Monolithic foam concrete is used today in many areas of construction. This fact cannot be called surprising, since the material has excellent performance characteristics. If we compare with other solutions, then foam concrete is different in that it can be made directly at the construction site or in a factory.
Manufacturing technology
The production of foam concrete began to actively develop after the requirements for thermal insulation of buildings were tightened in Russia and some other countries. Therefore, highly effective materials that meet all the necessary standards began to appear on the market.
Foam concrete is made using cement and sand, from which the solution is mixed. After the composition is subjected to aeration. The air temperature at the construction site should not fall below +10 degrees. If we mention the stages of the work, the concrete mixer is filled with liquid, then sand and cement are poured into the rotating drum. At the next stage, the finished foam is laid, the composition is mixed and fed into a preformed formwork. To increase the strength of the structure, reinforcement is used. Quite often, fixed formwork is used, which is made in such a way that it is possible to strengthen the finish layer from the outside. In this case, glass-magnesite sheets are considered the most popular .
Density
If you use this technology, you will be able to reduce the consumption of foam concrete and foam itself, speeding up work and reducing financial costs. It is possible to control the quality of the manufactured material during the pouring of the mixture by density measurement and through testing of samples. In order for the house to be provided with high-quality thermal insulation, foam concrete should be used, the width of which will be equal to 250 millimeters. Whereas the density should be approximately 200 kilograms per cubic meter.
The main advantages of foam concrete
The production of foam concrete can be done by you independently at the construction site, this is one of the main advantages of this material. Among other things, the walls are sound- and heat-insulated, and heating costs can be reduced by 30%. Further finishing is simplified, the walls are durable and reliable.
If you use monolithic foam concrete when building a house, then a good microclimate will be provided inside, since the material is able to maintain favorable humidity and temperature. In the summer, the rooms will not overheat, and in winter the heat will be well stored inside. Quite often, consumers choose foam concrete also for the reason that it is environmentally friendly. No harmful substances are used during manufacturing, toxic components are not formed during operation.
The walls are fireproof, they do not ignite under the influence of high temperatures. Tests have shown that foam concrete is completely safe. For the reason that with its help you can create any design, cellular concrete is used to form arches, pyramids and other complex structures. During the construction process, you will understand that it is economical, and you can use it to achieve different goals. For example, for the manufacture of panels, floors and roof insulation.
Main disadvantages
If you decide to build a house from monolithic foam concrete, you must consider that this can only be done using the wireframe method. This indicates that all the disadvantages of such structures will be expected by residents without fail. When designing and installing, you may encounter certain difficulties. After all, only a person with experience in construction can choose material for the frame (formwork).
The material is demanding on insulation, which must be selected carefully, otherwise the useful properties of foam concrete will come to naught. Despite the fact that environmental friendliness is at a high level, some manufacturers use synthetic foaming agents in the manufacturing process, which cannot be called safe. But their composition, as a rule, is less than half a percent.
Monolithic foam concrete, reviews of which may be negative, has high hardness, but we can not ignore the fragility of the material. The walls will be able to undergo high loads in a static position, but a sharp blow can cause cracking. This indicates the need for accuracy during operation. Among other things, concrete needs to be reinforced.
The use of a metal frame can cause additional costs. If you decide to choose monolithic foam concrete for construction, it is recommended to consider the disadvantages of the material in advance. Among them, high porosity should be distinguished, which causes water absorption up to 15% of the total material mass. As practice shows, in general, this is not so scary, but high humidity can lead to a loss of thermal insulation qualities. You can deal with this problem by using a large amount of waterproofing, which will separate the material from the external environment. The downside is that the method of work cannot be called too simple.
Additional cons
Monolithic foam concrete is used in construction today quite often, however, it has some disadvantages, namely low vapor barrier, which can cause increased humidity indoors. In order to form a high-quality foundation for such walls, you can only use a monolithic slab, otherwise you can not avoid cracks. It is possible to fill the formed space between the foam concrete walls only with correctly selected adhesive composition. A bad solution is to use a solution of cement and sand. In this case, you risk getting seams that have a thickness of 3 millimeters or more. At the same time, the thermal insulation and sound insulation properties will be reduced.
Nor can I like the fact that after the construction of walls using removable formwork, you have to additionally grind the surface, which complicates the work and makes them more time consuming. Monolithic foam concrete, like any other material, shrinks after construction. If we compare with aerated concrete, then it is higher. But subject to technology, it will not exceed 0.1%. Maximum shrinkage will occur within 1 month.
Why it is not worth choosing foam concrete
Quite often, monolithic foam concrete is poured using a fixed formwork, however, if the frame elements are used repeatedly, the material can cause difficulties in finishing. Not all materials are well fixed on its surface. When installing decor elements in the wall, it will be possible to easily drive screws and nails without unnecessary effort, after which they fall out. Inside the channel for installing fasteners, the material crumbles, but with brick or wood such problems do not arise.
Construction application
Monolithic foam concrete, the manufacturing technology of which was described above and can be mastered by you yourself, is used in various fields of construction. This material can be found in screeds, which are made of foam concrete with a density of up to 800 kilograms per cubic meter. Moreover, the strength is 3.5 MPa. An additional advantage of such screeds is that they reduce the load on the structure.
Among other things, foam concrete is actively used to isolate a flat roof. The average density should be approximately 250 kilograms per cubic meter. But the upper protective layer can be equipped with foam with a density of 600 kilograms per cubic meter.
This material is used in the arrangement of interfloor ceilings, as well as for thermal insulation of walls. If there is a building made of silicate brick, foam concrete can be used, the density of which begins with 200 kilograms per cubic meter. Warming with this method allows you to reduce labor costs and eliminate the need for expensive and unsafe materials such as polystyrene foam and mineral wool. You can find the described material in structures for insulation of chimneys. For example, in the conditions of the metallurgical Novolipetsk plant they refused to use mineral wool, switching to foam concrete, whose density is 400 kilograms per cubic meter.
The cost of foam concrete
If you decide to use foam concrete in construction, the price of this material should interest you. By purchasing it, you have to pay 4000 rubles. per cubic meter. We are talking about density ranging from D400 to D1200, this material is suitable for the installation of screeds and other works.
The price of a house made of foam concrete
The cost of a house made of foam concrete can be much lower than when using other materials. Thus, for 242 square meters will have to pay 3,500,000 rubles.
Aesthetic qualities
"Monolithic foam concrete, or Building without money." This is the motto that people who choose cellular material for their future home adhere to. But you must take into account that the appearance of the resulting building may not be very attractive. When compared with glued beams, the latter option will find more admirers. In addition, the foam block, according to buyers, gives a very dubious freedom of creativity. Using cellular material, it is difficult to build an original and beautiful cottage that will repeat the traditions of any style.
More often you can see the standard options that do not catch the eye. Foam concrete, the price of which was mentioned above, has a very meager color scheme. This requires additional decoration and combination with all kinds of materials, which increases costs. After all, the foam block is very nondescript.
Conclusion
Despite the disadvantages of foam concrete, it does not lose popularity among consumers. If you also decided to build a new house, then you can consider the characteristics of the cellular material.