calculation are required. It is unacceptable to overload the supporting structures of such a house.
Good thermal protection of wood implies energy savings in the future. For regions with a cold climate, this thermal protection is not enough, but for the middle lane and southern regions, a house made of wood bricks will keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Smaller houses are warmer. Precise assembly minimizes cold bridges and wood is a warm material with good vapor permeability.
Excellent opportunities for the implementation of interesting architectural and planning solutions. New lines and shapes, unusual room configurations are possible. Global finishing is not required, as the bricks are sanded and have the advantageous texture of natural wood.
The walls look aesthetically pleasing, even presentable. Finishing is not needed either inside or outside (if there is no need for additional insulation or frame). Many people love natural wood covered with wax or odorless varnish, and wooden brick in this form is very original. Hanging a picture or a shelf is no problem, this is not aerated concrete.
One of the main advantages is that wood bricks are a godsend for designers and architects who prefer non-standard solutions and eco-style. The combination with calibrated logs and profiled timber, clinker bricks, natural stone creates an exclusive design with a high level of comfort and a cozy atmosphere in the home.
A stone house in many respects will give odds to wooden and frame buildings. More durable, less fire hazardous, it will last more than one generation. Plus significantly reduce the time for the construction of the building. There are many varieties of blocks, let's try to figure out how to choose the best option for the available budget.
Building blocks: types and specifications
The basis of any building block is concrete. Sometimes it is only one, more often in combination with other materials. A classic reinforced concrete block is made from gravel and reinforced with metal to increase structural strength. The building material is heavy (the minimum weight of one block is 15 kg), therefore it is mainly used for laying the foundation and external walls in multi-storey buildings.
In the construction of individual housing, a country house, a cottage, the erection of walls for the internal planning of premises, blocks of so-called light concretes are used, whose bulk density does not exceed 1800-2000 kg / m3. "Stuffing" here are porous, cellular and light organic aggregates. Manufacturers are not only trying to make concrete lighter, but also to reduce the heat transfer of the building, to increase vapor permeability.
- Slag concrete blocks are created in special pressing machines on the basis of slag metallurgical and ash waste, small gravel. About the harm to the health of such blocks is a myth. In the USSR, high-rise buildings were successfully built from slag-alkali concrete. In Europe, it still produces tens of millions of tons per year. Such concrete and blocks from it are many times cheaper. Of these, they prefer to build industrial buildings, warehouses, garages, sheds.
- Foam concrete blocks are made from cement, water and a foaming agent (cellular concrete). The solution is whipped and poured into molds, standard sizes 20x30x60 cm. The material is light, it holds heat and sound well. Convenient for the construction of internal, non-bearing walls.
- Expanded clay blocks. Material with a filler of foamy fired clay granules is made by pressing. Variations are possible: polymer insulation and cladding (does not require additional processing and insulation), imitation of brick, tile or even natural stone.
- Arbolite blocks. The “concreteness” of the material is very arbitrary, since 90% of it consists of wood chips bonded with cement, and often slaked lime with aluminum sulfate. A house with wood concrete walls is almost a wooden house: dry and warm, but at the same time the material is not combustible and does not rot, although it actively absorbs moisture. Sawdust-concrete blocks are close in composition to them.
- Ceramic blocks (or). In fact, they are, but wood sawdust is mixed into the clay, which burn out during heat treatment, forming peculiar pores in the structure of the material. The size of a standard ceramic block is 38x24.8x23.8 cm. They are durable and hold heat well, but they absorb a lot of moisture and have a rather fragile structure, so it is not recommended to gouge them, it is also impossible to use shock mode when drilling.
- Polymer blocks consist of a concrete base and polystyrene, which makes the material durable and holds heat well. But the polymer block tends to shrink under heavy load on the supporting structure. Therefore, it is better to use it for the construction of partitions or insulation, but not the main walls.
Criteria for selecting building blocks
There can be three goals: structural, structural and heat-insulating, heat-insulating. Simply put, you just need to build something, insulate it, or both.
The first criterion is the strength of the material, that is, the ability to withstand certain physical loads.
In order to choose the right block, you need to look at the brand. So the brand of expanded clay M - 50-150. This means that the material can withstand a load of 50 to 150 kg per square centimeter, this is a very high strength.
For example, a foam block is marked with an indicator of 0.25-12.5, which means that it will be a mistake to build load-bearing walls from it. On the Internet, you can find summary tables of the strengths of building blocks and make the calculations necessary for specific needs.
The second criterion is the attitude to different temperatures
It is worth paying attention to the frost resistance of the material: any building block is able to withstand a limited number of cycles of complete freezing and thawing, after which it will begin to collapse. Even in high latitudes, the walls do not completely freeze through, so the indicator is conditional. The level of frost resistance (Mrz) 35 (so many full frosts will withstand) is sufficient, most lightweight concrete blocks reach it. For ceramic models, the indicator is 50.
The ability of a material to absorb moisture
Concrete is inferior to brick here, so walls made of any kind of blocks need external facade finishing (cladding, plaster, siding, etc.). Therefore, the finishing procedure should not be postponed for a year, until the start of the new summer season.
Do I need to take into account the shrinkage of a house or cottage from building blocks?
A lot here depends on the foundation: for the construction of low-rise buildings, a strip monolithic foundation is usually laid out from building blocks, which is relatively budgetary and strong enough. The material also plays a role: aerated concrete and foam concrete are most susceptible to shrinkage, while expanded clay concrete, ceramics and wood concrete successfully cope with this challenge. In any case, it is necessary to follow the masonry technology, in particular, do not forget about its reinforcement with a special metal mesh or alternative material (plastic, for example) around the entire perimeter of the walls. This procedure will become something like a screed and prevent cracks on the walls.
Why are concrete building blocks better than wood and brick?
Building with concrete blocks of any type is much faster than with bricks, even taking into account the time spent on reinforcement. Some craftsmen cope on their own, without resorting to the help of construction teams. It is much easier to calculate the required number of blocks (by the way, there are convenient online calculators for this) than the volume of bricks or wood consumption.
But after the erection of the walls, the question of their finishing will inevitably arise, and here again options are possible. So, for example, for gas blocks and foam blocks, it is necessary to provide some ventilation space, since they absorb moisture well.
Expanded clay and ceramics go well with brick facades and plaster. Siding, lining, facades with insulation and so on are actively practiced. It all comes down to your tastes and budget. The very construction of the "skeleton" of a building from blocks is not only faster, but also cheaper than brick construction.
Subject to simple rules (a foundation with minimal shrinkage, a finish that does not allow moisture to accumulate), an artificial stone house will last 100 years for sure. The construction of foam blocks, wood concrete, with proper operation, will withstand several dozen without a major renovation.
Manufacturer: WOODBY Rus LLC (Russia)
The composition of the blocks: 90% calibrated pine chips and 10% high-quality eco-cement brand PC 500-D0 (GOST 10178-85)
Block sizes: 500x370x160 mm
Block thickness: 370 or 160 mm
Block weight: 18 kg
Application: universal building material for walls and interior partitions
Guarantee: 50 years
Universal building block made of wood (500*370*160 mm). WOODBE Super is a structural wall block that is the best solution for building the warmest home and the latest in eco-building! For the production of WOODBE Super, chips of a specially selected improved shape are used, which is achieved only with the use of high-quality German WAGNER equipment. Also, for the production of chips, only pre-dried edged lumber is used. The thermal conductivity of the material is further reduced by 20% compared to the original WOODBE blocks to 0.1 W/(m*K). And by increasing the thickness of the block by 70 mm, the final thermal conductivity of the wall will decrease by another 25%, which is equivalent to brickwork 2-3 meters thick!
Due to the designed universal block size (500 * 370 * 160 mm), WOODBE Super can be used both for building a very warm house (masonry width 37 cm), and for small outbuildings and baths (with a wall thickness of 16 cm). Also, the block can be a good solution for very strong sound-absorbing partitions. Imagine a 370 mm thick insulation that is absolutely environmentally friendly, safe and made of wood. In addition, it can withstand the loads of a three-story house. Now it's real!
- Invention history
- What is a wooden brick?
There are not so many materials for the construction of wooden houses. But scientists are thinking about novelties. So in America the method of small wooden blocks is patented. Our compatriot improved and finalized wooden bricks and even built such a house. Wooden brick may be an innovation that will change the look of wooden houses and make construction inexpensive and fast. What kind of material is this, and what kind of wooden buildings can be assembled from it?
Invention history
High technologies in woodworking and design have changed modern wooden houses. Among the most important, one can note the variety of architectural solutions, comfort, assembly time of the structure, reduction of labor costs, etc. Domestic wooden houses, despite the high cost, are increasingly interesting to buyers. New technologies of wooden housing construction are of interest not only here, but also abroad: Europe, America, Japan.
In America, more than 20 years ago, a new method was patented when walls are assembled from small wooden blocks. For production, waste from a local wood processing factory was used, and high technology was not even used. But the inventor built a house of such bricks and the innovation did not develop further. There was no publicity for a number of reasons:
- The assembly method was not worked out, it is clear that the author assembled the walls simply by the selection method, for good luck;
- The purpose of this assembly: to reduce the cost of personal construction without pursuing ambitious and greedy interests;
- It was not possible to introduce the technology into production due to the lack of proper equipment, we remind you that this was 20 years ago;
- No one bothered to promote this invention, and the technology aroused mistrust among specialists.
In the modern world, an analogue of the invention is already being used in domestic and European industry, for example, the Baltic Architect enterprise began producing such bricks in 2013. But the invention was truly patented in Russia by a simple architect who was looking for a method to simplify and reduce the cost of wooden housing construction by Lichin Sergey Aleksandrovich in 2012.
What is a wooden brick?
Wooden bricks are made from solid wood on high-precision machines. The dimensions of the block can be from 150 to 950 mm long and 100 or 150 mm high. The design itself is a bar profiled on four sides with comb-like locks in a wave-like shape at the ends of the faces and on two technical sides. Profile depth can be 45 or 70 mm.
This design makes it possible to firmly connect the parts to each other and not disperse during operation. And comb-shaped locks do not allow wind and cold air to penetrate inside, making the walls airtight.
The wall assembly method is also interesting, since the material consumption will be the same for any wall thickness.
What horizons does the use of wooden bricks reveal?
- It is not uncommon for a material of a larger cross section to be dried incompletely, and the buyer overpays for chamber drying. Details of wooden bricks are small and drying will take a short time. By purchasing small parts, you can expect that the buyer will receive chamber drying.
- There will be practically no internal stress in small details, so the walls will not crack when the house shrinks.
- Dried bricks do not lose their regular geometric shape.
- Production is less expensive, since it is easy to select the desired part of the array for manufacturing.
- For processing small wooden parts, expensive and massive equipment is not needed. And transporting small parts to the construction site is easier.
- You do not need to hire a large team to assemble a house. Even one master can handle the laying of small blocks.
- Small details make it possible to assemble a wall of the most complex shape with multiple angles and slopes.
- It can be made from the remnants of the production of timber.
The specifics of assembling the walls of a log house from wooden blocks
The assembly of wooden brick walls can also be called an invention. The log house is made according to the principle of hollow walls. Installation takes place along a continuous multi-tiered chain, with binding. In the void between the two walls, wooden spacers with profiled ends are placed. Spacers serve as a link between the outer and inner wall of the house. Fasten them in a certain sequence and in the right places.
It is necessary to assemble the walls on a support beam, which is placed on the foundation. The first tier is attached to the timber with the help of pressure bars. The pressure bars are connected to the metal plates on which the tensioners are attached.
Tensioners in the design can be route or rod. They are mounted inside the structure and create an additional vertical load. From below, the tensioner is attached to the foundation with anchor bolts. Tensioners are mounted after the complete assembly of the walls of the log house.
This new design provides certain qualities of a wooden frame: 
- During installation, it is not necessary to use adhesives, gasket insulation and fasteners. The tightness of the connection is provided by profiles - a comb, and the vertical loads are adjusted by tensioners. They also add stability to the walls.
- There is no need to install additional pigtails under windows and doors, since the construction of internal partitions and small wooden bricks creates a solid wood base that will not sag or warp.
- If you increase the size of the internal void in the wall, then the wall thickness will change from 300 to 600 mm. At the same time, the consumption of wooden bricks will not change.
- For the manufacture, you can use the wood of any tree. And when assembling, for example, a sauna, you can make the inner part of the wall from expensive larch, and the outer part from pine. At the same time, the internal space reduces heat loss by 2-3 times, so any type of wood can be used for construction.
- The void in the hay provides an additional opportunity to easily hide wiring or water pipes. And even sawdust can be used as a heater.
- With a temperature difference in the house and on the street, a displacement of the inner and outer walls relative to each other may occur, as, for example, with a double beam system. But this will not happen when using wooden bricks, since a special gap in the profile of 10-20 mm protects the walls from deformation loads. Another addition to the deformation is the internal struts near the window and door openings.
Using high technology, you can virtually design any shape of a wooden block and assemble a house or bath project from it. And it is possible to produce blocks of wood from the waste of any timber processing industry. Several companies that have taken up the idea of building houses with wooden bricks offer several options for this product. Differences can be in the type of profile, size, both in length and width, and there are no restrictions here.
Hay made of wooden bricks can be additionally decorated with artistic carvings or left smooth by varnishing. But the appearance of cracks and crevices, unlike profiled or simple timber, can not be expected, both outside and inside the house. And how durable such structures can be found out after a few years, when production will be established in all cities and houses made of wooden bricks will be as popular as those made of timber.
profibrus.com
What blocks are used to build the walls of the house and their brief description
One of the most common types of cellular concrete. It is characterized by closed pores, as a result of which it very slightly absorbs moisture. In the production of blocks, natural materials are used - lime, Portland cement, water and quartz sand. Aluminum powder is used as a blowing agent.
After mixing the components in a certain proportion, the raw materials are placed into molds and loaded into autoclaves, where they are exposed to high-pressure water vapor. There they harden for a certain time and acquire their main properties - dimensional accuracy, low weight, and a fairly high density.
In addition to autoclave hardening, blocks can be made from the same material by natural drying in the open air. In their parameters, they are significantly inferior to the first.
By purpose, the blocks are divided into:
- heat-insulating;
- structural and heat-insulating;
- structural.
Their differences are in compressive strength, thermal conductivity and density.
Block sizes - 600x200-300x80-400 mm (LxHxW). The shape of the blocks may be different. For the construction of load-bearing walls, blocks with a groove / ridge surface relief are used. Partitions and secondary walls are built from ordinary rectangular blocks with smooth edges. U-shaped are used for mounting armored belts and lintels above door or window openings.
A type of cellular concrete. Produced from sand, cement and water with the addition of foaming agents. In the form of loose foam, the raw material is poured into molds for ready-made blocks or into large formwork structures. After hardening for 10 - 12 hours, collapsible forms are opened and the foam blocks are removed for further hardening.
If the blocks are produced using cutting technology, then a massive block is kept in the formwork for several hours (4-10), then it is removed and the workpiece is cut into smaller blocks of appropriate sizes with special steel strings, chain or band saws.
In terms of its frost resistance density, foam concrete can be compared with aerated concrete, but it is inferior in strength and accuracy of forms. According to their properties, they are suitable for the construction of houses no higher than three floors. But in monolithic reinforced concrete construction, foam concrete is in great demand because of its lightness to fill the openings between the supporting frame parts.
ceramic blocks
They are made from the same material as ordinary bricks - clay and water. The blanks are fired in furnaces and receive a given hardness. But at a much larger size than conventional bricks, the blocks are nearly half the weight. This is determined not only by the fact that through voids are provided in the block, but also by the fact that during the preparation of raw materials, clay is mixed with sawdust or other combustible material. During the firing process, impurities burn out and the material becomes porous, and, therefore, lighter.
The standard dimensions of the ceramic block are 250 - 510x250-380x219 mm. Large sizes allow you to masonry twice, or even three times faster than brick. Lighter walls allow you to save on the foundation, and the porous structure - on the insulation.
Houses of any height are built from ceramic blocks. Here the material is used for external and internal load-bearing walls, partitions, filling openings.
Another type of block, relatively little known to non-specialists in the construction business. In its technical essence, wood concrete is coarse-mesh concrete, in which such seemingly incompatible materials as wood and cement are combined. During production, wood chips are mixed with a cement-sand mixture, diluted to a semi-liquid state, and poured into molds.
From this lightweight and durable material are made:
- thermal insulation boards;
- mixtures for pouring into the formwork on site;
- masonry blocks;
- large-format mounting blocks.
For the construction of buildings, blocks of the standard 500 × 300 × 200 mm are used, but other sizes can be found on sale - they are regulated by GOST 19222-84, but many manufacturers produce blocks according to specifications developed at the enterprise itself. But well-known factories tend to produce material in a standard size, or a multiple of it - this facilitates and speeds up the process of building walls.
For the production of blocks, chips with a size of 40 × 10 × 5 mm (maximum) are used. Some unscrupulous manufacturers, along with wood chips, or even instead of it, use bark, shavings, straw. But such blocks do not meet the requirements for wood concrete and can only be used for the construction of utility structures.
In addition to the main raw material, various chemical additives are also used in wood concrete, which increase the strength and water resistance of products. These additives neutralize the compounds present in the wood that prevent the grout from sticking to the chips. As a result of chemical treatment, the wood receives a level of adhesion to cement no worse than that of crushed stone or gravel.
The most commonly used additives are:
- liquid glass;
- calcium chloride;
- sulfate alumina;
- slaked lime.
In the industrial method of production, the mixture is poured into molds and pressed by vibration. With the exact dosage of the components and the correct choice of vibration mode, the blocks are uniform in density throughout the volume. According to this parameter, two types of wood concrete are produced - structural, with a density of 500 to 850 kg / m3 and heat-insulating, unsuitable for load-bearing structures. Its density is in the range of 300 - 500 kg/m3.
Wall blocks made of expanded clay concrete are produced by vibration casting into ready-made molds. The raw materials are cement, expanded clay and sand or dolomite. The classic block, made in accordance with GOST 6133-99, contains up to 50% expanded clay and about 50% cement. Such blocks are used for the construction of walls and partitions, filling the openings of frame structures.
The dimensions of the blocks are 390x190x185 mm or 390x190x90 mm, which allows you to build very quickly. The cavities inside the blocks act as stiffeners, reduce weight and increase heat-saving properties. One of the walls, perpendicular to the direction of the cavities, is solid, which makes it possible to reduce the consumption of the solution by laying the blocks in the wall with the holes down.
Depending on the fillers and the expanded clay/cement proportion, a standard block can weigh from 9 to 21 kg, density - from 500 to 1800 kg/m3. Blocks are used in the load-bearing walls of houses up to 3 floors only with the installation of an armored belt and reinforced concrete strapping. But the main scope of application is partitions, filling frames, fences, fences, outbuildings.
Comparison of blocks used for building walls
All types of wall blocks can be used in construction, subject to certain restrictions inherent in one or another of their types. In order for the picture of which blocks it is better to build a house from to become clearer, it is necessary not only to talk about each type separately, but also to make a comparative analysis of them according to the main parameters.
The most significant characteristics are the following:
Basic data on building materials are given in the table:
| Block type | Density, kg / m 3 | Mass in the wall | Water absorption, % | Thermal conductivity, t / M * k | Frost resistance | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gas block |
300 — 1200 | 100 — 900 | 20 — 25 | 0,1 — 0,4 | 35 | 0,5 — 25 |
Foam block |
300 — 1200 | 100 — 900 | 10 — 16 | 0,1 — 0,4 | 35 | 0,25 — 12,5 |
Expanded clay concrete block |
300 — 1500 | 900 — 1000 | 50 | 0,15 — 0,45 | 25 — 75 | 50- 150 |
 |
500 — 900 | 300 — 700 | 75 — 85 | 0,2 — 0,3 | 25 | 20 — 50 |
ceramic block |
700 — 900 | 600 — 800 | 12 — 15 | 0,1 — 0,2 | 50 | 2,5 — 25 |
Strength
Strength refers to the ability to withstand external physical impact on compression. The main indicator is the brand. It shows the ultimate load in kg / cm 2 that the material can withstand before destruction begins. For example, M-175 shows that a load of 175 kg/cm 2 can cause damage to the material. For comparison, the brand of brick in multi-storey buildings should be at least M150, in one-story buildings - M100. Of the blocks, expanded clay concrete blocks have the greatest strength. The only problem is that these blocks are often produced in artisanal conditions and due to economy, not all manufacturers can provide the specified strength.
Frost resistance
Frost resistance Mrz is indicated by a figure that shows the number of cycles of complete freezing and thawing of the material that it can withstand before the destruction of the internal structure begins. As a rule, the material in the wall does not completely freeze through even in harsh winters, so the indicator can be considered relative. The Mrz 35 level is quite acceptable for middle latitudes. Most types of blocks correspond to this indicator.
Density
Density - the weight of a unit volume of material, measured in kg / m 3. The parameter is important in that the pressure of the wall on the foundation depends on it, and, therefore, the need for a less or more heavy foundation. As a material for the construction of load-bearing walls, it is best to use blocks with a density above 800 kg / m 3. On the one hand, the higher the density, the better the strength of the material and the walls built from it. But density also has a downside. The higher it is, the greater the thermal conductivity of the material, which means that more funds will be required to insulate the house.
Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity - shows how fast the heat flow is transferred through the thickness of the material. The higher the thermal conductivity, the less heat it can store in the house and the thicker the thermal insulation must be installed on the walls. The warmest materials are aerated concrete and foam concrete. Almost all types of blocks have both heat-insulating and structural and structural versions. The scope of each variety has its own.
moisture absorption
This parameter shows the ability of the material to absorb a certain amount of moisture. When compared with a brick, then this indicator for all types of blocks is not at the highest level. That is why walls built from all types of blocks need external finishing with facade materials.
But, even after comparing the data in the table, to make a final conclusion about which types of blocks are best for building a house, it is necessary to take into account such an important parameter as the cost of the entire process. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account such significant items of expenditure as the cost of foundation, insulation, reinforcement, and external finishing. Sometimes cheaper units turn out to be much more expensive when the cost of their purchase and the costs of installation and additional operations are fully calculated.
Shrinkage
It is possible to determine from which blocks it is better to build a house by studying all the technological processes of their installation and the phenomena that occur in the wall after construction. For example, attention is rarely paid to such an important thing as shrinkage. Among all these materials, the walls of aerated concrete and foam blocks are most susceptible to such a rather unpleasant, but predictable phenomenon.
Expanded clay concrete and ceramic blocks practically do not shrink, which are equal in this parameter to ordinary bricks. Wood concrete has a very low degree of shrinkage, but only if it is of really high quality. This parameter is determined by the properties of the material, but if the masonry technology is violated, then shrinkage can be expected from any material, up to the appearance of cracks on the walls.
foundation type
According to the type of foundation required for the construction of a low-rise building, all blocks require tape monolithic foundations of medium depth. This is one of the most economical foundations, considering the cost of its installation in relation to strength and durability.
If you build walls from foam blocks and wood concrete up to 40 cm thick, then you can make a grillage foundation on screw piles. But this type of foundation should take into account the type of exterior finish. If it will be made of face brick, then the foundation, nevertheless, must be made tape or a solid concrete slab must be poured.
When laying walls, reinforcement with a mesh is carried out using all types of blocks, an armored belt is poured under the ceiling around the entire perimeter, above window and door openings - standard factory lintels or poured concrete.
Erection speed
Construction from blocks compared to brick is faster, even taking into account the time spent on additional operations in the form of masonry reinforcement.
Exterior finish
One of the most costly operations. Almost all known options are used here - from a “wet” facade with insulation, to a ventilated one and facing with bricks, siding, clapboard. Gas blocks and foam blocks, when installing exterior finishes, require a ventilation space - the high vapor permeability of materials requires the removal of excess moisture from the wall.
Expanded clay concrete and ceramic blocks harmonize best with brick facades and plaster, they are the most consistent with these materials both in terms of physical and chemical characteristics and in terms of application technology.
Construction cost
You can determine which blocks are best for building a house by simply calculating the costs for the entire construction cycle. If we take the cost of brickwork from an ordinary solid brick as 100%, then the cost of one meter of cubic blocks with external decoration with homogeneous materials will be:
Obviously, the use of blocks is beneficial in any case - in addition to winning money, they give a double advantage in construction time, which also results in significant cost savings.
srbu.ru
General information
Wood and brick is a classic combination that builders have been using for a long time, in particular, brick lining a wooden house is a common operation. In brick houses, wooden floor beams and other elements are often used. But here, a brick made of wood on the building materials market is really a novelty.
True, in America, the method of assembling houses from small blocks was patented more than twenty years ago. Then, for their manufacture, waste from a timber processing factory was used.
The inventor built a house out of blocks, but this innovation did not receive further distribution.
This is due to many reasons:
- The method of assembling the building was not worked out - the inventor assembled the walls by selecting blocks.
- It was not possible to establish the production of the material due to the lack of proper equipment.
- The purpose of the development was to reduce the cost of personal construction.
As a result, no one began to promote this invention, since this technology did not inspire confidence among specialists. And in 2012, a Russian architect, who was looking for a way to reduce the cost and simplification of wooden housing construction, returned to the topic of using small blocks and came up with a wooden brick.
What is a wooden brick
Peculiarities
The material in question is made from solid wood on high-precision modern machines. The block sizes are as follows:
Externally, the block is a bar profiled on four sides with a comb-shaped lock. The depth of the ridges can be from 45 to 70 mm.
As for the type of wood, it can be very different. This even allows you to combine panels from different species, for example, when building a bath. The inner wall can be made of linden or larch, and the outer wall can be made of cheaper pine.
Advantages
This material has many advantages.
Below we consider the main ones:
- Simplifies construction, as you can lay the blocks with your own hands.
- There is no internal stress inside the small panel, so the walls of the house will not crack.
- Drying of the material takes less time, thanks to which well-dried blocks do not lose their shape.
- Simplifies transportation and unloading of blocks.
- Small panels allow you to assemble complex-shaped walls.
- Low price, due to the fact that the blocks are often made from the remnants of the production of timber.
Construction features
The assembly of walls in this case is also a kind of invention - houses are built on the principle of hollow walls. The assembly is carried out on a multi-tiered solid chain.
Spacers with profiled ends are placed in the space between the two walls. Spacers connect the outer and inner wall of the house. Moreover, they are installed strictly in certain places.
The basis for the assembly of walls is a supporting wooden beam, which is installed on the foundation. The first crown of the walls is attached to the beam with the help of pressure bars and tensioners, which are rod or track.
Advice!
In order for the house to be durable, it is necessary to properly perform the foundation and its waterproofing.
To do this, several layers of roofing material are laid on top of the foundation, after which brickwork is erected under a wooden house, which acts as a basement.
From below, the tensioner is attached to the foundation with anchor bolts. Moreover, they are installed after assembling the walls of the house.
It should be noted that when assembling such houses, there is no need to use seals between the crowns or lay insulation, since tightness is achieved thanks to a comb-like lock. Vertical loads are regulated by tensioners, which give the walls stability.
Note!
During the construction of any wooden houses, fire safety rules must be observed, especially for the arrangement of chimneys in a wooden house.
A metal or brick pipe in a wooden house should not touch walls, ceilings or other surfaces.
At the same time, the house turns out to be warm, thanks to the double wall, and pretty. Therefore, after the construction of the box, you do not need to think about how to sheathe a wooden house with bricks or finish the facade with other material.
The only drawback of this technology is that it can only be used for permanent buildings - houses, outbuildings, etc. If you need a wooden extension to a brick house, for example, a veranda, then it is better to use traditional timber for these purposes.
The fact is that a do-it-yourself wooden veranda attached to a brick house in most cases has a frame structure. But, even if you make its walls solid, there will still be certain difficulties when using blocks.
But to attach a brick structure to such a house will turn out without problems. Moreover, there are several ways to connect a wooden house with a brick extension. Most often, reinforcement is used for this, which is driven into the walls, and then laid in the masonry, which makes it possible to obtain a securely connected structure.
Advice!
Often, novice craftsmen are interested in how a wooden extension to a brick house is made with their own hands?
Such a design can be made both on a columnar and strip foundation.
In this case, adjacent elements are attached to the brick wall with dowel-nails.
Here, perhaps, is all the basic information about wooden bricks and the construction of houses from it.
Conclusion
Wooden bricks are a promising modern material. Its main advantage lies in the cost-effectiveness of production. In addition, small blocks are more convenient to build and provide more options for architects.
You can get additional useful information on the topic voiced from the video in this article.
rubankom.com
What are the features of wood bricks?
A wooden brick is a bar that looks like a ceramic brick. The block has almost the same dimensions and proportions, but on its four sides there are locking joints, due to which fasteners are carried out. The blocks are well polished, their surface is smooth and shiny. All this makes it possible to abandon the facade cladding. The wall turns out to be extraordinarily beautiful, it literally shimmers in the light, like varnished. The color of wood can be different, it all depends on what kind of material was chosen for manufacturing. It is possible to combine blocks, but you need to pay attention to the strength of such a connection.
For fixing bricks with wood, there is no need to use special tools. This is one of the main advantages of the material.
The absence of gaskets and mortar makes the cost of the structure lower, but the strength is not the best. Therefore, experts do not advise using blocks for the construction of massive and large buildings. But a small country house or gazebo will turn out beautiful and reliable.
Advantages and disadvantages of wooden bricks
Wood itself is a high-quality and durable material with excellent characteristics, but its use for making bricks is still controversial. Of the indisputable advantages of this material, it should be noted:
- The brick is resistant to deformation, which is made possible by the strict control of drying and further processing.
- The cost of a brick is low, such a house will be inexpensive.
- Wooden brick is made only from natural wood. It is environmentally friendly, has numerous useful properties, creates an optimal microclimate in the house.
- During operation, it does not emit harmful and toxic substances at all.
- The thermal insulation characteristics of the house are not bad, although it should not be used for a harsh climate, it simply cannot withstand such exploitation.
- Assembly is quick, no mortar, connectors, gaskets or other fasteners are used during installation.
- The choice of sizes and shapes of bricks is varied, you can buy a smooth ordinary material, but there are also beautiful bricks with decorative edges.
- It is possible to build a variety of structures, which is a clear advantage over frame houses.
Not everything is as rosy as it might seem: a brick with a tree has its drawbacks, which prevent the blocks from being used so widely today. Among these disadvantages are:
- A house made of such material is only suitable for warm and temperate climates; it is completely unsuitable for cold areas. This is especially true of the harsh climate of the North, where ordinary log houses showed their best side.
- A carefully designed project is required for construction - otherwise the house will simply fall apart, its walls will not withstand all the loads. It is compiled by a professional designer, and this requires certain costs.
The disadvantages are not so numerous, but even the low cost of the building and the lack of the need for facade decoration rarely outweigh them. Experts advise looking for a completely different option for a large estate, for example, an ordinary timber.
How are wooden bricks made?
A wooden brick is a rectangular bar that really looks like a small ceramic block on the outside, its proportions are almost the same, but the dimensions can vary greatly. On the four sides of the block, special locking grooves and spikes are cut on the machines, with the help of which the fastening is made. Usually the width is about 7 cm, but the length can be different, ranging from 31 cm to several meters.
Is it possible to make wooden bricks with your own hands? They are produced only in workshop conditions, since it is difficult to ensure the required quality with your own hands.
For this, only the highest quality wood is taken, most often these are pre-treated boards from pine, spruce, cedar, larch is also used. Before starting work, all wooden blanks are placed in special bags, then placed in large drying units.
Precise control over the level of moisture content of the material is important, which must reach a value of strictly 12%. At home, such accuracy is almost impossible to achieve.
After that, processing, milling of grooves and spikes is carried out on special machines. If necessary, decorative patterns or edges are immediately applied to the front surface. Next, the bricks are polished. It provides a beautiful and smooth surface, which is inherent only in natural wood.
1poderevu.ru
ADVANTAGES OF WOOD BRICK
Houses made of wood bricks are free from all the disadvantages that appear with houses built from wood of natural moisture, and there are also environmental advantages over glued beams.
Wooden brick has no deformation, shrinkage, wall cracks. Wooden brick has a high surface quality comparable to furniture quality.
Dry wooden brick has less weight than natural moisture material. This fact makes it possible to facilitate the construction of the foundation and significantly reduce the cost of its construction.
The small weight and size of wooden bricks allows you not to use cranes, loaders and heavy equipment during transportation and at the construction site
So, does the wooden brick have no flaws at all?
Alas, of course it is not. It is impossible to start construction without a well-designed project, otherwise the walls may simply fall under the influence of loads. It is also not recommended to build multi-storey buildings and houses of a large area from it - such structures will be unstable. Well, if your region has a harsh climate, then a wooden brick simply won’t suit you - the house will turn out to be quite cold.
Many home craftsmen will wonder - is it possible to make such a wooden brick at home? Experts are rather skeptical about such an initiative. After all, there are many specific and rather high requirements for the material, and for the product itself, which are very problematic, and sometimes completely impossible, to comply with in a home workshop. And the plant has high-precision milling and grinding equipment.
Professionals are allowed only independent laying of wooden bricks, but with the obligatory observance of the following rules: the brick is laid in order; observance of order is mandatory; the block is laid with an edge on the lock; both outer and inner rows require cross-dressing every 3 blocks.
In this case, the dressing material is the same as the one from which the masonry is made; the coincidence of the dressing with the bricks of the bottom row is not allowed. It must be regularly shifted by 0.5 bricks.
