The variety of building materials on the market today is quite large. Many of them are already quite familiar to the mass consumer, but new ones are constantly appearing, with which most buyers have not yet really got acquainted. All this can cause certain difficulties in choosing the right option for building a house, not only among ordinary people, who are only looking at what is on sale, but also among construction professionals. Arbolite can be attributed to such a new material, but nevertheless the definition of “forgotten old” is more suitable for it. After all, it first appeared in the world in the 60s of the last century, and even during the times of the USSR, its production was established, somewhat covered up later. Now wood concrete is gaining new rounds of popularity.
Arbolite refers to composite building materials. Once it was already in rather high demand in residential construction. Many houses were built on its basis, including as an experiment in the Arctic. Then the material was undeservedly forgotten and only now has it become in demand again.
It is a lightweight concrete with a filler in the form of wood chips of coniferous and hardwood. It also contains a certain amount of completely peaceful additives and additives that improve the performance of the material, but do not affect its environmental friendliness.
Block wood concrete Wood concrete is produced mainly in the form of blocks that facilitate the process of building houses, but it can also be produced for pouring formwork. There are such varieties of this material as:
- structural;
- heat-insulating.
Wood concrete blocks are used mainly for low-rise construction. The material is used for the construction of buildings of various economic purposes.
Attention! This material also has some limitations in use - these are rooms with high humidity, as well as those in which there is the possibility of the presence of aggressive gases.
Due to the high content of wood in the composition and the safety of the additives used, this material is characterized by fairly high environmental qualities. They are quite comparable with the characteristics of natural wood. It has wood concrete and other significant advantages, while practically not having any significant drawbacks.
Pros and cons of wood concrete houses
Arbolit can have in its composition a different amount of wood chips, reaching up to 90 percent of the total volume. The content of a certain amount of sawdust is also permissible, which should not exceed a certain indicator according to the norms, otherwise the strength of the wood concrete blocks is significantly reduced. If the wood chips prevail in the composition of the material, then it looks in its structure almost like a natural tree.
Arbolite composition Houses built on the basis of wood concrete are warm and comfortable for living. This material has many other advantages. Its main advantages include the following properties:
- high strength;
- resistance to external influences;
- excellent thermal conductivity;
- good sound absorption;
- excellent fire resistance;
- ease of processing;
- ease of use.
Despite the high content of wood chips, the material is not combustible due to the additives added to its composition. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the fire safety of a house made on the basis of wood concrete. It is practically not subject to shrinkage, as a result of which finishing work can be started immediately after the walls have been erected. The material retains its shape well, resistant to mechanical stress of a variety of nature. Responds well to temperature changes. It is practically not subject to rotting, rodents or insect pests are not afraid of it.
The material is environmentally friendly, therefore it is in demand among buyers Blocks made of this material, in comparison with traditional concrete ones, have a much lighter weight, which simplifies construction work without requiring heavy equipment. In addition, they give less load on the foundation, which means lower costs for its construction. In addition, wood concrete is quite easy to process - you can use a regular hacksaw to cut blocks. It is enough just to make any holes in them, hammer in nails, screw in screws or bolts. Surfaces made of this material do not require any special fasteners.
With all the advantages of this material, it was not possible to avoid a small number of disadvantages inherent in it. They are not so significant, but still present. Among them are several such disadvantages as:
- excessive susceptibility to moisture;
- rather high cost of the material;
- some external unattractiveness of the outer surface, if it is not additionally finished, which, however, is completely solved with the help of cladding;
When buying wood concrete, check the batch for quality - sometimes asymmetric blocks and deviations in their sizes, as well as the predominance of sawdust in the composition instead of wood chips, obtained as a result of violations of technology or the production cycle.
Advice. To avoid the acquisition of low-quality wood concrete blocks, you should immediately check the material at the time of purchase. Most of the flaws are visible to the naked eye. This applies to dimensional variations as well as to the use of sawdust in block production instead of wood chips. In addition, it is better to purchase materials from trusted manufacturers, for whom reputation is more important than selling products of dubious quality by any means.
And what are the reviews about this material of the owners of houses from wood concrete?
Reviews of people who have chosen wood concrete for building a house, for the most part, are positive. This also applies to wood concrete blocks, and to the filling material, which is used in monolithic construction. Those who are dissatisfied with the chosen option are much less. And such dissatisfaction is more likely associated with the acquisition of poor quality products than directly with the properties of this material.
Most of the owners of houses based on wood concrete emphasize the following advantages of this material:
- building a house, including exterior decoration, does not take too long;
- during the construction of the building, there were no complaints about the material from the workers;
It is possible to build a house from wood concrete without the involvement of heavy equipment - wood concrete blocks are very easy to saw or drill, and all fasteners perfectly adhere to walls made of this material;
- in the house itself, heat is retained just perfectly, even if the electricity is turned off for a while, a comfortable temperature is maintained in the rooms for a long time.
Monolithic wood concrete house: how to build with your own hands?
People seeking to make their home as durable as possible often choose monolithic construction. The building constructed using this technology is characterized by increased reliability and durability. And the use of wood concrete as a building material allows you to make your home environmentally friendly, safe and comfortable to stay there.
At the initial stage of building a house, you first need to determine for yourself how you would like to see it and how it will look externally. Then, on the basis of this, you need to prepare a project. If you plan to make a basement, then the foundation must be monolithic. Otherwise, you can get by with a simple strip or even foundation on screw piles, which is quite acceptable due to the light weight of the wood concrete.
Building a house from wood concrete When building a house from wood concrete using monolithic technology, additional equipment will be required - this is formwork and scaffolding. The formwork itself can be removable. But often used and non-removable, which makes the building even more durable. In addition, you will need the use of certain equipment in order to perform work on pouring formwork at a height.
When building a monolithic house with your own hands, you need to follow some simple tips:
- If there is a plinth, it is built 50 cm above the level of the blind area, which avoids the ingress of moisture on the surface of the wood concrete and its further destruction. And the main material for the construction of the base is better to choose a brick.
- After pouring the foundation, formwork is placed, which can be made of boards, plywood, metal sheets. And in order to give the structure additional strength, a reinforcement frame is installed inside the formwork.
- The mass of wood concrete is poured into the formwork no more than 30 cm, after which it must be rammed.
- After 3-4 days, when the mortar hardens, the formwork can be dismantled and rearranged higher to continue work. If the formwork is used fixed, then the steps are almost the same, but the process is much faster.
- The optimal wall thickness is at least 60 cm, and the formwork and foundation boards are about 5 cm.
Building a house from wood concrete is not the most difficult task. The main thing is to do the work in stages and use high-quality material for construction.
Do-it-yourself arbolite house: video
Today, a person who is going to build his house needs to make a very difficult choice. The fact is that a vast variety of the most modern and already well-known building materials can put a non-specialist in a hopeless situation. Even highly professional builders now and then have discussions among themselves on the choice of key building materials for the construction of the walls of any structure.
In this article we will talk about another building material called wood concrete (wood concrete). We will not exhort the mandatory use of this building material in the process of performing construction work, we will simply talk about its inherent pluses and typical minuses.
Advantages and disadvantages
Due to its structure and features, wood concrete (wood concrete) is endowed with both a number of positive qualities and some flaws.
Positive properties enable wood concrete blocks to compete with classical building materials, and disadvantages make it unacceptable to use in specific situations (multi-storey construction, high humidity).
In general, there can be no building material consisting of only advantages, otherwise it would be used everywhere, and the rest were undeservedly forgotten. The advantages of wood concrete as a building material are obvious.
So, a block of wood concrete has many advantages.
- Thermal conductivity wood concrete is approximately the same as the coefficient for lightweight cellular (porous) concrete and makes it possible not to produce additional insulation. However, this similarity can also be a disadvantage, since in some areas the presented material is more expensive in comparison with the named concretes.
- When following the manufacturing technology of wood concrete block is environmentally friendly, which is especially important for people who are concerned about the environmental friendliness of building materials and the state of the ecological situation.
- Material has good sound absorption, which provides the ultimate protection for all the inhabitants of the house from extraneous noise from the street and adjacent premises.
- To the positives high vapor permeability can be attributed, which allows the walls to “breathe”, however, the advantage immediately becomes a minus as soon as the conversation turns to areas with a consistently high saturation of the atmosphere with moisture and cool climatic conditions. Everything is explained by the fact that in the presented embodiment, the thermal efficiency of the building material can change dramatically for the worse.
- Due to the low volumetric weight light blocks, and when working with them, the use of an order of magnitude less physical effort is required compared to denser building materials, and the need for lifting equipment is significantly reduced.
- Dimensions wood concrete block makes it possible to build structures much faster than when using the same brick.
- With wood concrete very easy to work, it can be sawn without any problems with any sawing tool. In addition, nails can be driven into it and screws can be screwed in.
- Due to the structure of the material and its very high bending strength, you can not reinforce the walls and not install reinforced belts, which further reduces resource consumption and operating time. There is a similar positive moment exclusively in low-rise construction.
- Wood concrete block not combustible therefore, no need to worry about its fire resistance.
Some of the nuances can be attributed to the disadvantages of wood concrete blocks.
- The ability of the manufacturer to benefit from the cement used in the production of blocks. In this case, the building material sharply loses its strength, thus, this minus eliminates the individual advantages presented earlier.
- Similarly, a disadvantage that can negate a number of advantages is the acceptability of the manufacturer to change the fraction of wood particles in the structure. From this it follows that the production of products with too large a fraction of chips is likely, or, on the contrary, the main share of the wood component can be sawdust. Both options have a great influence on the quality characteristics of the finished block and, consequently, the structure built from it.
- Due to the wood in its structure, wood concrete is able to absorb water in significant volumes, because of this, close attention must be paid to the protection of wood concrete structures from water penetration.
- Another drawback is the frequent errors in the geometry of wood concrete blocks, they are usually not very strong, but they can lead to the consumption of masonry cement mortar beyond measure. And it increases the thermal conductivity of the rebuilt wall more, which is also difficult to call an advantage.
Having analyzed all the advantages and disadvantages of wood concrete blocks, we can draw the appropriate conclusions.
Wood concrete is an environmentally friendly material from which you can build an energy-efficient house very quickly and thoroughly.
Building materials should be used with caution for buildings with a high level of humidity in the air masses inside.
Before purchasing, it is imperative to check the material and make sure of its quality characteristics. It is necessary to evaluate the size and interlacing of wood particles in the structure, to check the absence of excessive formation of a hardened cement mortar or loosely coupled components of products.
Design
In the process of creating a project, the composition and characteristics of the soil are established in order to calculate the characteristics of the foundation in accordance with this information. Then the shape of the house, the thickness of the walls, the presence or absence of thermal insulation, the placement of windows and doors, and other necessary characteristics are established. In addition, in the process of creating a project, the quantity and type of building material are established.
For example, on the outskirts of the city of Sochi, a wall thickness of 20 centimeters makes it possible to do without thermal insulation, while in the Omsk zone the smallest wall thickness that allows you to do without the use of thermal insulation is 50 centimeters.
A well-designed project will save you from unnecessary consumption of materials and the possibility of rebuilding some areas or details during the construction of the house.
Note: all standard house projects ranging from 100 m² up to 150 sq. m adapt to the area of construction work (soils and local climatic conditions of the area).
Projects of houses made of wood concrete with an area of 100 to 150 sq. m can be one-story or two-story and have an attic, a garage and even a basement or basement in their structure.
Construction technology
A house can be built in two ways.
- Construction of wood concrete blocks. In this situation, industrially created ready-made wood concrete blocks are used. Often the decision is made to make wood concrete with your own hands. Before starting work, you need to make sure that the blocks have gained the quality required for work.
- Monolithic wood concrete construction. The application of this practice provides for the creation of a non-removable formwork with further pouring of the arbolite solution into it. To build a house from monolithic wood concrete, it is necessary to study the method of organizing monolithic walls. Other phases will be similar to block construction.
Preparing the mixture
There are tricks in the manufacture of wood concrete, without knowing which you cannot get the proper quality. Actually, here lies the reason for the suspicious attitude of individual builders to this material.
At first glance, everything is clear - mix sawdust with cement and water. Only soon it turns out that what was received does not want to harden, and when it does harden, it peels off and cracks. Therefore, it is concluded that all the talk about the advantages of wood concrete is not worth the spent sawdust.
In fact, everything is not so primitive. Tree cells contain different types of sugars (hemicellulose, glucose, sucrose, and others). The listed are water-soluble elements that adversely affect the cement component of the material. They delay and sometimes completely interrupt hardening, adversely affect the composition of the cement.
Fortunately for us, it is possible to deal with this.
Much it is easier to let the raw wood lie in the open air for two years. During this period, all compounds undesirable for cement are washed out, converted into substances that cannot be dissolved or disintegrate.
But since such a long process is not always possible, various ingredients are mixed into wood concrete to block sugars. Of these, for the production of arbolite with their own hands, the combination of slaked lime with liquid glass or calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate (aluminum sulfate) will do.
The first way is more economical. In addition, some experts consider it the most faithful and less whimsical to the quality of the source material. The second seduces with a significant acceleration of the solidification of the solution.
Foundation
Due to their small mass, arbolite walls exert significantly less pressure on the soil than brick, concrete or stone structures, therefore, pile screw, tape shallow or combined foundations are used for such houses. This makes it possible to fundamentally reduce the price and labor costs of the work, when compared with the construction of the foundation for concrete or brick houses.
When constructing the foundation, close attention must be paid to protecting the building from water and thermal insulation, since in winter the insulated base has much less effect on the temperature of the floors. To isolate from moisture, roofing felt or roofing material is used, and foam plastic is used for thermal insulation.
If you intend to create an insulated or warm floor, then there is no need to insulate the foundation.
Walling
Due to the fact that cement is used as a binding element when creating wood concrete blocks, different mixtures based on cement are used for laying arboblocks. You can use both a classic mortar in a ratio of cement and sand 1: 3, and any glue or masonry compositions that are intended for blocks based on cement. Wood concrete blocks can be sawn without much effort with a simple hand saw,as well as electric or chainsaw, in this regard, installation on site does not cause problems.
As in the construction of houses from building stone, every 3rd or 4th row is fixed by means of reinforcement laid out on all arboblocks under a layer of masonry mixture or glue.
Due to the good strength of wood concrete blocks, the installation of windows and door panels does not cause problems - they are fixed with anchor bolts.
The construction of the walls is started from the corners, using a level, a plumb line and a cord that is pulled between the last blocks, this makes it possible to lay other blocks in an accurate line. In this, the laying of arboblocks does not differ at all from the laying of bricks, cinder blocks, foam blocks or gas silicate blocks. The masonry mixture must have the correct consistency so that the wood concrete block displaces the excess mortar with its own weight. The construction of walls is required to be carried out at an air temperature of more than + 10 ° C. Wood-concrete blocks do not need to be wetted or soaked before laying.
Often, manufacturers bring to the client wet wood-concrete blocks that have not accumulated the required strength characteristics. Walls should not be built from such blocks, since the lower rows will be crushed by the upper ones, and the configuration of the wall will be upset. If wet blocks are delivered, then it is necessary to lay them aside and let them lie down for 15-20 days, after which they are absolutely ready for laying.
In parallel with block masonry, there are two ways of pouring load-bearing walls made of wood concrete with your own hands.
1. Stuffed wood concrete pouring technology, without frame
A cord is stretched along the length of the axis of the base of the house. Focusing on it, formwork panels are installed.
The solution is kneaded, poured into the fixed formwork in layers of 20 centimeters and compacted, the solution is added until the formwork box is filled to the very top. The stuffing is closed with a cellophane film and left to harden.
The next day, it is checked how well the solution has gained strength, the formwork is dismantled, installed in another place or rises to the next row. The formwork is again filled with the mixture, and the mortar is compacted. This continues until the wall is ready.
2. Frame method of pouring wood concrete
The skeleton of future walls is made from a bar 50x60 or 50x70 mm, the frame racks are aligned along the cord so that the outer and inner planes of the walls are formed.
After that, the resulting frame is filled with wood concrete similarly to the first option, moving the formwork along the frame bars.
Such a pouring method is more expensive, but provides the highest accuracy, and is more convenient, since it is not necessary to control every time how the formwork stands correctly. We simply move the formwork along the vertical bars of the frame, as if along guides.
Note: if you don’t want to mess with it yourself, there is a ready-made house kit made of wood concrete panels for sale.
Warming
There are many ways to build the walls of an individual house from wood concrete. In warm regions, a wood concrete wall can be built 30 centimeters without additional thermal insulation. In cold regions, an outer wall of 30, and sometimes even 40 cm, will not save heat efficiently enough. In order to prevent the structure from freezing, and to protect housing from possible heat losses, it is required to cover it from the street with a layer of thermal insulation.
Thermal insulation of walls made of wood concrete with expanded polystyrene
Styrofoam must be used exclusively for thermal insulation of the wood concrete house from the outside. At the same time, it will be necessary to improve the ventilation system of air masses in the house, since the use of foam plastic will lead to a decrease in the vapor permeability of the walls. The boards are attached to the façade with glue and, in addition, they are fastened with dish-shaped dowels, the gaps between the boards must be well foamed to eliminate thermal bridges.
Thermal insulation of wood-concrete walls with mineral wool
Manufacturers of stone wool are advised to use a layer of insulation at least 10 centimeters for thermal insulation of the facade. It is better to lay mineral wool slabs in two layers in order to exclude cold bridges in the structure.
In order not to miss the selection of the thickness of thermal insulation, use the insulation calculation calculator and do not forget to cover the fiber insulation with a vapor barrier film.
Thermal insulation of wood concrete with sawdust and cellulose insulation (ecowool)
The presented materials refer to natural insulation, consisting of cellulose. Sawdust and ecowool are poured during the construction of walls between the bearing wall and the finishing brickwork. Expanded clay, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene boards can be used as thermal insulation inside the walls.
Roof
It is allowed to mount a truss system of any design on the walls of wood concrete. Mauerlat can be made from a bar 15x15 centimeters, rafters from a board 50x200 millimeters, racks from a bar 150x200 millimeters, a bed from a bar 200x200 mm. The choice of roofing materials is also not regulated.
Experts also recommend the use of bituminous (soft, flexible) tiles for roofing. They explain their choice by the fact that flexible tiles are able to perceive small swaying of wood concrete walls without significant defects.
The fundamental aspect in the construction of the roof will be the implementation of the rule - the removal of the roof by 300-500 millimeters from the wall, which will make it possible to protect it from direct penetration of thawed and rain water.
Finishing
The shrinkage of a wood concrete structure is only 0.4%. This makes it possible to start facing work immediately after construction is completed.
Due to the strong moisture absorption of wood concrete (from 40 to 80%), the walls must be protected from high humidity. This is also required by the unattractive appearance of wood-concrete walls.
For external wall cladding, it is possible to use any building material: siding, lining, brick and so on. In most cases applied plaster. If you are plastering, then when choosing, you must not forget that the vapor permeability of the material used must be similar to wood concrete. To sheathe with clapboard or siding, it is required to carry out a thorough waterproofing and ventilation of the wall.
Note: a new type of material has appeared on the construction market - wood concrete with a decorative finish. It makes it possible to do without facing the walls of the house from wood concrete from the outside.
A house made of wood concrete does not need internal wall cladding. The most important condition is that the humidity level in the used house should not be higher than 75%. In another case, in particular, for a bath, it is necessary to take into account the additional vapor barrier of the walls.
Do-it-yourself arbolite house is considered one of the best solutions. Such material in its characteristics is in no way inferior to the popular aerated concrete, brick or wood. Arbolit can be made independently at home, which allows you to save a decent amount without buying ready-made blocks.
What is an arbolite?
Arbolit is called one of the varieties of lightweight concrete. This material is 80% wood chips. The main components of wood concrete are called:
- organic fillers- various wastes of the woodworking industry;
- various modifying additives(to regulate porosity, protect against pests, accelerate the setting process);
- portland cement and water.
Pros and cons of wood concrete
When building walls from wood concrete blocks, there are a lot of pluses:
- due to the light weight of the blocks, the process of building a house will not lead to additional difficulties;
- construction costs are reduced, since it is not necessary to hire specialized equipment;
- there is no need to build a powerful foundation;
- manages to get rid of waste from sawmills and other woodworking enterprises;
- a house made of wood concrete is not subject to deformation processes, so the appearance of cracks on it is unlikely;
- the material has a low thermal conductivity, which allows you to save on heating at home in the future;
- increased frost resistance, which allows you to effectively operate the house in a harsh climate;
- fire resistance. Achieved by the presence of mineral fillers and special additives;
- excellent adhesion indicators, which facilitates the finishing of wood concrete;
- excellent strength indicators, which is combined with the durability of wood concrete blocks;
- wood concrete is environmentally friendly, does not harm humans and the environment;
- relatively low price.
The disadvantages of such blocks include their ability to absorb moisture, which is usually solved by including insulating materials in the wall structure. Arbolit is attractive to rodents. They can not only destroy walls, but also arrange their dwellings in them. Therefore, such houses should have a powerful and high base, and during plastering it is recommended to use a chain-link mesh.
How to make wood concrete at home?
To make blocks from wood waste from a sawmill, you need to purchase suitable raw materials at any sawmill. The minimum size of chips should be 4x5x0.5 cm. The prepared raw materials are left under a canopy for a period of two to three months. After that, it is treated with slaked lime, which is prepared at the rate of a kilogram of powder per 60 liters of water. The resulting mixture is stirred every two days until it is completely dry.
After completion of the preparatory work, you can begin to mix the solution. To obtain one cube of the mixture, you must use the following components:
- 300 kg of wood filler;
- 300 kg of Portland cement;
- 400 liters of water;
- 30 kg of various additives.
You can prepare the solution using a conventional concrete mixer. The resulting mixture is poured into pre-prepared molds. They can be made from ordinary boards sheathed with moisture-resistant plywood. Linoleum can be laid at the bottom of the forms. It is filled with a solution, leaving a gap of several centimeters on top.
The mixture must be compacted, which allows you to get rid of voids. In this form, the block is kept for a day, after which it is removed and left under a canopy for several weeks to gain strength.
What wood concrete is used to build houses?
Before building an arbolite house, it is necessary to choose the right main material, which must have the following characteristics:
- homogeneous structure. The block must contain particles of the same size, which are distributed throughout the volume;
- correct geometry. Regulatory documents for wood concrete allow deviations of 5-7 mm;
- the absence of impurities. The presence of any color inhomogeneities on the surface indicates a violation of the technology;
- availability of quality certificates. Such blocks will work effectively for a long period of time.
Characteristics of wood concrete
Detailed instructions for building a house from wood concrete blocks
To build a house from wood concrete with your own hands, you must strictly adhere to the generally accepted technology.
Foundation pouring
Arbolite blocks are very light, so they do not need to build a powerful foundation. It can have almost any design and configuration. If a strip foundation is selected, the following sequence of work should be followed:
- on the surface mark the outer contours of the foundation;
- carry out excavation to the design depth;
- a sand and gravel cushion is laid at the bottom of the trench, which is subsequently rammed;
- formwork is installed;
- install fittings;
- produce concrete pouring;
- after a few days, the formwork is removed;
- the surface of the foundation is treated with bitumen and several layers of roofing material are laid;
- carry out backfilling.
The device of the socle and the laying of walls from wood concrete
Under the wood concrete blocks, the plinth can be equipped with several rows of bricks. The recommended height of this part of the house is 500 mm.
The technology of laying walls from wood concrete is no different from the method of erecting load-bearing structures from any other blocks. The installation of the material begins from the edge of the plinth, with the obligatory dressing of the seams. The position of each element is carefully checked using a level. Wood concrete laying is carried out using a conventional cement-sand mortar.
After installing every three rows, take a break for a day. This time is sufficient for the solution to set.
Reinforcement of masonry from wood concrete blocks
It is not necessary to reinforce the wood concrete, but such a solution will help increase the rigidity of the walls. To perform this operation, use a plastic mesh or ordinary steel rods. Reinforcement is recommended to be laid in the corners of the house, at the junction of the walls.
Reinforcement of masonry from wood concrete
Jumper installation
For the installation of jumpers over window and door openings, one of the solutions is used:
- use of a metal corner. Its edges are immured into the walls, after which blocks are inserted inside;
- use of channels. Grooves are made in the blocks, after which they are laid on a jumper.
Installing a ceiling in a house made of wood concrete
For the device of overlap, you can use wooden or metal beams, reinforced concrete slabs. Under this design, it is not necessary to fill in the armored belt.
House finishing rules
Finishing the house from wood concrete can be carried out immediately after the completion of the main construction work. Walls made of this material must be protected from external influences as soon as possible, since they are able to absorb moisture.
For exterior decoration, plaster, brick, siding, lining are used. Inside the house it is allowed to use any materials at the discretion of the owner.
The main mistakes in the construction of houses from wood concrete
When building a house from arbolite blocks with your own hands, you can make the following mistakes:
- involvement in the construction process of non-professionals. Non-compliance with technology leads to irreparable errors;
- use of poor quality blocks. Over time, they collapse, which makes it impossible for the normal operation of the house;
- incorrect block geometry. Leads to overspending of the solution and deterioration of the appearance of the building;
- the presence of a plinth made of cellular concrete. It leads to the penetration of moisture into the walls, which worsens their performance;
- lack of armored belt before overlapping. The presence of this element eliminates the uneven load on the wall structures.
You can build a house or an extension to it not only from traditional building materials (brick, building blocks), but also with the help of a recently revived technology that involves the use of wood concrete (sawdust concrete), a material where dry wood shavings are used as a filler. According to its characteristics, sawdust concrete is similar to aerated concrete, therefore, it is easy to select projects for houses made of wood concrete, which can be considered the corresponding samples of design documentation made for buildings from other types of lightweight concrete. The self-preparation of building materials and the construction of a house from wood concrete with your own hands will help to reduce the cost of the event as much as possible, which will be discussed in the article.
Properties of wood concrete as a building material
Arbolit is classified as lightweight concrete. The finished building material has a porous structure, where wood chips 5-10 cm long are used as the main component that gives strength, which should be at least 75-80%. The filler is traditionally bound with cement using various modifying additives (liquid glass, slaked lime, gas-forming additives).
Due to the porous structure and light filler, wood concrete has low thermal conductivity and the ability to conduct sounds. In terms of strength, the material is not inferior to other types of lightweight concrete, it has a very small coefficient of shrinkage deformation. This allows the use of wood concrete for the construction of private houses of various sizes and heights. Among other positive characteristics of wood concrete, the following properties of the material are distinguished:
- high frost resistance (up to 70 freezing cycles in unprotected form);
- resistance to fire, despite the initial flammability of the main component of the composition;
- resistance to bacterial and fungal infections;
- environmental friendliness of all components of the material;
- the ability to pass steam, which is conducive to improving the microclimate in houses built from wood concrete;
- the insignificant weight of the building material greatly facilitates the process of building houses from wood concrete with your own hands, and the low cost significantly reduces costs.
The disadvantage of wood concrete blocks, like all porous materials, is the ability to intensively absorb moisture. The minus is eliminated by waterproofing measures (facade decoration, a barrier between the wall and the foundation).
The method of self-preparation of wood concrete
Before you start building a house from wood concrete, you need to decide on two questions. The first of these is the choice of the method by which walls can be erected. There are two technologies:
- laying of prefabricated wood concrete building blocks;
- pouring a monolith into a pre-constructed formwork.
Each technology mentioned will be discussed in more detail later, but for now, you should decide on the second question: buy ready-made wood concrete blocks to build a house from wood concrete with your own hands or make them yourself? Now there are enough enterprises that make and sell wood concrete, so there will be no problems with the purchase of building materials. However, self-prepared blocks will cost much less, besides, the technology that allows you to make full-fledged building materials at home does not differ in complexity.
Independent production of wood concrete building blocks
Independent production of building materials will make it much cheaper to build a house from wood concrete. To make the blocks yourself you will need the following materials:
- dry wood shavings;
- cement (preferably not lower than M-500);
- pasty slaked lime;
- liquid glass;
- water.
The following tools and fixtures will be useful:
- concrete mixer;
- construction trough;
- prefabricated forms for the formation of blocks;
- improvised tools (buckets, shovels).
Forms are made from edged sanded boards, the width of the latter will determine the thickness of the finished building material. Forms are installed on a leveled surface, covered with a thick polyethylene film (can be replaced with old linoleum).
The mixture is prepared as follows.
- About a bucket of water is poured into a working concrete mixer, into which about a liter of lime paste and about 200 ml of liquid glass are added.
- After thorough mixing, about a bucket of cement and another bucket of water are added to the resulting solution.
- Now it is necessary to gradually pour chips into the tank of the concrete mixer until the resulting mixture looks semi-dry, while evenly mixed.
The necessary hydration of the components of the mixture is determined by a simple test. A handful of the resulting mass is compressed in the palm of your hand. With a normal amount of water, the mixture will stick together into a lump, but the liquid will not stand out from it (or we will suck a little).
Forms are filled with the prepared mixture, the mass is compacted. If you want to get blocks of increased strength, the form is not completely filled with wood concrete (leave about 2 cm to the top edge), after which a masonry (plaster) cement-sand mortar is added to the remaining volume.
In order for the arbolite blocks to better lag behind the mold, the walls of the latter are lubricated with lime paste before laying the mixture. It is possible to separate the contents of the form and leave for drying after 2-4 hours, depending on the air temperature, which affects the setting of the binder components. It is advisable to use wood concrete in masonry without waiting for it to dry completely. If this happens, you will have to moisten the surface so that dry and hygroscopic wood concrete does not take moisture away from the masonry mortar too quickly.
Works preceding the laying of walls from wood concrete
When building a house from wood concrete with your own hands, you need to take care of its durability, which directly depends on the creation of a solid foundation. Although wood concrete is not massive compared to classic concrete or even brick, during the construction of two-story cottages, the load on the base is significant, so it is advisable to pour reinforced concrete tape as a foundation. How much to deepen the base depends on the quality and structure of the soil on the site and the desire to have a basement or just a basement in the house.
If a small one-story building (a barn, a bathhouse) is being built from wood concrete, you can not burden yourself with a powerful foundation. In this case, a columnar base is suitable, which will provide the necessary strength of the building, but will be much cheaper and faster.
Having made the foundation, it is imperative to take care of a reliable hydro-barrier between it and the wall of arbolite that does not tolerate excess moisture. To do this, the surface of the base (base) is treated with a layer of bituminous mastic, on which 2-3 sheets of roofing material or other rolled waterproofing are laid. Only after that you can start building a house from wood concrete.
Wood concrete masonry
Arbolite blocks, purchased or made independently, have the correct geometry, so their laying does not present great difficulties. As a masonry mortar, a conventional cement-sand mortar is used in a ratio of 1: 4 (cement m-400 and sand, respectively). The consistency of the solution is recommended to be made semi-liquid, since wood concrete actively absorbs moisture.
Laying is done in the usual way. First, the corners are raised with careful control of verticality, after which, according to the resulting seams, the threads are pulled, along which the ordinal masonry is made. If it is necessary to cut blocks, an angle grinder (grinder) with a concrete disc or, alternatively, an electric or chainsaw is used. The same tools will help to make blocks of irregular geometry, if necessary.
Upon completion of the laying of the last row, to strengthen the building, it is recommended to make an armored belt, which significantly increases the strength of the structure and prevents possible horizontal movements of the walls. Another purpose of the armored belt is the perception of the load of the roof or ceiling.
To make an armored belt, you need to install a low (up to 10-15 cm) vertical formwork along the perimeter of the walls built with wood concrete, tie it with reinforcement and fill it with ordinary concrete. After the armopoyas has matured (1-2 weeks), the surface is isolated from moisture (similar to waterproofing between the foundation and masonry), a mauerlat is laid around the perimeter, from which roofing work begins.
Construction of monolithic walls from wood concrete
To avoid the labor-intensive and time-consuming process of manufacturing building blocks, the method of monolithic construction from wood concrete will allow. The method has its own difficulties, however, it can significantly speed up the construction of building structures, while avoiding the formation of cold bridges, which are masonry joints.
When building a house from a monolithic wood concrete, you will need the same materials and tools that are used in the independent production of blocks (except for the form). In addition, lumber will be needed for the construction of vertical removable formwork. You can find out the details of the workflow when watching a video from the series "we build houses from wood concrete with our own hands."
Knowing now how to build a house with wood concrete, you can choose the right project, stock up on the necessary materials for the manufacture of wood concrete and begin to implement your plan. Happy building!
The modern approach to low-rise construction involves the use of materials with a minimum heat transfer coefficient and simple installation technology. Arbolit, also known as wood concrete, fully meets these requirements, because in terms of heat transfer coefficient it is only slightly inferior to wood and is many times superior to brick, concrete and even cinder blocks. In this article we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of wood concrete, the features of construction using this material and the reviews of people who built or bought houses from wood concrete and lived in them for several years.
What is arbolite and what are its properties
The basis of wood concrete is well-dried sawdust, which is used for the manufacture of wood concrete - a mixture of these sawdust, cement binder and various additives that improve the quality of the product. Immediately after the preparation of wood concrete, it is poured into molds and compacted using a vibrating table, after which it is left for 30–40 hours. Then the finished blocks are removed from the molds and left on a special site to gain strength, this process takes up to 30 days, after which the arbolite blocks of any size are ready for use. Thanks to this production technology, blocks of various sizes are produced, both wall and partition. Usually in the production of blocks adhere to the following dimensions:
- length 60 cm;
- width 5–25 cm;
- height 20–25 cm.
In addition, they also produce additional blocks, the use of which allows you to do without trimming and fitting ordinary blocks. Additional blocks include corner, halves and other popular forms. Thanks to this approach, the buyer can choose the most suitable block sizes. A wall made of standard wood concrete blocks 20 cm thick in terms of its heat transfer coefficient corresponds to a brick wall 1 meter thick, therefore, in warm regions, such houses do not need insulation, and in cold regions, insulation costs will be noticeably lower than when using brick. At a price, wood concrete blocks are comparable to cinder blocks and backing bricks, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the cost of building a house. Another significant advantage of arbolite is its low weight, because its basis is dry sawdust, which reduces the requirements for the bearing capacity of the foundation, therefore, for houses made of arbolite, the same foundations are used as for wooden buildings.
Arbolite is characterized by good vapor permeability, only slightly inferior to wood, so that in houses from it there is always an optimal level of humidity. Absorption and evaporation of moisture does not affect the strength of wood concrete blocks, so the walls do not collapse when moisture is transferred. If the wood concrete block is made using dry sawdust, then its internal humidity will never reach critical values, so the wall of such blocks is not afraid of frost. If the wood concrete is made from raw sawdust and wood chips, then it is likely that after a few frosty winters it will begin to lose strength, because under the influence of negative temperatures, the liquid inside it will freeze and destroy the binder.
Wood concrete is a very practical material that is not afraid of fire, resistant to rot and mold, and easily tolerates tensile loads. Due to this, arbolite houses are closer to stone and brick buildings in terms of fire hazard than to wooden buildings. However, if the house is in a major fire zone or a major fire breaks out inside the house, the walls will lose a significant amount of strength. But the same happens with any other lightweight concrete and, to a lesser extent, with brick, stone and reinforced concrete. Wood concrete houses do not require special treatment to protect against rot and mold, but if the house is built incorrectly or the blocks are made of raw wood chips and sawdust, then fungal lesions often appear in them. In this case, it is necessary not only to cut and replace the damaged section of the wall, but also to take measures to reduce humidity. That is why wood concrete houses are very demanding on waterproofing the foundation.
The technology of building houses from wood concrete
When building houses from wood concrete, a standard procedure is used, which includes:
- design;
- building a foundation;
- walling;
- roof construction;
- flooring;
- warming;
- connection of communications;
- interior and exterior decoration.
Design
During the design, the composition and properties of the soil are determined in order to calculate the parameters of the foundation based on these data. For information on why it is necessary to take into account the properties of the soil when calculating the foundation, read the article - Which foundation is best suited for a house made of timber - calculation features. After that, the configuration of the house, the thickness of the walls, the presence or absence of insulation, the location of windows and doors, and other important parameters are determined. Also, during the design, the quantity and type of building materials are determined. For example, in the vicinity of Sochi, a wall thickness of 20 cm allows you to do without insulation, while in the Omsk region, the minimum wall thickness that allows you to do without insulation is 50 cm. sections or elements.
Building a foundation
Due to their small mass, wood concrete walls put pressure on the ground much less than brick, stone or concrete structures, therefore, for such houses, tape shallow, pile screw or combined foundations are used. This allows you to seriously reduce the cost and labor intensity of work compared to creating foundations for brick or concrete houses. When creating the foundation, special attention should be paid to waterproofing and insulation, because in winter the insulated foundation affects the floor temperature much less. Roofing felt or roofing felt is used for waterproofing, and foam plastic is used for insulation. If you are going to make an insulated or warm floor, then there is no need to insulate the foundation.
Walling
Due to the fact that cement is used as a binder in the manufacture of wood concrete blocks, any cement-based mixtures are used for laying blocks. It can be used as a traditional mortar of one part cement and three parts sand, as well as any adhesives or masonry mortars intended for cement-based blocks. Arbolite blocks are easily sawn with a conventional hacksaw, as well as an electric or gasoline saw, so fitting in place is not difficult. As in the construction of cinder block houses, every third or fourth row is reinforced with reinforcement laid across all blocks under a layer of glue or masonry mortar. Due to the good strength of wood concrete blocks, the installation of windows and doors is not difficult - they are fixed with anchors.
The construction of walls starts from the corners, using a plumb line, a level and a rope that is pulled between the extreme blocks, this allows you to lay the rest of the blocks in a strict line. In this, the laying of arbolite blocks is no different from laying bricks, cinder blocks, foam blocks or gas silicate blocks. The masonry mortar must be of normal density so that the wood concrete block squeezes out the excess mortar with its weight. Wall laying must be carried out at temperatures above +10 degrees. Before laying, arbolite blocks do not need to be moistened or soaked. Often, manufacturers deliver to the customer raw wood concrete blocks that have not gained the required strength. It is impossible to build a wall from such blocks, because the lower rows will be pushed through by the upper ones and the shape of the wall will be broken. If raw blocks were brought, then you need to lay them aside and let them mature for 15–20 days, after which they are completely ready for laying.
Roof construction, finishing, connection of communications and insulation
All these actions are performed in the same way as for houses made of any other materials. The Mauerlat of the roof is attached to the upper blocks with the help of powerful self-tapping screws, thanks to which the roof can withstand even strong winds. As a finish, both plaster and sheathing with wood or other materials can be used; in this respect, wood concrete is universal. Wood concrete houses are insulated only from the outside, the insulation technology itself is the same as for wooden (timbered) houses. You can read more about insulation in the article - Proper insulation of a house from a bar. Connection of communications should be carried out by specialists of public utilities, unauthorized connection will lead to large fines.
