Features of making expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands. How to make expanded clay concrete blocks yourself A device for making expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands
If you build a house from expanded clay concrete blocks, do it yourself! After all, it is economical, fast and quite simple. And thanks to the low thermal conductivity of expanded clay concrete, walls with a thickness of 30 cm or more do not require external insulation, which significantly affects the final cost of construction.
Making a foundation for a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands
The foundation is the basis for the reliability of the entire building. The service life of the house depends on the correct choice and compliance with the technology of the device. After all, a weak and “floating” foundation will cause cracks to appear in the walls, and this cannot be corrected.
Choosing a foundation
Since expanded clay concrete is hollow and quite lightweight material, construction one-story houses does not require a complex foundation. If soil samples at the site showed the absence of high groundwater, and the soil itself is sandy or sandy loam, suitable for such buildings columnar foundation with a poured grillage or a shallow strip foundation.
If it is planned two-story house, and the soils are unstable, or it is not possible to take soil samples, it is better to play it safe and pour the strip foundation to a depth below freezing of the soil (depending on the region, it is 1-1.5 m).
Also performs well on unstable ground screw piles, which are buried to a stable soil layer. Such a foundation is also suitable for areas with strong differences in height, allowing you to save on leveling the construction site.
Pouring strip foundation
For self-filling strip foundation you will need:
- a trough for mixing concrete, but it is better to use a concrete mixer;
- buckets and shovels - for pouring and leveling the concrete mixture;
The process of laying the foundation itself requires care and a certain skill:
- The fertile soil layer is removed. Do not neglect this point - the land will be useful for creating flower beds or a vegetable garden.
- Using reinforcement and stretched string, the area for the trenches is marked. It is important to carefully measure the angles, checking the equality of the diagonals.
- The width of the foundation depends on the type of base chosen. The sinking plinth is made narrower than the wall, and the protruding plinth is made wider.
- The trenches are made wider for the installation of formwork.
- A layer of gravel is poured onto the bottom, and another 20-30 cm of sand is poured on top, which is spilled with water and compacted. To prevent sand from “sinking” into the ground, it is better to sprinkle it on geotextiles laid on gravel.
- The formwork is placed and tied reinforcement mesh. The reinforcement is tied with wire; the reinforcement cannot be welded. To prevent the metal rods from sinking into the sand, special stands for loose soils are placed under them.
- When the entire foundation is poured, it is carefully bayoneted, or it is better to go through it with a vibratory rammer. In poorly compacted concrete, air cavities may remain, reducing its strength.
A month later, after the foundation has completely hardened, you can begin building the walls.
Construction of walls made of expanded clay concrete
Building walls is not a technically difficult task, but it requires certain skills. You need to place the blocks as carefully as possible, your hand must be steady, otherwise if they deviate vertically even by a few centimeters, the walls will have to be leveled both outside and inside.
Laying walls from expanded clay concrete blocks
Expanded clay block can be placed either on cement mortar, and with special glue. The first option is suitable for blocks irregular shape, since it allows you to hide all the flaws due to the thickness of the masonry. But before finishing an additional leveling layer of plasters will be required
Glue is used only for blocks with the correct geometry, smooth walls and without defects. The surface of the foundation must be level. This type of masonry allows you to make seams with a thickness of only 3-5 mm, which allows you to save on rough plaster.
The process of laying expanded clay blocks is almost the same for both options:
- Waterproofing is laid on the foundation, protecting the first expanded clay concrete row from rising moisture.
- The solution is applied to the foundation, and glue is applied to the bottom and lateral surface blocks.
- The evenness of the block is checked with a level both horizontally and vertically, if necessary, correcting the block with a rubber mallet.
- After completing a row of one wall, the evenness of the entire surface is checked with a long level, also in two planes.
- The ceilings of the second floor are laid without cutting into the block. ends wooden floors wrapped with waterproofing.
When the walls of the second (or attic) floor are completed, you can begin installing the roof.
Insulation and blind area of the basement
It is best to do the insulation of the base yourself using EPPS, since it is not hygroscopic and is easy to install. If the house does not have a basement or ground floor, slabs extruded polystyrene foam can be fixed with dowels. If waterproofing was applied to the foundation from the outside, fastening with dowels is contraindicated - they will pierce waterproofing layer, nullifying all the work.
After the base is insulated, you can fill it up and compact it sand cushion. A layer of waterproofing is laid on the sand cushion, and EPS boards are laid on top of it. After this, a metal reinforcing mesh is placed and everything is filled with concrete screed.
It is important to remember about the slope from the house outward - to allow water to drain along the blind area. Therefore, the formwork is initially made so that the outer side is lower than the inner.
Roof of a house made of expanded clay concrete
Your home should be comfortable and cozy, so you should choose your roof wisely. The simplest option is gable roof from corrugated sheets. This material is the most popular because it is inexpensive and durable, does not require continuous formwork, and due to its light weight there is also no need for reinforced rafters.
Device technology:
The video shows the process of constructing a roof in a very accessible and clear way:
A house made of expanded clay concrete is excellent and inexpensive option for those who want to move outside the city, especially if noisy Moscow has already become tiresome!
Expanded clay concrete has good performance characteristics, due to which it is widely used in construction industry. To build a house from it, it is not necessary to order ready material. You will save a lot if you make expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands. To do this, you do not need to purchase expensive equipment or raw materials.
Required materials and tools
When constructing a building from large quantity expanded clay concrete blocks (for example, you decide to build your own house), you will need to stock up on special equipment:
- a concrete mixer (it is better to take a container of at least 130 liters), depending on the company, its cost can be 9.5-12 thousand rubles;
- manual vibropressing machine: it can be purchased at hardware store for 7.5-10 thousand rubles. or order directly from the manufacturer; molds for filling in such structures are already provided, so there is no need to buy or make them separately; If desired, you can make it yourself from a metal tabletop and an old working engine.
As practice shows, if you have special equipment and a sufficient supply of molds, in a full working day, when working together, it is quite possible to get about 160 blocks. A mechanical manufacturing machine allows you to produce 1-4 blocks in one cycle (1-2 minutes). If you take a few more assistants who will bring, pour in raw materials and drag finished products, then the number of finished products will increase by 2 times.
A small number of blocks can be made without special equipment. In this case, you only need to select a container of suitable size for mixing the solution and make molds for pouring.
Making molds
To make the blocks yourself, you can use both general formwork, and several separate forms. The matrices are assembled from two side parts in the shape of the letter “L” and the tray (bottom) of the product. They can be made from a regular 20mm board, metal sheet or plastic. The standard block has dimensions 39x19x19.
It is better to fasten wooden forms metal corners and sheathe the inside with thin-walled metal. Otherwise, they will absorb moisture from the solution, which may affect the strength of future products. If metal is not at hand, you can coat the side walls and bottom of the container with machine oil. It will also protect the matrix from moisture.
Voids in the blocks are provided not only to save mortar, but also to create air spaces in the walls to increase thermal conductivity. To create hollow products, three round or rectangular cylinders must be installed inside the molds. To prevent them from moving, they are connected to each other and then screwed with self-tapping screws to the side parts of the mold.
To obtain voids when making a small number of blocks, you can even use ordinary plastic bottles. In such cases, it is better to fill them with water to make them heavier. They must be inserted into the mold after it is 2/3 filled with the solution.
So, our forms are ready. All that remains is to prepare the expanded clay concrete.
Preparation of the solution
It is not difficult to mix expanded clay concrete with your own hands. To obtain a high-quality solution, cement, sand and expanded clay are mixed in a ratio of 1:3:8. Water is added at the rate of 200 liters per 1 m 3, although its amount also depends on the initial moisture content of the dry mixture. To make expanded clay concrete blocks we will need:
- expanded clay with strength P150-200: it is better not to use fractions larger than 5-10 mm, since the blocks will turn out shapeless, and their strength will be significantly lower;
- sand: to obtain quality products use gravel-enriched sand; regular river sand is not recommended;
- cement M400-500;
- water;
- plasticizers: ordinary plasticizers are often used as liquid soap, washing powder or dishwashing detergent, you will need 1% of the total amount of cement; for a 130 liter concrete mixer you can take about 70 g of soap; You can increase the plasticity of the solution not only with the help of soap, but also by adding clay, lime or wood ash to it.
When mixing a high-quality homogeneous solution, it is important not only to maintain the proportions, but also to introduce the components into it in a certain sequence. First, the exact amount of water is measured. Expanded clay, sand and cement are thoroughly mixed together, and only then the resulting dry mixture is introduced into the liquid. The consistency of the prepared solution should resemble softened plasticine.
How to make expanded clay concrete without a concrete mixer? In this case, you will have to work hard, thoroughly mixing the solution with a shovel. In this case, you will have to dilute the solution in small portions - after all, unmixed lumps can affect the quality of the final products. The solution is ready. The last question remains - how to make expanded clay concrete blocks?
Since expanded clay is a lightweight material, it will constantly float in the solution, which is why the production of a large number of products requires a vibrating machine. In its absence, each form will have to be compacted with a narrow wooden block until “cement laitance” appears. Solid products can be compacted using a hand tamper.
Using a vibrating machine greatly simplifies the work. The solution is poured into steel molds, its excess is removed. Next, turn on the engine for a couple of seconds so that the solution settles a little. We level the solution, remove its excess and turn on the vibrator again for 5-7 seconds. Turn off the car. To remove the forms from the machine, you need to turn the handle all the way.
For more information on how to make durable expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands, watch the video.
Drying
The blocks will dry in the mold for about 2 days. During humid and rainy periods this time can be longer. It is better to store ready-made expanded clay concrete blocks on pallets of 3-4 pieces in a row. An air gap between the pallets will allow the finished products to dry more evenly.
The blocks removed from the mold must be finally brought to condition under a canopy, so that direct rays of the sun and raindrops do not fall on them. In hot weather, they are moistened with water and covered with cellophane film. You can start working with them after 1-1.5 weeks. However ideal option They will dry for a month - only during this time will the cement fully gain brand strength. Before starting work, the blocks must be cleared of irregularities. You can remove dried mortar deposits with a regular knife.
Cost of blocks made at home
Expanded clay concrete blocks DIY ones will be much cheaper in cost. If you want to know how much you can save, do the following simple calculations. From 100 liters of solution, about 10-11 hollow blocks are obtained. To mix this amount of solution we will need:
| Material | Quantity, kg | Cost per kg in Moscow and the Moscow region, rub. | Amount, rub. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cement | 7,7 | 4,80 | 36,96 |
| Sand | 23,1 | 3,40 | 78,54 |
| Expanded clay | 61,5 | 1,40 | 86,10 |
| Water | 7.7 l | – | – |
| Total: | 100 l | 201,60 |
The cost of 10 blocks will be 201 rubles. 60 kopecks Accordingly, 1 piece will cost 20 rubles. 16 kopecks Let's say to build a 4x7x3 m garage you need 776 blocks. Their cost when made with their own hands is 15 thousand 664 rubles.
The average cost of one finished product is 80 rubles, that is, 776 blocks will cost 62 thousand rubles. 80 rub. Thus, making expanded clay concrete blocks at home is more profitable - after all, we save a substantial amount of 46 thousand 416 rubles.
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Making your own expanded clay concrete blocks
For the construction of permanent buildings, private houses and temporary buildings, developers use expanded clay-based compositions. It is not always advisable to purchase them, due to the need for delivery, financial costs and a number of factors. There is a way out of this situation! You can make expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands by preparing in advance the necessary raw materials, tools, and special formwork.
Expanded clay blocks are a promising material that has gained wide popularity among builders and private developers. Unlike traditional concrete, consisting of Portland cement, sand, additives and water, expanded clay composites use a completely different filler - expanded clay, which is clay balls fired in kilns during rotation using a special technology.
Concrete with expanded clay base has a lower density than conventional concrete. However, this does not affect the strength of the manufactured products. The material attracts customers at an affordable price, which creates steady demand among developers.
Types of expanded clay concrete
Expanded clay blocks are made from various types concrete, differing in size, concentration of cavities in the mass, representing air pores. Concrete with expanded clay filler is classified as follows:
- composition with enlarged pores (large-porous);
- porous composite;
- compacted concrete.
Table of types and characteristics of expanded clay concrete blocks
Depending on the scope of application during construction activities, expanded clay blocks are divided into the following types:
- structural and thermal insulation purposes;
- thermal insulation products;
- structural elements.
According to the classification, blocks made of a composition filled with expanded clay can perform a thermal insulation function and, at the same time, absorb structural forces. The material is suitable for construction and the construction of walls characterized by increased thermal insulation characteristics and strength.
Advantages and disadvantages
Products with expanded clay filler have a number of advantages compared to other building materials and are characterized by:
- Low weight due to high porosity.
- High soundproofing characteristics.
- Environmental cleanliness associated with the use of natural raw materials.
- Increased thermal insulation, creating a comfortable microclimate in the room.
- Increased strength to withstand significant loads.
- Low coefficient of expansion, preventing cracking;
- Frost resistance, allowing you to safely tolerate deep freezing.
Having many advantages, composites have minor disadvantages:
- the problematic use in the construction of multi-storey structures associated with the structural features;
- a narrow scope of use of products with cavities caused by design features.
Manufacturing specifics
Making expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands requires practical skills, accuracy, equipment and the following materials:
- Portland cement;
- expanded clay filler;
- sand;
- wood, metal for the manufacture of formwork.
The main ingredient of the mixture is fine expanded clay filler
In addition to traditional cement, sand, and binding additives, the main filler is expanded clay, characterized by a high concentration of air cavities. The resulting composite obtained as a result of hardening is used for planning concrete surfaces, insulation and has increased thermal insulation characteristics.
At self-production carry out technological recommendations, applied on industrial enterprise, involving the use of a vibration compactor and drying.
Carrying out the main stages of manufacturing will require preparation. When the composition is mixed, the expanded clay floats. Ensure the surface of the array is flat by pressing filler into the mixture. The characteristics of the resulting elements will correspond to the parameters of industrially produced expanded clay concrete.
Preparation of formwork
The ease of manufacture and low cost of components allow you to master the production of expanded clay concrete blocks yourself. The composition of expanded clay concrete includes clay granulated expanded clay, which after firing becomes very light and durable. In addition, expanded clay granules have a low ability to absorb moisture, so this building material Ideal for constructing walls and floors in poorly heated rooms. High and sound insulation make it a popular material for the construction of residential buildings and outbuildings. Price for expanded clay concrete mounting blocks approximately one third is lower than the cost of bricks (under equal conditions for the construction certain type buildings).
How to properly prepare a mixture for producing blocks
To prepare expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands, you need to know how the proportions for the composition are made. This material is considered absolutely safe for humans, since expanded clay concrete contains only natural ingredients. It is recommended to use expanded clay granules for manufacturing, not exceeding 1 cm in diameter. This building material is used to prepare floors as insulation.
The simplicity of manufacturing expanded clay concrete building blocks opens up the possibility of large-scale handicraft, so you can make the blocks yourself. This is due to the fact that failure to comply with the proportions of components and their savings leads to low quality finished products (the price does not correspond to the quality of the blocks). In addition, it is necessary to use sand with improved grain size (enriched), since the use river sand may affect the strength of the material.
Cooking technology working mixture represents the mixing of all its components in a certain sequence and with exact observance of proportions. To do this you need to take:
- Portland cement (grade M-400 is recommended), which according to technology acts as a binding component - 1 part;
- water – 1 part;
- fine-grained expanded clay - in a proportion of 8 parts;
- sand (enriched) – 3 parts.
To prepare expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands, you need to know that a 100-kilogram prepared mixture can be used to produce 10 blocks. According to GOST it is 190*390*188 mm. can range from 7 to 20 kg, depending on the volume of voids. According to the technology, wood saponified resin is added to the composition of expanded clay concrete, which makes it possible to increase the resistance of the material to the effects of low temperatures, as well as lignosulfonate for a better binding of the components of the composition.
Foreman's advice: to improve the plastic characteristics of expanded clay concrete mounting blocks, you can add 1 tbsp to the working composition. a spoonful of regular washing powder.
What equipment will you need?
To make expanded clay concrete assembly blocks yourself, you will need to use certain equipment. Its price is low, so the vibration machine can be purchased for personal use. You can also use rental machines and equipment, the price of which is negotiated for a certain period. The machine allows you to evenly distribute the mass of the working composition in a special form so that the finished product is as durable as possible. There are models that are equipped with void formers, thanks to which you can prepare hollow blocks (without them, solid ones are obtained).
You will also need electric concrete mixer, into which it is necessary to place all the components in certain proportions, where they are thoroughly mixed (the concrete mixer must be placed motionless on the floor). To obtain blocks you will need special forms that can be purchased. Their price is low, and you can choose models with different cavity configurations. You can make the molds yourself, for which they are used wooden boards and tin.
Foreman's advice: Equipment purchases can be avoided. To do this, the working mixture is mixed manually with obligatory observance of proportions. You can do without a vibrating machine, for which the poured composition is carefully compacted and then leveled along the boundary of the mold. More detailed information about manual production of blocks can be seen in the video.
Features of the technology for self-preparing expanded clay concrete
Surely you have repeatedly thought about why the voids inside expanded clay concrete assembly blocks are needed. It’s easy to guess that, first of all, they are necessary to significantly reduce the weight of the product. In addition, voids during masonry form so-called air wells, which reduce thermal conductivity.
It is recommended to thoroughly mix the solution until a soft plastic mass is obtained. After preparing it, you can start filling out the forms in which the solution will harden within 24 hours. Full time hardening of blocks is 3 weeks (28 days). A day after hardening, the blocks are placed on pallets on the floor surface.
Avoid direct exposure to rays sunlight on finished goods. Therefore, during the period of complete hardening, it is recommended to periodically water the blocks stacked on the floor and then cover them. plastic film. It will be possible to use the finished products after a month, when the cement has fully gained its strength.
Video
Because we were convinced of the manufacturability, reliability and practicality of this material. This article will tell you what expanded clay concrete blocks are and how to make them yourself, what are their features and advantages over other building materials.
You will learn about production technology, how it is possible to make expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands, and whether this process is worth the time and effort.
Expanded clay concrete is lightweight, which allows you to create durable housing quite presentable appearance, even on a small foundation.
Expanded clay concrete– the only one with the most promising modern materials for construction. Its properties in terms of speed of construction of various objects and cost-effectiveness of use significantly exceed the qualities of other materials.
Expanded clay concrete structures are made exclusively from natural components, and for this reason they do not emit toxic substances. environment. If you believe the reviews of those who built a house from expanded clay concrete blocks, they claim that very comfortable climatic conditions for accommodation.
Note. High-quality expanded clay concrete blocks have a density from 600 to 1800 kg/m3.
Production of expanded clay concrete blocks
Expanded clay concrete has unique properties, determined by the peculiarities of their manufacture. Expanded clay is used as a basis - an environmentally friendly material.
It has pores resembling a sponge in structure, in which there is specially baked clay that acquires a texture frozen foam. The resulting material is very light and durable. Cement is used as a binding component.
Strength and ability to retain heat depends on the correct proportions of the mixture. The more granules in the mixture, the more fragile the block becomes, but at the same time the warmer it becomes, and vice versa.
Types of expanded clay concrete blocks
Expanded clay concrete structures, according to their own physical and technological data and purpose, are divided into:
Density of thermal insulating expanded clay concrete blocks is the lowest. This type expanded clay is produced in a special way, promoting the formation of large pores. The density of such granules is 150-200 kg/m3.
Structural expanded clay has similarities with natural stone, which is why the walls of a house made of such material will be extremely dense. A significant advantage of expanded clay concrete over other building materials is its price.
The pace of installation of expanded clay concrete walls is 4 times faster when compared with brick buildings. In addition, when building houses from this material, 2 times less mortar is used, again when compared with brick.
The shape of expanded clay concrete blocks is complex and has many voids and gaps that improve heat retention in the house.
The desire to have private house pushes people to look for cheap materials for construction. Expanded clay concrete blocks are precisely the material that is increasingly becoming popular among developers.
The main feature of expanded clay concrete is that, in addition to its low cost on the market, it can be made with your own hands. We propose to consider the main nuances and tricks, as well as the composition of expanded clay concrete blocks according to GOST.
What do you need to get started?
The manufacturing process is simple, the main thing is to adhere to the proportional ratio of the components - 1: 3: 8. Water is added at the rate of 200 liters per 1 m3.
Materials
Tools
Manual vibration pressing machine
You can buy it in stores that sell everything for construction. Approximate cost 7 – 10 thousand rubles. You can also order from manufacturers. The design already has special molds for casting blocks. You can also make the machine yourself from an old engine and a metal tabletop.
Subject to availability required quantity molds and an extra pair of hands, approximately 150 expanded clay concrete blocks can be made in a day.
During one working cycle the machine produces 1 – 4 blocks. And if you assemble a team of several workers, the number can increase by about 2 times. Blocks can be made without equipment, the main thing is to choose a capacious container for mixing and pour into molds.
The molds themselves for expanded clay concrete blocks can be made from metal, plastic, wood (fastened with metal corners and lined with metal inside). To create voids in blocks, some craftsmen use plastic bottles filled with water.
When mixing the solution, first take the exact amount of water. Sand, cement and expanded clay, the sand is mixed, and then liquid substances (water, plasticizers) are added. The mixture should look like softened plasticine.
Drying expanded clay concrete
The final stage of making blocks of expanded clay concrete is drying the finished product.
This takes approximately 2 days. In wet weather the rocks increase.
Then the blocks are placed on pallets in a row of 3-4 pieces. On ready-made blocks shouldn't hit sun rays and rain, it is better to keep them under a canopy. They are put into work 1-1.5 weeks after production.
The most the best option is drying for a month. Before laying the blocks, he cleans out any roughness and unevenness.
Cost of expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands
According to some estimates, the approximate price of expanded clay concrete blocks will be about 20 rubles. For comparison, the price of ready-made ones is about 80 rubles. Savings, as they say, are obvious.