Cost-effective materials have always interested builders. Their use reduces the complexity of work and cost. At present, a lot of materials are used that are cheaper than conventional products, and their use can significantly accelerate the pace of construction of building structures. These include gypsum blocks.
The advantages of gypsum products
The best example of the benefits of using gypsum blocks is the following example: 20 red single bricks or 14 silicate products can be replaced with just one slab. If you later need to plaster the brick surface, which is not at all cheap, then the wall made of gypsum blocks is almost ready for the final finishing - painting, wallpapering. It is only necessary to close up the seams and polish them. Another advantage of the use of gypsum products is the increase in installation speed and its simplicity.
Thanks to this, you can build partitions of any type:
The low weight of the products, their environmental friendliness, the ability to use in any room make gypsum blocks an indispensable material for the construction of new or repair of existing structures. Another important advantage that the gypsum block has is the price. Depending on the region and manufacturer, the cost of one product ranges from 165 to 197 rubles.
General information
Gypsum is the main material from which the plates are made. Why was this material chosen for the production of products so necessary for the construction industry? This was promoted by important, from the point of view of economy, ecology and safety, properties:
- Fire resistance.
- Lack of toxic components.
- Dielectric characteristics.
- Acidity similar to that of the human body.
- High gas and vapor permeability.
- Lack of smell.
Tongue-and-groove blocks are monolithic products from gypsum. They have the shape of a parallelepiped and are characterized by very accurate dimensional indicators. In production, gypsum is subjected to low-temperature processing to obtain structures.
Conventional products are available and are able to withstand moisture. In order to obtain moisture-resistant products, hydrophobic components are introduced into the molding mass, thereby significantly reducing the moisture-absorbing properties of the products.
Regardless of the use of additives, moisture resistant products in all respects do not differ from ordinary ones - they also “breathe”, have environmental cleanliness and have the same properties, but they resist moisture well. And all because additives are Portland cement and blast furnace slag in granules - environmentally friendly materials. In order to distinguish moisture-resistant gypsum blocks from ordinary products, they are painted in light green during manufacture.
Application area
Plaster blocks are used for partitions and the construction of curtain walls. Since products of different thicknesses go on sale, they can be selected for use in the construction of any buildings:
- housing;
- industrial type constructions;
- public buildings;
- constructions of other designation (warehouses, storages, etc.)
- medical facilities;
- kindergartens, schools.
The type of product (single or double) depends on the regulatory requirements for sound and vapor barrier to a particular object or the need to place communications inside the wall structures.
Specifications
Regardless of the type, both conventional and moisture-resistant tongue -and- groove blocks have almost the same characteristics:
- Dimensions - 8x50x66.7 cm. Possible deviations from the dimensions - 0.5x1.0x1.5 mm.
- The mass of the plate is 27 kg.
- A square meter of partition weighs about 82 kg.
- Radiation indicators - class “A”.
- Fire spread within 0.0 m.
- Water absorption: ordinary - 23-25%, waterproof - not more than 5%.
- Compressive strength - 4.4 MPa.
- Density (in kg per 1 cubic meter) - 1000.
For the convenience of storage and transportation, gypsum blocks are packed in packages of 15 plates. Then they are placed on wooden pallets, 2 packets each. Products so packaged have a height of 1 m and weighs 870 kg with a pallet. To leave products for storage, it is necessary to lay them on the edge. The height of the stack should not exceed 1.5 m, so that the products do not deform, otherwise this will lead to a loss of both external indicators and strength.