INSTRUCTIONS AND PROPHECIES OF THE Blessed MOTHER ALIPIA GOLOSEEVSKY, Kyiv...
Brick as a building material has been known for a very long time. Mention of it can be found in the Bible, in stories about the times after the Great Flood.
erection brick houses is rooted deep in history, in any country there are many such buildings, whose age is more than a dozen years. There are long-lived houses built 150 or even 200 years ago. Brick has always been the most sought after and popular building material in the world.
Why did builders love this material so much? There are several clear benefits here.
Strength
In construction, M100, M125, M150, M175 are used. The numerical index after the letter indicates strength and indicates that this species withstands a load of 100, 125, 150, 175 kg / cm 2. The M100 brand is suitable for building a house with a height of 3 floors.
Durability
The house that has good thickness brick built from high-quality material and according to all the rules of housing construction, can stand for more than a century.
Environmental friendliness
The composition of the brick includes natural substances that do not contain harmful impurities - clay, sand, water. And it also allows air to pass through, "breathes" and does not rot.
Versatility, aesthetics
And the styling technology brings to life the most daring architectural projects. Individual style brick house give it originality and uniqueness.
Frost resistance
Extensive experience in the use of bricks in construction and testing it in different climatic zones confirm that this material has high frost resistance, which is designated F25, F35, F50.
The digital index indicates the amount of freezing and thawing of a brick in a state saturated with water, after which irreversible changes begin in it.
fire safety
Brick is a refractory material that meets all fire extinguishing standards and regulations, and the thickness of the walls is brick house will not allow the fire to spread from room to room.
Soundproofing
Brick is a good insulating material, much better than wood and reinforced concrete panels. in a brick house it protects well from street noise.
Minimum wall thickness
One of the main characteristics of a brick house is the thickness of the walls. The size of an ordinary ceramic brick is 250x120x65 mm. Building codes and regulations take a multiple of 12 (the length of half a brick) to determine the thickness of the walls.
It turns out that the thickness of the wall is equal to:
- in half a brick - 120 mm;
- in one brick - 250 mm;
- one and a half bricks - 380 mm (10 mm is added to the thickness of the seam between the bricks);
- in two bricks - 510 mm (10 mm per seam);
- in two and a half bricks - 640 mm.
The same building codes clearly define the minimum thickness of a brick wall. It should be in the range from 1/20 to 1/25 of the floor height. A simple calculation shows that if at 3 meters, then the walls should be at least 150 mm thick. A brick wall with a thickness of less than 150 mm is suitable for simple internal partitions.
External load-bearing brick walls
The strength and stability of the entire building is provided by the outer walls. They are called load-bearing because they carry the entire load acting on the building. They bear the weight of ceilings, higher walls, roofs, operational load (furniture, things, people) and snow.
The starting point for any masonry is the corners of the building. A lighthouse is made on each of them (an angle is removed from the bricks, aligned along the vertical and axes of the building). Corner masonry rises 6-8 rows. It is recommended to reinforce the corners of the outer walls with a metal mesh made of wire with a diameter of 6 mm. Then, between the lighthouses at the level of the upper brick, a twine is stretched along the edge of the wall, which indicates the outer axis of the structure. Brickwork is carried out from one lighthouse to another, the thickness of the walls consists of an outer, inner and middle part, which is filled with insulation or butyat with other material. A brick on the wall is laid with dressing, after three or five rows of spoons, one bonder is needed. There are many patterns for laying bricks. Depending on the chosen scheme, the arrangement of the spoon and poke rows may differ. The same applies to the seams, they should not be located one above the other. With the help of halves and quarters, the brick is easy to shift to the side relative to the bottom row. After laying several rows, the verticality of the wall is checked with a level to avoid various curvature of the plane, which can spoil the aesthetic appearance of the building.
The thickness of the brick load-bearing wall is selected based on the features environment and own opportunities. But for any calculations, it should not be less than 380 mm (laying "one and a half bricks"). AT northern regions the thickness is usually increased to 510 mm, or even up to 640 mm.
To reduce the load of the walls on the foundation and facilitate the construction, the outer walls are laid from hollow bricks. It is unprofitable to make continuous masonry, it requires high costs and reduces the thermal protection of the building.
Wall insulation
Often they use the technology by which masonry is carried out with the construction of wells. It consists of two walls 140-270 mm apart from each other with obligatory dressing of rows every 650-1200 mm. The wells between the masonry are filled with insulation with mandatory tamping. It could be lightweight concrete, slag, expanded clay, sawdust, etc. When using them thermal protection buildings are increased by 10-15%.
by the most effective insulation is foam. Its use allows you to reduce the thickness of the walls to 290 mm (brick 120 mm + foam 50 mm + brick 120 mm). And if you leave a well 100 mm wide (for two layers of foam laid with overlapping seams), then such a wall in terms of thermal conductivity will be equivalent to a solid masonry 640 mm thick. A brick wall, the thickness of which is 290 mm, must be additionally reinforced with meshes in 5 rows.
To make housing even more comfortable, arrange additional insulation outside or inside the building. Styrofoam, polystyrene, mineral wool and others, soft or hard materials. With them, you can increase up to 100%.
Internal load-bearing walls
Buildings with a length or width of more than five and a half meters are divided along the long side by internal load-bearing walls. On them, the end support of the ceilings or coatings of the structure is made.
The thickness of the internal brick walls is made less than the external one, because insulation is not required here, but not less than 250 mm (laying "in brick"). All load-bearing walls, both external and internal, are interconnected and form, along with the foundation and the roof, a single structure - the skeleton of the building. All loads acting on the structure are evenly distributed over its area. The joints of the outer and inner walls are reinforced with meshes or separate reinforcement through 5 rows of masonry. The piers are arranged at least 510 mm wide and they are also reinforced. If it is necessary to put the pillars as load-bearing supports, then the cross section of the structures should be at least 380x380 mm (masonry "one and a half bricks"). They are also reinforced with wire 3-6 mm through 5 rows along the height of the masonry.
Partitions
These walls produce a zonal division of the space of large rooms. Since the partitions are not load-bearing, and no loads other than their own weight act on them, here you can choose which thickness of the brick wall is more suitable for this room.
Partitions 120 mm thick (“half-brick” masonry) are arranged mainly between rooms and bathrooms. If you want to separate a small room such as a pantry, then it is possible to lay out a wall with a thickness of 65 mm (masonry "on edge"). But such a partition must be reinforced with 3 mm wire every 2-3 rows of masonry in height, if its length is more than one and a half meters.
To lighten the weight and reduce the load on the ceiling, the partitions are made of hollow or porous ceramic bricks.
Masonry mortar
If a outdoor masonry the walls are “under the jointing”, then on the quality, composition and correct application solution depends on how aesthetically the brick wall will look. The thickness of the seams should be the same everywhere, and they must be filled completely, voids are not allowed. The solution must be prepared before the start of work and applied within two hours. For plasticity, clay, lime or marble pulp is added to it.
For horizontal joints, a thickness of 10 to 15 mm is used, for vertical - from 8 to 10 mm.
When building a brick building, you need to know that any deviation from the project can subsequently lead to unpredictable consequences. Stability and strength of brick bearing walls easy to reduce if:
- reduce their thickness;
- increase their height;
- increase the area or number of openings;
- reduce the width of the walls between the openings;
- arrange additional niches or channels in the walls;
- use heavier floors.
A brick wall, the thickness of which is less than the design, must be additionally reinforced.
All changes in the project must be made by specialists, this cannot be done independently.
Buildings made of brick have obvious advantages that put them a step above houses made of any other materials. Executed by original projects they have their own style and charm. And also this a good option for investing and transferring real estate to descendants by inheritance.
The demand for bricks in construction needs remains consistently high, and there are a number of reasons for this. Some lie on the surface, and tell us that this is one of the most unassuming building materials, others talk about its amazing features and properties.
In the article, we will consider technical points the material itself, and one of the options for its use in construction, where we can do everything with our own hands.
Brick in construction
Peculiarities
Ceramic bricks have a number of interesting features which make them such a unique material in construction.
This species, regardless of its type and size, always consists of clay, this is its fundamental material. Relating to what it is natural element, we immediately have both an indicator of environmental friendliness and safety. This type of brick, in fact, cannot be harmful.
If we consider ceramic hollow brick, then you need to familiarize yourself with certain standards:
- The total volume of voids in a brick, according to building and technical standards, should be at the level of 13% of the total volume of a brick.
- The shape of the voids can be different, it does not matter in principle. Open, closed or slotted.
Due to the relatively low price, this type of ceramic products can be found in almost any construction. How additional element, it fits perfectly. Load-bearing walls are rarely erected from it, but as a material for interior partitions, balconies, fences, it is indispensable.
In addition, the hollow type of brick is excellent for the construction of lightweight structures, country houses, cottages.
One of the most important features of this type is its thermal conductivity. High level thermal insulation is achieved due to the porous structure of the brick. Heat is retained precisely in the pores, moreover, on long time. Accordingly, the more pores on the brick, the higher the level of thermal insulation.
Especially in this regard, ceramic hollow porous brick M 125 stands out, which practically acts as a heat-insulating material.
The number of pores can be controlled, because they are formed during firing, when some combustible materials are burned in the clay.
Holes are always important. various shapes in brick.
They can be:
- Longitudinal.
- Oval.
- Stretched.
- Rectangular.
On the one hand, all this enhances water absorption, on the other hand, it will not allow us to use hollow bricks in the construction of foundations and plinths, basements.
However, for every minus relative, there is always a plus. In our case, these are excellent sound insulation indicators, which are obtained just because of the high porosity of the brick.
Advice!
In order for the adhesiveness of the hollow brick with the mortar to be as strong as possible, you can pay attention to the amount of water absorption of the brick, which should not be less than 6%.
Building an outer wall
Probably, it is worth approaching the moment in which you can clearly demonstrate how a ceramic ordinary hollow brick can be used in construction. And first of all, let's try to build a wall with it.
It is this type of brick that can be used for the construction of external and load-bearing walls; its strength indicators make it possible to use it in these works.
Consider the construction of the wall of the cottage.
To do this, we will need:
- Concrete mixer. It is much easier to mix the solution with it, otherwise you will have to do everything manually.
- Several shovels.
- The trowel is an ordinary construction worker.
- Level.
- Weights with twine.
Training
First of all, we prepare the base for laying. Since this is concrete, the foundation, we try to bring it into a horizontal plane if possible.
Further, some builders drill holes in the foundation and drive in reinforcement, 10 mm in cross section, so that it does not go further than the height of the brick. During masonry, the reinforcement is between the joints and gives additional strength to the wall, connecting it with the foundation.
In building a wall, there is no need to do everything in one day, as, for example, when pouring a foundation, so we work carefully, calmly and slowly.
masonry
There are several ways to masonry, but since we have lightweight construction, we will not load the foundation and lay the masonry in "one" brick.
To do this, we will need to start preparing the solution. As a rule, the solution is made in a ratio of 1 to 3, that is, for one shovel of cement, we put three shovels of sand. The components were loaded into the concrete mixer, filled with water and the solution was brought to a homogeneous mass.
Do not make it too thin or too thick, the consistency should be similar to sour cream.
Advice!
For a good adhesion of the solution to concrete, the surface of the foundation is poured with water, and the first row of masonry is laid on a wet foundation.
We lay the first building brick, and we are already leading a row from it. As a rule, the row is carried out along a stretched guide, which does not allow the masonry to go to the sides.
Each row can and should be checked with a level in order to observe the horizontal plane of the masonry.
If the front row is supposed to be left untouched, then it must be carried out especially carefully, leaving no dirt and traces of mortar on the surface of the brick. But this rarely happens, it is easier after the construction of the wall to insulate it additionally and finish it.
Interior partitions
Ceramic one-and-a-half hollow bricks are no less in demand in the construction of interior partitions, and here it can perform several functions at once, and demonstrate its advantages:
- Possessing excellent noise isolation, the brick will reliably absorb noise and sound, which will have an excellent effect on comfort.
- Due to its price interior partitions from hollow bricks do not increase the total estimate.
- Possessing good thermal insulation properties, hollow brick maintains the temperature in the room and does not allow it to experience daily fluctuations.
In addition, the brick is so easy to work with that it will not be difficult to build a partition on your own.
Fence and gate posts
Almost everyone has country house there is a fence, and for the most part, it is lined with:
- brick,
- kaletza,
- concrete blocks.
Conclusion
The use of bricks always has its own characteristics, depending on the type, brand, composition. At the same time, the material remains so unpretentious and easy to use that it can be used with little or no knowledge in construction. And in the presented video in this article, you will find additional information on this topic.
Click on photo to enlarge.
Brick is an excellent building material, it is reliable, tested by generations.
Two types of bricks are popular: ceramic (fired clay) and silicate (pressure-treated mixture of sand 90% and lime 10% with some additives). It is recommended to use only ceramic brick (red), and not silicate, which holds heat worse and absorbs moisture well.
Brick is corpulent and hollow. There are voids in the hollow one, so such a brick is warmer and lighter, although its strength is lower than that of a solid one. With a hollow brick, a bricklayer should work carefully: mortar should not get inside the holes.
Dimensions of the "classic" brick:
- single - 250x120x65 mm
- one and a half - 250x120x88 mm
- double - 250x120x140 mm (rare, height greater than width)
The brick has an indicator of the number of seasonal cycles, which is also called frost resistance. A test sample of a brick is placed in water for a long time, then frozen and thawed until it starts to break down. Frost resistance is designated Fxx, where xx is the number of cycles. Frost resistance can be different - 25, 50, 70. If a brick has F25, then this does not mean at all that it will last only 25 years or 25 temperature changes. The indicator is checked on a sample that has absorbed water well, and water, as you know, when freezing, expands and breaks the material in which it is located from the inside. In real conditions, the brick will last longer, because. absorbs moisture from the outside slightly. And if the outer brick wall is also plastered or lined with something, then the brick will last even longer. In any case, of course, the more frost resistance the better.
The brick has an indicator water absorption the smaller it is, the better the stone is, of course: it will be warmer and last longer.
The next important indicator is strength. It is denoted by M and then a number indicating strength. For example: M75, M100, M125, etc. This number means the maximum load in kilograms per 1 square centimeter that the brick can withstand. Let's say at the brick standard size 250x120x65 mm strength index M100. This means that one such brick laid on the bed can support the load: 25 cm * 12 cm * 100 kg = 30,000 kg, i.e. 30 tons. Agree, a lot. That is why many brick "Khrushchev" buildings built in the 60s under the Soviet regime still feel good. The higher the strength index (they also say the “brand” of the brick), the stronger the brick. It is worth assuming that a brick with greater strength will last longer.
Brick is well suited for laying interior walls (partitions). It has sufficient sound insulation with a thickness of only half a brick (i.e. 12 cm), almost nothing is heard.
Silicate brick cannot be used for laying plinths (clause 7.3 of SNiP 3.03.01-87 "Bearing and enclosing structures"). He can't handle it well high humidity and collapses at high acidity, and the soil has an acidic environment. If you need a brick base, then a ceramic solid brick is used.
Additional advice when buying a brick.
- Buy bricks only from well-known firms, and it is better directly at the factory.
- Ask the seller for a product passport, certificates (although a brick is not required for certification), find out if it is made according to GOST or TU.
- There is no need to hurry with the purchase, the brick should be chosen without fuss; if necessary, bricks can be brought from another region, even if the factory is 400 km away. A house is built for life.
- Check the purchased batch of bricks with a dosimeter.
Now a new kind of brick has appeared, this is the so-called warm ceramics (thermal brick) or porous large-format ceramic block (KKB).
Despite the intensive development construction technologies and the emergence of new building materials, brick is still the most popular and in demand. The explanation is simple: it has unsurpassed performance and durability. A brick wall erected in accordance with all the rules, the thickness of which is calculated taking into account the type and purpose of the building, can last for tens or even hundreds of years.
Advantages of a brick
First of all, brick is a very reliable material. If it has desired thickness and made in compliance with the technology, it can easily withstand significant loads from floors and roof structures. In addition, this building material has such qualities as low thermal conductivity, good sound insulation, high resistance to deformation and bending.
Brickwork calculated in accordance with established standards does not require a massive foundation, while it will have excellent bearing capacity.
Standard indicators of the thickness of a brick wall
The thickness of the walls of the building can vary in a fairly significant range - from 12 to 64 cm. The thickness of the masonry in two bricks is the most common in low-rise construction, as it can provide high stability and reliability of the structure. In addition, such walls can guarantee maximum strength even for residential buildings up to 5 floors high. The thickness of brick walls, according to GOST, for buildings within this number of storeys located in zones temperate climate, is at least 51 cm, and this is a laying in two bricks.
Choosing the type of masonry
When choosing the thickness of the masonry, the following factors must be taken into account:
. In addition to the number of storeys of the building, the functional significance of the masonry plays an important role, that is, it is necessary to decide whether it will be an external brick wall, or internal load-bearing or non-bearing walls.
Types and functional purpose of various masonry
- Internal load-bearing brick walls must be at least 25 cm thick. This corresponds to the length of one brick.
- Partitions that serve to divide the room into zones, according to established standards, can have a thickness of 12 cm (half-brick masonry). Additional rigidity is given to such structures by reinforcing the seams with ordinary wire.
- In regions with cold winters, maintaining heat in residential areas is a priority. In such cases, the optimal thickness of the brick wall is 64 cm. It should be noted that the total mass of the building increases, so the foundation must be more powerful.
- When building structures in the southern regions, a masonry scheme of 1.5 bricks is quite applicable.
- For the construction of sheds and other utility rooms sufficient masonry thickness - one brick.
Brick dimensions
The modern building materials market offers various types of bricks:
- Single. Sizes: length - 25 cm, width - 12 cm and height - 6.5 cm.
- One and a half - 25 x 12 x 0.88 cm.
- Double - 25 x 12 x 13.8 cm.
From an economic point of view, one and a half and double bricks are the most effective options. Their dimensions allow the construction of load-bearing walls or the plinth of buildings of great thickness using less mortar than is required for the construction of similar structures from single bricks. It is advisable to build internal non-bearing partitions from half or single bricks. According to current standards, the minimum thickness of internal brick walls should be 1/20-1/25 of the height of one floor. For example, with a floor height of 3 meters, the internal walls must be at least 15 cm thick.
Parameters depending on the correct calculation of the thickness of brick walls
- Strength, stability and reliability of the structure. It should be noted that when a load-bearing internal or load-bearing brick wall is being built, its thickness must be sufficient to ensure the stability of the house. At the same time, the walls must withstand not only the weight of all floors and ceilings, but also negative external influences. natural phenomena such as rain, snow and wind.
- Durability of the building. This parameter is provided by many factors, including correct selection materials, compliance with construction technologies, taking into account the characteristics of the soil and climate, etc. However, the thickness and strength of the walls are in the first place in this list.
- Thermal and sound insulation. When a brick wall is erected, its thickness must be calculated in such a way that it can optimally provide insulation from external sounds and cold. Thus, the thicker the walls, the more effectively they protect against these factors. However, taking into account the cost of building materials, it is simply not rational to build walls thicker than the standards for certain climatic zones provide.
Varieties of brick
According to their structure, bricks are divided into hollow and solid.
Hollow brick has air pockets. Less material is used for its manufacture, so the cost of such products is lower. At the same time, the strength of a hollow brick is not worse than that of a solid one, and the heat-saving properties are even higher due to the presence of air voids.
Solid brick is a more expensive option compared to hollow brick. It is characterized by high strength characteristics and low thermal conductivity.
Selection of the optimal masonry thickness
It would seem that it is enough to make the walls thicker, and the issues of sound insulation and heat preservation in the future house will be resolved. However, it should be noted that in addition to external brick walls in buildings large area internal load-bearing walls must also be erected, as well as non-bearing walls. The thickness of these structures must be in a certain ratio with the parameters of the external load-bearing walls. Thus, the calculation of the thickness of all planned walls should be made at the design stage of the house, and not during the construction process.
When choosing the optimal thickness of external walls, the following factors are taken into account:
- features of the climatic zone;
- characteristics of the location of the future building;
- the size and layout of the house;
- construction budget.
It should be understood that the thickness of the outer walls cannot be less than 38 cm, which corresponds to a laying of one and a half bricks. In cold climates, the recommended masonry thickness is 51-64 cm.
Ways to reduce the thickness of load-bearing walls while improving thermal insulation
Anyone planning to build own house, worries about the price of the issue. The natural desire is to reduce the cost of this process, but to do it in such a way that the savings do not affect the durability, reliability and thermal insulation properties of the building.
There is such a way. This technology called well-shaped masonry. Its principle lies in the construction of load-bearing walls in two rows, between which there is an empty space of 25 cm, which is then filled with a certain porous material. As such a placeholder use:
- light concrete mix;
- slag;
- organic insulation;
- expanded clay;
- expanded polystyrene.
This design of load-bearing walls allows you to reduce the amount of required bricks, reduce total weight buildings, to increase the level of noise and heat insulation. The walls are thick, strong and reliable.
Additional thermal insulation
To create an insurmountable barrier to the cold, it is recommended to build a ventilated facade using special heat-insulating panels, various facing materials or plaster.
When finishing outer wall facing brick with inside it needs to be insulated. This operation is performed according to the following scheme:
- The inner surfaces of the load-bearing outer walls are sheathed with insulation.
- A vapor barrier film is mounted on the insulation layer.
- The resulting structure is covered with a reinforcing metal mesh and plastered (gypsum board can be used as an excellent alternative to plaster).
- The final step is decorative trim interior walls. Choice finishing materials due only to the taste preferences of the owners of the house.
This technology provides the house with high performance characteristics while reducing construction costs. Using the well-shaped masonry of the external load-bearing walls, followed by additional insulation, it is possible to reduce the initial cost of the object by an average of 20%.
Variety of building bricks
Brick is one of the most common materials for building walls. Modern construction market offers a huge selection of bricks from different fillers with different technical characteristics.
For the construction of the walls of a residential building, standard solid or fired clay bricks are most often used, the volumetric weight of which is up to 1900 kg / m³. Another common type is silicate or white brick weighing up to 2000 kg/m³.
Speaking of parameters, you should specify the standard data of one solid brick: weight - 3-4 kg, size - 250x65x120 mm. Wall thickness brick building must always be a multiple of 0.5 of the width and equal to ½, 1, 1 ½, etc. bricks.
The thickness of the walls of the future building should depend on what climate zone it is being built. For example, with an average temperature of -30ºС in winter, the outer load-bearing walls of the house should be no thinner than 64 cm (that is, 2 ½ bricks).
Ordinary solid brick
Today, the industry provides a huge selection of building materials, including bricks, but, as before, solid clay bricks remain one of the most popular. It is red in color, resistant to low temperatures and frost, its porosity varies within 20%. It is these characteristics that determine the thermal conductivity and absorption of moisture by the walls, as well as the strength of the connection of brick with mortar.
The surface of a solid ordinary brick wall is usually rough, so it will have to be plastered (outside and inside the building).
This material is intended not only for the construction of walls, but also for the construction of small architectural forms- columns, vaults, etc.
This material differs from the above in that there are voids inside it. different shapes(non-through and through round, square, oval, slit-like). Such a brick can be brown, yellow, dark or pale red.
Its peculiarity is that the mortar practically does not penetrate into the voids due to their small size (the diameter of the holes is no more than 16 mm, the width is 12 mm), therefore, a wall made of hollow bricks has a low thermal conductivity.
This type of brick is used mainly for the construction of load-bearing external walls with high thermal insulation, but no less widely hollow brick is used to reduce the thickness of the walls in the house.
Voids provide several other benefits: they reduce costs, reduce the load on the foundation of the building, increase its frost resistance and reduce the cost of transporting materials.
Facing brick
Such a brick can have different shades depending on the raw materials used for its manufacture - from yellow to dark red. The main advantages of facing bricks are its frost resistance and protection from moisture.
Facing bricks are used for the construction of external walls of almost any type. Its cost exceeds the price of a solid brick, but the walls of it do not require mandatory plastering.
The surface of facing bricks is sometimes decorated with an ornament. This gives an excellent opportunity to use it for decorative purposes, for example, for finishing a fireplace or stove inside the house. An additional aesthetic effect can be achieved with profile facing bricks.
silicate-based brick
The technical characteristics of silicate bricks are slightly lower than those of clay bricks. It is not very resistant to frost, as it absorbs moisture very much. Moreover, this material high density, so it does not provide necessary thermal insulation the walls of the house.
Before you start laying sand-lime brick walls, you need to know how strong the foundation of the house is, as this is a heavy material that requires an appropriate reliable foundation. In connection with these features, sand-lime bricks are rarely built for private cottages, and they are also used for other construction purposes.
Clinker ceramic brick
This material is characterized by shades of gray, white or red. Clinker modular brick is characterized by increased resistance to frost, practically does not absorb moisture, heat-resistant, has smooth walls, so it is compared with ceramic tiles and used for exterior wall cladding. It is slightly larger in size than a standard facing brick, which significantly reduces the time for work and the consumption of materials.
glazed brick
This type of brick is facing materials, so it is widely applicable to interior and exterior wall decoration. In addition, glazed brick has many shades.
The peculiarity of this material is in the manufacturing technology. It lies in the fact that the clay mass - the basis of the brick - is mixed with a variety of chemical fillers, which, when fired, forms a vitreous, durable and frost-resistant layer on the surface.
Glazed brick has the same characteristics as clinker brick, but is significantly inferior in its fragility. This material has found application in the decorative arts and is used for mosaics inside the house or on the facade.
figured brick
Suitable for exterior decoration of the house, as it can have a variety of shapes and colors.
When building a house, there is often a question of saving. To do this, you should carefully consider the choice of materials for laying walls. According to experts, it is better to use either a hollow brick or a solid one, but with the creation of voids (the so-called wells). Important point- the use of "warm" mortars and high-quality insulation materials in masonry.
Correct wall thickness
It is considered economical and expedient to build brickwork with internal or external wall insulation. The thickness of the wall in this case can reach 25 cm, regardless of the climatic features of the region. The only one important criterion- Required structural strength.
The thermal insulation of the walls is provided due to the quality and properties of the insulation. If the insulation is located outside the house, it is additionally protected with a layer of plaster, and if inside, then the formation of condensate (due to the difference in temperatures outside and inside) is prevented with the help of vapor barrier materials.
The load-bearing walls inside the house are most often built of baked clay or silicate bricks. The thickness of these structures must be at least 25 cm. As for the section of the bearing pillars and walls, they optimal dimensions must be at least 38x38 cm and 25x51 cm, respectively.
With heavy loads on load-bearing structural partitions and poles, it is better to reinforce with a special metal mesh (wire diameter - up to 5 mm). Reinforce, as a rule, every 3-5 rows of brickwork in height.
Partitions and piers, which are not expected to be heavily loaded, should have a thickness of half a brick - 12 cm (or 6.5 cm if the brick is placed “on edge”). These elements also need additional strengthening - reinforcement, if the length of the partitions exceeds 1.5 m, and the brick is laid with an edge.
The distance between the wire reinforcement is every 2-3 rows of masonry height.
Brick walls have significant thermal inertia. This suggests that it takes a long time for them to cool down or warm up again. One nuance should be taken into account here - the thicker the wall and the more voluminous its mass, the longer these processes take.
Consequently, the air temperature inside a room with brick walls can remain virtually unchanged throughout the day. It is this feature that is considered the indisputable advantage of bricks in construction.
However, there are also disadvantages. For example, during the seasonal operation of the house, in the cold season, you can feel strong dampness. Since frozen walls warm up for a long time, and sudden changes in temperature cause condensation, it is better to take care of reliable insulation and additional sheathing of structures in advance (as a rule, wooden boards are used for this).
As for the facing of a brick house, it is better to use a ceramic or hollow thickened brick intended for this, a concrete stone.
A little about the solution
When erecting the walls of a brick house, several types of mortar can be used. Among them, the most commonly used:
- cement-sand;
- cement-clay;
- cement-lime.
For the sake of reliability and confidence that your house will not “crumble” after some time, it is better to immediately take care of a quality solution. According to experts, the best in terms of characteristics cement-sand mortar with the addition of clay and lime.
In addition, the use of such a solution will help to achieve plasticity, suitable compaction and savings on cement (cement consumption can be reduced by up to two times).
Lime dough is made from slaked lime (lump or powder). The resulting mixture is poured into a special pit and not used for at least the first two weeks.
To obtain clay of the required consistency, use pieces of clay, after soaking them in water (the process lasts approximately 3-5 days).
Despite the fact that lime and clay dough can be stored for a long time, it is better to prepare a brickwork mortar before starting work and use it in the coming hours.
Several ways of brickwork
There are quite a few ways to build brick walls, but they all have several common features. Before choosing a masonry method, you should pay special attention to the season, the properties and plasticity of the mortar, as well as what you want to see the front side of the wall.
Professional builders distinguish three main masonry methods:
- hold on;
- butt;
- semi-adhered.
Press-on bricklaying is used when walls are erected using hard mortar, with jointing and full filling. In this way, any parts and elements of a brick wall are laid. In this case, the mortar is placed at a distance of 10-15 mm from the front of the wall.
This method of masonry is quite strong, clean and dense, but extremely laborious.
The butt-laying method involves the use of plastic mortars and incomplete filling of the seams from the front of the wall. In this case, the solution is spread like a bed, retreating up to 30 mm from the outer surface of the wall.
It is important to know that in regions with increased seismic activity, the back-to-back brickwork method is not acceptable!
Half-joint with mortar trimming, brick walls are constructed with full filling of vertical and horizontal joints. The solution is applied, retreating a distance of up to 15 mm from the front of the wall. Excess solution is taken with a trowel. This method of masonry involves the use of a hard mortar that could be cut off immediately after it was squeezed out of the joints.
During bricklaying by any of the above methods, the seams are embroidered before the mortar hardens. To do this, the surface of the brickwork is first cleaned of the remnants of the mortar with a brush, then the vertical and horizontal seams are embroidered.
Bandaging of seams is an important stage of masonry
The durability, stability and strength of the walls of your house depends on whether the ligation of the masonry seams is correctly performed.
The English bandage is considered the most durable. This method involves laying bricks crosswise along the entire height of the wall. There are several other popular ways, for example, English garden and Flemish dressing.
There are two different types of masonry - lightweight and solid. Among the solid ones, single-row and multi-row are also distinguished. Single-row (or chain) involves alternating a row of bricks across the wall with a row of bricks along the wall. But multi-row (two-, three-, six-row) systems with offset vertical seams have become more widespread.
The reliability of brickwork with vertical bandaging of seams in each row or after several rows is almost the same and does not have significant differences.
More popular is the use of one of the methods of lightweight masonry.
For exterior walls, well masonry is considered the most common and profitable. Its peculiarity is that at a distance of 15-35 cm from each other, separate walls are erected half a brick wide. They are connected with the help of bridges in a quarter of a brick, at a distance of 60-120 cm in the length of the wall and every 4-5 rows in height.
The voids formed between the individual walls are filled with light concrete, “warm” mortar, concrete liners made of stones, expanded clay, sand or crushed stone. These materials provide thermal insulation to the walls and are compacted in layers up to 15 cm thick, pouring mortar approximately every 50 cm in height. This method of laying significantly increases the strength of the wall.
One more way should be considered - lightweight masonry with horizontal diaphragms. Despite the fact that this method significantly reduces costs and saves material consumption, it is applicable only in the construction of one- and two-story houses.
Its features are as follows: first, two parallel walls are built in half a brick; they are interconnected with reinforcing wire 6 mm thick at a distance of 50 cm of the wall length; the ends of the reinforcement are bent at a right angle and placed in the masonry at a depth of up to 10 cm; the space between the walls is covered with a 15 cm layer of "warm" concrete.
Often, in the construction of private cottages, the method of brickwork with three-row diaphragms is used. This method is similar to the one described above, except that the diaphragm of such masonry consists of three rows with dressing of seams.
Even without being a professional builder, it is important to know that the consumption of bricks and other materials for building a wall in a lightweight way is much less than with continuous masonry.
What are the seams?
Depending on the method of laying a brick wall and its subsequent finishing, there are hollow, concave and convex types of jointing.
If it is supposed to apply a plaster layer, then the seams are embroidered into a wasteland. To do this, the solution is spread at a distance of 10-15 mm from the front surface of the wall so that the finishing layer following this is fixed as it should.
Depending on the type of jointing, a convex and concave seam is distinguished. They are used when there is no need for further plastering of brick walls.
following the rules and technical specifications, the type of seam does not have significant differences and the choice of any of them depends on the recommendations of the builders on the site and on your aesthetic preferences.
