Aerated concrete masonry: technologies, recommendations,
How to build a house of aerated concrete blocks? Which masonry mortar is better to use? Is reinforcement of aerated concrete necessary? How is the laying of aerated concrete in winter? Let's try to answer these questions.
Prices
Let's start with a brief review of prices for work with aerated concrete blocks. It is necessary for the reader to once again appreciate his strength and think whether it is worth trying to do this work with his own hands or better to trust the professionals.
| Parameter | Value |
| The cost of laying 1 m3 of aerated concrete in load-bearing walls with a thickness of 300 mm | 1300 - 1400 |
| The cost of laying of aerated concrete per cubic meter with a wall thickness of 375 - 400 mm | 1500 - 1600 g. |
| The cost of laying aerated concrete in partitions with a thickness of 80 - 100 mm per square meter | 500 - 600 p. |
Specify: the current prices for the Leningrad Region are given at the time of this writing. In different regions of the country, they can be much higher or lower.
Getting Started
Tool
What tool is needed for laying aerated concrete?
- Mixer or drill with nozzle of similar functionality. We have to mix the glue.
- The capacity in which we will breed glue.
- Brush for sweeping away dust and debris.
- Hacksaw. It is better to take a special tool for aerated concrete, but also suitable for garden.
- Bucket, which we have to pour the glue on the blocks.
- Notched and ordinary spatulas.
- Manual grater with a grinding net.
- Rubber boots.
- Level and plummet
- Stroborez or puncher.
Masonry
How is the laying of aerated concrete?
- The foundation is waterproofed. The walls will be porous; we need to prevent capillary leakage of water. Material for waterproofing - several layers of bitumen mastic or a pair of layers of roofing material.
- Then, strictly on the level laid out the first row. The laying of the first row is performed on a pillow of cement-sand mortar (1: 3) with a thickness of at least 2 cm; it compensates for uneven ground.
Vertical seams are coated only and exclusively with special glue; the following rows are put on it. The instruction is connected with the fact that glue allows to ensure the minimum thickness of the seam, which makes laying more smooth and reduces heat loss.
- With ligation of vertical seams with respect to the first row, corner blocks are laid. Then the mooring stretches between them - the cord, along which the row will line up.
Further laying of aerated concrete blocks is quite common - row by row, with the obligatory dressing of the seams of at least 8 cm and careful adjustment of the blocks with the help of a mallet. The solution is poured onto the surface of the block with a bucket and is distributed with a notched trowel. The maximum seam thickness is 3 millimeters.
- Above the window and door openings are placed special elongated U-shaped blocks - lintels..
Inset Partitions
Internal load-bearing walls and partitions are built with a sidebar in the external. For this purpose, the blocks of the outer main wall are selected from the inside for the thickness of the partition; the first blocks in each row enter the recess and sit on the glue.
Reinforcement
How to reinforce aerated concrete masonry? Where exactly should the reinforcement be present?
| Plot | Reinforcement method |
| Long walls withstanding wind loads | Armature with a diameter of 8-10 mm (1 - 2 rods) is laid in the longitudinal grooves every 3-4 rows |
| First row of masonry | Similarly, reinforced along the entire length. |
| Bottom seam window openings | Similarly, reinforced 900 mm both ways from the opening |
| Jumper over openings | The armature is laid in the notch of the U-shaped lintel. |
Note: in all cases, the strobe or cavity with the reinforcement laid will be filled with cement-sand mortar.
Internal partitions are tied to the walls in the simplest way - segments of reinforcement hammered into pre-drilled holes, which are associated with longitudinal reinforcement of the partition.
Features of winter masonry
Construction work in the cold is hampered by the rapid freezing of the mortar and glue. Is it possible to build aerated concrete walls in winter?
What is the difference between winter laying?
- The blocks are preheated. For this purpose, a frame is covered around the pallet, covered with plastic wrap or tarpaulin; the air in it is heated by heating elements, a heat gun or a conventional fan heater.
- Only frost resistant glue is used.. Relevant solutions are present in the assortment of all major manufacturers; their price is higher than that of conventional solutions, by 10-15 percent. Most of the winter adhesives allows you to work at temperatures up to -15 degrees.
- For glue, a container with a tight-fitting lid is used.. When mixing, it is diluted with hot water.
- For the preparation of cement-sand mortar (for laying out the first row and filling the gates with reinforcement) antifreeze additives are used..
Construction work at temperatures below the operating temperature of the glue is not recommended. Even if the glue snatches, the final strength of the seams will suffer due to the crystallization of unbound water in the pores.
Treatment
How to cut through the masonry technological holes for laying communications or openings?
The aerated concrete is drilled with any drill bits and crowns without using a percussion mode. The ideal option is the use of diamond tools. Diamond drilling of holes in concrete leaves the edges of the holes perfectly flat; In addition, drilling with a diamond bit (as, by the way, cutting reinforced concrete with diamond circles) allows rebar to pass without a tool change.
Conclusion
It is possible that after finding out how much a laying of aerated concrete costs, the reader will prefer to use the services of professionals. If he takes up the work himself - we hope that our recommendations will be useful.
As usual, the video in this article contains additional thematic information. Successes!