Modern building technologies have long stepped forward thanks to the use of polymer materials. They not only facilitate the construction process, but also reduce the weight of the structure. Additionally, heating and construction costs are reduced. One of these polymeric materials is polystyrene. It can be found in sheets and granules. It is the latter that are used for the manufacture of polystyrene concrete. Let's look at the main properties of this building material, highlight its negative aspects and, in general, get acquainted with the reviews of those who have already built a house from it.
What is called polystyrene concrete?
Polystyrene concrete is a composite material that consists of concrete and polystyrene granules. This material is one of the most effective among all existing in our time. It can be used both as individual elements in the form of blocks, and in monolithic construction. Another very big plus of polystyrene concrete is the possibility of its preparation directly at the construction site.
The production of polystyrene concrete consists in the gradual addition of polystyrene granules to the mixture. The latter can be either crushed or whole, in the form of balls with a diameter of not more than 3 mm. Portland cement, slag Portland cement or gypsum may be used as a binder. Aerated concrete, which is manufactured using autoclave hardening, is quite different from polystyrene concrete due to the fact that the latter gains strength over time. This guarantees a much longer service life. But polystyrene concrete also has disadvantages. When using it to create monolithic elements of the house, it is required to wait at least 28 days to start the next work.
The use of polystyrene concrete
Polystyrene concrete from the moment of its appearance immediately became very popular in construction. Due to the possibility of preparing the mixture on their own, people massively began to build houses from this composite material. At the same time, the technologies did not adhere, and the result was fragile material. Due to this disorder, polystyrene concrete received negative reviews from people who simply did everything wrong. So let's get this a little bit sorted.
The main types of polystyrene concrete
Now, with independent preparation, two types of polystyrene concrete are used: D350 and D1200. The first of them is used as a heater, and the second - as a structural material. The composition of polystyrene concrete is as follows:
- to obtain polystyrene concrete grade D350 requires the use of 300 kg of cement M400 and 1.1 cubic meters. m granules of polystyrene;
- for polystyrene concrete grade D1200 apply 300 kg of cement grade M400, 1.1 cubic meters. m granules of polystyrene and 800 kg of sand.
As a result, we get two types of solutions, which are almost identical in strength, but the first concrete is obtained with less filling of the gaps between the granules. For this reason, D350 is used for insulation, and D1200 - for the construction of walls.
It is also worth noting that even monolithic polystyrene concrete cannot withstand heavy loads, and it cannot be used to create load-bearing structures.
Disadvantages of polystyrene concrete
Among all the properties that polystyrene concrete has, the disadvantages stand out against the general background. The main problem is granules. And although polystyrene concrete is classified as difficult to combustible substances, elevated temperatures act negatively on it. The fact is that polystyrene granules begin to break, and this significantly reduces the strength.
Low vapor permeability is also a minus. Compared with the same cellular concrete, polystyrene concrete has this figure 4 times lower. This property has a negative effect in the form of increased humidity in the room. Forced hooding is mandatory if polystyrene concrete is used.
Polystyrene concrete also has disadvantages in the form of strong adsorption of water and low resistance to freezing. This affects the overall service life and with sudden changes in temperature, the base is destroyed.
You can additionally say about the complaints of people about the large shrinkage of the material due to the use of granules. This feature requires the application of plaster in 15 cm of the minimum layer. Accordingly, the cost of work increases.
Polystyrene Concrete Home Reviews
Polystyrene concrete houses began to be built from the very appearance of this composite material. Popularity grew rapidly, and industries appeared that not only produced it to create monolithic structures, but also produced blocks. They are lightweight, sturdy and inexpensive. But let's really analyze what people say.
So, most often there are reviews about the cost of blocks and mixes. It is not surprising that they are good, because the savings are obvious. So, when compared with cellular concrete, polystyrene concrete can reduce costs by up to 20% with the same energy efficiency.
As for the bad reviews, most of them are related to the lack of awareness of citizens. People think that polystyrene concrete houses burn like dry matches. This is absolutely wrong. The fact is that polystyrene granules are enclosed in a concrete shell, and they simply can not catch fire. Even if a fire occurs, the material simply collapses, and as a result, the blocks become more fragile. But there can be no talk of any emissions and products of combustion.
Polystyrene concrete received good reviews due to the high speed of construction of houses with its use. Blocks of this material are large, which makes it possible to quickly build walls. The approximate construction period of a one-story house is 120 square meters. m is one and a half to two months (with pouring and settling the foundation).
Polystyrene concrete cast in bulk has large flaws. The first is a lot of shrinkage during solidification. Very often, builders do not count on her. The second is the need to apply a large layer of plaster. This solution makes the design heavier and more expensive. Third - it is undesirable to load polystyrene concrete walls.
Use or not?
Summing up the overall result, we can say that the use of polystyrene concrete leads to overall financial savings, and at the same time, the heat loss of the building is reduced. It is recommended to use this material as an additional heat insulator. But because of the low resistance to dynamic and static loads, polystyrene concrete is not recommended for the manufacture of critical elements of the house.