Before building your own home, in any case, you will have to resolve the issue with what building material you will use. In this article, we will try to decide which of the two materials is better: aerated concrete or the foam block familiar to everyone. Their characteristics are similar, so the choice can be difficult to make.
In many ways, these two materials are very similar, since the foam block is one of the varieties of aerated concrete. For volume, special expanders like coal ash are added to it.
The pores in it do not appear due to the fact that it is pumped with air (as amateurs think), but due to the addition of special reagents that emit various gases into its composition. Due to its high porosity and low weight, the material is characterized by excellent heat-insulating qualities and the ability to absorb noise. That is why the foam block, the characteristic of which confirms this, is an excellent building material.
And now we will deal with aerated concrete. Its structure is in many ways similar to that of its predecessor. The difference is that it is manufactured using a completely different technology. In particular, aluminum powder is responsible for the formation of air pores, which reacts with other components of the material. The finished mixture for blocks is poured into special forms in which aerated concrete is cut using strings.
After cutting, the trays are driven into autoclaves, where under high pressure almost all moisture leaves them. Well, foam blocks, the characteristics (price, for example) of which are about the same, do not require such thoroughness in manufacturing, why they manage to create them even at home.
As a result, aerated concrete by mass is no different from a foam block, and other characteristics are similar. However, his strength indicators are somewhat better. However, the hygroscopicity of aerated concrete is much higher. Ceteris paribus in an important environment, it resembles a sponge: water is absorbed at such a rate. Of course, for a finished building this is not a very good property. And therefore, the foam block, whose characteristic in this regard is much better, can even be used for the construction of baths.
As a result, we can say that these materials have a lot in common. Of these, you can successfully build houses of various purposes and characteristics. In terms of their thermal conductivity, they are comparable to natural wood, and even surpass the same brick many times. But, as we said, foam blocks (characteristics, the sizes of which can be very different) absorb moisture much less, which makes it possible to cheapen the process of finishing the finished house.
If you decide to build your house from aerated concrete, then even after delivery from the factory, the material must be properly dried to remove excess moisture. Experts say that gas blocks are best kept in an open area for at least a year. During construction, you need to take care of high-quality waterproofing and vapor barrier, otherwise there may be problems later. Thus, in most cases it is more advisable to use a simple foam block. Its characteristic is slightly better.