According to an old Russian proverb, a real man still has to build a house. And the relevance of self-laying a stone in the foundation of a family nest is growing every year. Many couples abandon the hustle and bustle of megacities. The mechanisms of the ruleization process are launched, when the rural population increases due to the relocation of urban residents. It is becoming fashionable to live in several places.
So, some families spend a working week in the city, and on weekends they go to the hinterland. Even 30 years ago, dreams of unity with nature were embodied in the purchase of a summer residence, where at best there was a wooden shack or an unheated building. Currently, the task of most families has become the construction of a solid house in several floors for permanent residence in the country.
What to build a house from?
Choosing the right material for the construction is not easy. Indeed, diversity introduces into a stupor even the most confident men. However, the leading position is forever given to the brick. Silicate or ceramic, hollow or solid, white or red - this is only an incomplete list of possible options. To find the best brick suitable for a particular building, you need to know the basic characteristics of the material.
Selection options
The house should be durable and comfortable for living, and its construction - logical and rational. Therefore, it is important to understand what qualities an owner expects from a future building. Understanding the characteristics of the house at the preliminary stage will help determine which brick is better, silicate or ceramic in each case.
From a technical point of view, the following parameters of such a building material are distinguished:
- dimensions;
- composition;
- view;
- weight;
- density;
- strength;
- thermal conductivity;
- frost resistance;
- heat resistance;
- moisture absorption;
- soundproofing;
- vapor permeability.
There are two more indicators that are difficult to attribute to technical. Rather, they are referred to as design solutions: color and environmental friendliness of the material.
Dimensions
This is the only parameter that is not determined solely by the type of product. Depending on the dimensions, silicate or ceramic brick is divided into:
- single: 250 x 120 x 65 mm;
- one and a half: 250 x 120 x 88 mm;
- double: 250 x 120 x 138 mm;
- narrow: 250 x 60 x 65 mm;
- thin: 250 x 22 x 65 mm;
- Euro: 250 x 85 x 65 mm;
- modular: 280 x 130 x 80 mm.
The most common in Russia is the construction of single and one -and -a-half bricks. The masters of the construction industry, when choosing one or another size, are repelled from the design wall thickness. For single-story houses, it is recommended to take a thickness of 250 mm as a basis and choose a brickwork in one single brick. For buildings with several floors, it is better to increase the thickness by 100-150 mm and use one and a half, laying the walls in two or two and a half bricks.
In terms of financial costs, it is most beneficial to purchase a double. A single silicate or ceramic brick will increase the cost of building a house by about 20%.
Composition
The basis of ceramic bricks is clay, and silicate - sand and lime.
The process of manufacturing the finished product from clay includes 5 stages: extraction of raw materials, preparation for molding, direct molding, drying and firing. In order to improve the quality indicators, regulatory additives in the form of ash, sand, coal, peat and special additives are added to the main component to regulate firing and the necessary coloring.
The difference between silicate brick and ceramic brick is observed not only in the component composition, but also in the form of production. After wetting with water, the mixture of starting materials turns into a plastic mass, from which preforms are formed. Raw brick is treated with hot steam under a pressure of 12 atmospheres. To improve the quality of the final product, dyes and auxiliary components can also be added to the mass.
A kind of brick and mass
There is a classification division of building material into hollow and corpulent. Moreover, in both cases, internal voids are allowed. If the percentage of voids is 13 or more, then the brick is classified as hollow, otherwise the building material is called solid.
By functional purpose it is also divided into two types. The silicate or ceramic brick used for facing is called the front brick, and for the construction of the foundation and walls they are called the worker or ordinary. The latter view is 20% cheaper than facing. Therefore, the use of such a building material significantly reduces construction costs. However, the appearance of the working brick requires plastering the walls of the building. It is considered economically viable to perform the laying of all the walls of the building from working bricks, and to lay out one row of the exterior on the outside.
A single ceramic corpulent working brick weighs from 3.3 to 3.5 kg. The weight of the silicate of the same discharge can reach 3.7 kg.
A brick of excellent appearance with good characteristics, which is most often preferred for cladding, is a one and a half face hollow with a weight of up to 4.2 kg.
A single hollow ceramic or silicate brick is also often used for cladding and has a weight of 1.6 to 2.5 kg.
The mass of a ceramic one and a half varies from 2.7 to 4.3 kg, depending on the presence or absence of voids. The weight of the silicate of the same category is from 4.2 to 5 kg.
Density
This parameter affects not only the mass of the brick, but also its thermal conductivity and characterizes the number of kilograms of finished products per unit volume (kg / m 3 ).
The maximum density of silicate or ceramic bricks is:
- full-bodied - from 1800 to 2000;
- hollow - from 1100 to 1600.
The density value fundamentally affects strength, water absorption and thermal conductivity. So, from full-bodied representatives, it is recommended to erect load-bearing walls of high-rise buildings, columns and furnaces. For the slotted option, it is permissible to construct buildings of low number of storeys, including the laying of load-bearing structures with a low load.
Strength
When building a one-story house, there is no need to find out the strength of silicate and ceramic bricks. Which is better in this case does not matter. Both one and the other will withstand the mass of the rafter system and roof.
Nevertheless, any finished brick has a brand that characterizes its strength. The brand depends on the starting components and manufacturing method and indicates the permissible load per 1 square centimeter of area. If a ceramic brick is characterized by a brand from M-50 to M-300, then for silicate, the limits from M-75 to M-250 are indicated.
For load-bearing structures of low-rise and private construction, it is enough that the building material has the strength of M-100 or M-150. In the laying of partitions and outbuildings, it is permissible to use the M-50. For the base and foundation of high-rise buildings, it is better to choose the M-300, and for the walls of high-rise buildings, the M-200 brand is preferred.
Thermal conductivity
To understand what building material is suitable for a particular building, you need to compare silicate and ceramic bricks by their ability to conduct heat energy. This indicator is called thermal conductivity. For silicate hollow bricks, the calculated thermal conductivity coefficient can reach 0.4 W / m * deg. In ceramic hollow, this figure is slightly lower and amounts to 0.34 W / m * deg. The thermal conductivity parameter of a solid material of any kind doubles in comparison with a hollow brick of the same type.
In order not to freeze in the winter and keep cool in the hot period, it is necessary to choose the building material taking into account the coefficient of thermal conductivity. Its permissible value depends on climatic conditions and is calculated separately for each region.
Frost resistance
Another indicator whose optimum value is determined by climate. Frost resistance of a material means its resistance to low temperatures. It is known that there are no strict requirements for frost resistance to the working brick, since load-bearing walls are usually inaccessible to freezing.
For cladding, it is advisable to choose a building material with an indicator of F-35 and above. If temperature jumps do not exceed 40 degrees, it is possible to purchase a brick with F-30. It must be borne in mind that the cost of bricks will increase in proportion to the indicators of frost resistance and thermal conductivity. Therefore, it is economically feasible to purchase products with indicators at the lower boundary, and during construction, additionally insulate the structure and carry out waterproofing.
Heat resistance
Since the brick belongs to the category of non-combustible materials, its heat resistance is not of fundamental importance when building a house of any number of storeys. Which is better, ceramic or silicate brick, becomes determining when laying stove heating.
And the important role here is played not so much by the composition of the building material, but by the percentage ratio of voids. For masonry, experts recommend a full-body ceramic single, less often one and a half. Silicate brick is possible only for facing chimneys.
Moisture absorption
This indicator is determining when facing and laying the foundation. The difference between silicate and ceramic bricks is huge. So, for silicate products, the water absorption parameter is about 15%, while the average ceramic is characterized by an indicator of 10%. The lowest percentage of moisture absorption has a front brick. Since he actively interacts with the external environment, the highest demands are made on him. The allowable moisture absorption parameter of the facing should be 6-8%. Otherwise, the appearance of the building in a few years will slightly resemble ruins, and the crumbling brick will spoil the adjoining territory.
Soundproofing
Silicate brick is a little leader in terms of sound insulation. Exceeding the indicator ranges from 5-7 dB. Nevertheless, internal partitions in half silicate brick will save money, time and provide better sound insulation than ceramic masonry. In places of accumulation of moisture, namely in the shower and bathroom, silicate is not recommended because of the high coefficient of moisture absorption. In this case, the savings are not only not justified, but also very doubtful.
Vapor permeability
Do-it-yourself beginners building a family nest have been searching for the right brick for quite some time. They are with particular zeal looking for the right instance, studying the technical characteristics of the material. Important for a competent start of construction is the opinion of specialists, which often reflects how silicate brick differs from ceramic.
Special picks have to delve into the very essence, reaching the study of such an indicator as vapor permeability. Ceramic brick has a parameter that allows the material to breathe, 3 times higher than the silicate counterpart. If the owner still prefers silicate building material, then there is a need to create additional air gaps in the masonry.
Design solution
The main advantage of ceramic brick over silicate brick with confidence can be called the color scheme. There are many pigments that, when interacting with clay, can change the color of building materials, which cannot be said about lime. Also, the surface of the ceramic product may be ribbed or wavy. Silicate brick is produced only with a smooth surface.
The selling price of ceramics is higher than silicate, since its production is associated with higher energy and labor costs. Ceramic brick boasts a wide range, and silicate brick - good soundproofing.
The disadvantages of ceramics include the appearance of salts on the surface, which slightly spoils the appearance of the structure, and its high thermal conductivity is considered a minus of silicate.
Experienced builders recommend choosing a brick depending on climatic conditions and number of storeys of the building. It should be remembered that total savings can lead to negative consequences and even to the destruction of the structure.