The main materials used in construction and their characteristics. The main consumables used in construction Building materials are divided into
In the process of erecting various structures and buildings, the skillful hands of workers and building materials play a fundamental role. The most famous are wood, stone, brick, plastic, glass, cement and others. Classifying materials, the following can be distinguished: concrete and reinforced concrete products, stone, timber and synthetic, binders, metals and others.
The most basic building material is commercial concrete, which is a concrete mixture based on cement and various fillers. When concreting car parks, petrol and railway stations, it becomes simply indispensable. Durability and fire resistance are the main advantages of ready-mixed concrete. In addition, it has another positive function - in accordance with the specified parameters of the material that is going to be obtained, its density and strength can be changed. Regarding this stone material, we can say the following: “Concrete helps us build and live!”
No construction is complete without such material as crushed stone, which is obtained by crushing rocks, gravel and boulders. Even for a small construction site, crushed stone is delivered, since it is famous for its easy extraction. It is divided into several types depending on the composition of nature: gravel, granite, dolomite and limestone. Gravel in comparison with other types has a low radioactive background, and this is its indisputable advantage.
An important element in construction work is also sand - loose non-metallic material. Depending on the place and conditions of formation, it is divided into several types: river, sea, mountain, dune and dune. For brickwork, quarry sand is mainly used, and cement-sand mortars require river sand, since there is no clay component in it. Delivery of sand to the construction site does not require long-distance transportation, because it is mined near the construction site.
In road construction, sand and gravel mixtures used for paving are very popular. In industrial construction, they are used in the laying and repair of communications. Among the sand and gravel mixtures, natural (PGS) and enriched (OPGS) stand out. ASGs are characterized by a reduced content of gravel (about 20%), OGGS exceeds this amount by 3 times.
Cement is one of the main components in construction. As water is the "glue" of the universe, so it performs the function of connecting and bonding various elements. Basically, the use of cement involves the creation of concrete and mortars.
In this article, we will consider all types of building materials that are used to build a house or apartment. All building materials will have a detailed description and methods of their installation. If you decide to do construction, then it will be interesting for you to read the articles on the site. It says “?”, “What building materials to use in construction?”, “Cheap or expensive building materials to use in construction?”. Let's deal with this issue once and for all.
First of all, you need to know that the building materials market has hundreds of offers, and this, for example, only applies to building mixtures. We will help you choose the most optimal choice and not expensive. Building material is a material for the construction or erection of any structures.
What is the foundation made of?
In fact, the foundation is not the most difficult work during construction, but you still need to know some of the nuances. When choosing “what foundation to make for the house”, and there are several types of them: 
Read an interesting article about the types of foundation and. It is also important to know if the foundation you have chosen is suitable for your area. To do this, you need to find out what type of soil is on your site. This will help the soil map of the Russian Federation with all the properties and depths of soil freezing.
WALLS.
When decorating, repairing or building walls, you should read. The walls are built after the foundation. When the foundation has settled and is ready for loads, the second stage of building a house begins. Basically, the cash costs per box account for approximately 30% of the entire construction budget. These costs are not cheap and you need to know what material to use for walls and some factors: climate zone, building height, budget. After that, it is worth choosing materials for the walls.
Wooden walls are an environmentally friendly product using solid wood or its main filler (composite). Composite building materials are made from fiberboard, chipboard, plywood and others.
From solid wood they make - boards, beams, construction logs and others.
very pretty and warm. But in humid climatic zones they try not to build. Such houses are more suitable for the dry climate of central Russia or Siberia.
Reinforced concrete walls.
The framework from iron fittings is filled in with concrete. After the concrete has dried, this design is very durable. A panel house is made mainly multi-storey, and the foundation for it is poured several meters into the ground. Private houses are also being built. For example, the walls are made of slabs, and lightweight materials serve as filling material. Expanded clay is mixed with concrete mix, which reduces weight. This method of erecting walls in a house can also be attributed to rapid construction. slabs are large and set relatively quickly.
Interior decoration of premises.
implies the completion of outdoor work. The choice of materials for finishing or repairing walls inside the house depends on the condition of the walls. Preparation of walls for finishing begins with the application of plaster or plasterboard sheathing.
FLOOR
The weak point in the house is the floor. Constant loads on it leads to premature wear of the floor covering. The time until its future repair depends on how you choose the right floor covering and floor foundation. When choosing a material for the floor, it must meet the basic criteria such as water resistance, wear resistance, durability and of course, have a beautiful modern look. According to their types, they are divided into: wooden, polymer and ceramic. Wooden floors are usually made in rooms where there is an underfloor, that is, there is a space under the floor between the floor covering and the subfloor. Plank wood flooring usually consists of two or more layers, where the first layer serves as the base for the floor covering. The boards are attached to the floor beams (log counter-lattice), this design is reliable and is used everywhere.
Parquet flooring made of natural wood is very popular. It is used in every 3rd apartment. By type, it can be industrial or individual production.
Types of parquet: parquet board, panel parquet, artistic parquet.
Ceramic tiles have been used for a very long time. It is used for wall and floor cladding. The material is made of refractory clay and is practically durable. High durability and a wide choice of various forms, do this material irreplaceable when laying a floor. Ceramic tiles have the following qualities: high mechanical strength, waterproofing, minimal exposure to aggressive liquids, beautiful appearance. Basically, tiles are laid in the bathroom, toilet or kitchen, where there is high humidity.
Such materials can be mastic seamless floors, roll-type floors (linoleum) and tiled. Linoleum is made from synthetic materials, resins with a fabric base. PVC tiles, like linoleum, are resistant to aggressive chemicals, oils, water-based liquids and other aggressive environments.
Rigid. The professional flooring is a galvanized metal rolling. Widely used for roofing roofs, as well as the construction of fences and visors.
Metal tile - the same corrugated board, only of a different shape.
Clay tile— durable, reliable and expensive material. Any roof made of ceramic tiles looks very beautiful.
The advantage of such a roof will be an easy repair. You just need to replace the broken piece with a new one and the roof is in order.
Slate Everyone knows this stuff. Previously, all houses were covered with slate. there was no other material. However, today slate has applications in roofing. Easy mounting and durability.
Ondulin- a modern substitute for slate. Made from organic cellulose material under heat and high pressure.
flexible roof used in the construction of modern houses. This is a modern coating of polymeric and composite materials, resin, bitumen, etc. All materials made using the technology for flexible roofing are considered durable and reliable.
Manufacturers of flexible roofing.
Ruflex
shinglas
Katepal
TechnoNicole
Icopal
Bikrost
Until now, there is no unequivocal answer to the question of what material is better to make the walls of a residential building. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Builders and designers cannot agree on the choice of the most optimal product for making walls. The thing is that in each case, the best material must be selected based on the purpose of the building, its configuration, the climatic conditions of the area and the financial capabilities of the owner. In our article, we will consider the most common wall materials, describe their properties, pros and cons, and you yourself will be able to choose the best one based on the construction conditions.
Factors affecting the choice
A quarter of all construction costs go to building walls. Since the wrong material for building walls in the future can lead to even more expenses, the following factors should be taken into account when choosing it:
- If you want to save on arranging the foundation by making a shallow lightweight option, then choose a light material for the walls. Additional savings in the case of using light elements for the walls of the house will be during transportation and installation, because it can be done by hand without the use of expensive lifting equipment.
- Choose building materialsthat have good thermal insulation characteristics. Otherwise, cold walls in winter will cost you dearly due to heating costs.
Tip: it is best to perform a heat engineering calculation taking into account the climatic conditions of the construction region. This is the only way to be sure that you have chosen the right material and wall design. So, in the northern regions of our country, even walls made of materials with high thermal insulation properties need to be insulated.
- If piece materials, for example, bricks, are used to build the walls of the house, then a significant proportion of the costs will be the cost of paying masons. Even if you do all the work yourself, then consider the time and physical costs. It is much more profitable and faster to build from large-sized elements. The highest speed of wall construction is for houses built using frame-panel and frame-panel technology.
- When choosing building materials for walls, it is worth considering how easy they are to finish and whether they need it at all. For example, the walls of an OSB frame house can not be finished at all, but simply painted, and a log house needs a thorough finish outside and inside.
To understand what to build your house from, you need to understand the characteristics of building materials, so further we will describe the properties of each of them, list the advantages and disadvantages.
Brick
A house built of brick can stand for a century, or even a century and a half. There are many varieties of bricks that differ in important operational and technical characteristics.
So, for the construction of walls, silicate and ceramic types of bricks are used. Consider their features:
- ceramic brick made from fired red clay. It is durable, moisture resistant, environmentally friendly material. On sale there is a corpulent and hollow brick. The more voids in a brick, the higher its thermal insulation performance.
- silicate brick is made on the basis of lime, sand and some additives. It also happens to be full-bodied and hollow. The latter option is characterized by lightness and improved thermal insulation qualities. Silicate full-bodied products are distinguished by good sound-proofing properties, but high thermal conductivity.
Also, this wall material is divided into front and ordinary:
- It is better to build the walls of the house from ordinary brick. Products may have small defects in the form of cracks and chips, but due to this, their price is more acceptable. In addition, for the internal masonry of walls, the appearance of the product is not as important as for the front masonry.
- Facing brick (front)- this is the wall material with which the facade is made out. All products must have the correct geometric shape, smooth or embossed surface, be free of flaws and defects. The price of a front brick is higher than that of its ordinary counterpart.
The strength of this wall material is directly related to its brand, which can be from M 75 to M 300. The number indicates the load that one square centimeter of the product can withstand. The higher the brand, the greater the specific gravity of the product. To build a 2 or 3-storey house, brick grade 100-125 is enough. To perform the foundation and base, products with the brand 150-175 are used.
Also, when choosing a brick, it is important to take into account its frost resistance, that is, the number of freeze and thaw cycles that the product can withstand without damage and a decrease in strength by no more than 20%. This indicator is marked with the letter F and a number from 15 and above. For warm regions, you can use products with a frost resistance grade of 15; in colder latitudes, bricks of the F25 grade are used. For facing work, a brick with a frost resistance of at least 50 is suitable.
Advantages and disadvantages of brick
Among the advantages of this wall material, it is worth listing the following:
- Impressive service life.
- aesthetic appeal.
- Unlimited possibilities in terms of design and implementation of the most complex projects.
- The material is not susceptible to corrosion, damage by fungi and microorganisms.
- The product does not burn.
- High sound and heat insulation characteristics.
The disadvantages include the following:
- Due to the small size and large specific gravity, laying brick walls takes a long time and costs a lot.
- Under brick walls, it is necessary to equip a solid buried foundation, and this entails increased costs for materials and earthworks.
- In most cases, brick walls need to be additionally insulated.
ceramic blocks
A ceramic block is a material made from a mixture of clay and sawdust, after which the element is fired in a kiln. This is a fairly durable product that allows you to quickly build the walls of the house. The strength of the ceramic block is so high that a multi-storey building can be made from it. Inside the material has a porous structure, and the outer surface is corrugated. For a tight connection, the ends of the material have grooves and ridges.
The height of the ceramic block is a multiple of the rows of brickwork, and the other dimensions may be different. Thus, it is possible to build from a ceramic block according to projects that are designed for bricks. But the speed of construction is much higher, since one ceramic block measuring 238x248x500 mm, which weighs 25 kg, is equal to 15 bricks, each of which weighs 3.3 kg. In addition to increasing the speed of construction, the cost of mortar is reduced, because it will be needed less.
Important: the width of the ceramic block can be 230, 240 and 250 mm, and the length is in the range of 250-510 mm. On the long side of the product there is a comb-groove lock.
Walls with a thickness of 380 mm or more made of this material do not need to be insulated, since the thermal conductivity of the product is only 0.14-0.29 W / m² x ° C. Marking wide blocks M 100. If you need to make thin but strong walls, then you can take elements marked 150. Frost resistance of ceramic blocks is at least 50 cycles.
Pros and cons of ceramic blocks
The advantages include:
- The low specific weight and high strength significantly expand the scope of this material.
- Installation of large-sized products is carried out quickly and without unnecessary labor.
- Saving mortar due to the size of the elements and the absence of the need to make vertical seams.
- The frost resistance of an ordinary ceramic block is higher than that of an ordinary brick.
- Good fire resistance. The product is able to resist burning for 4 hours.
- An optimal microclimate is created in the room from ceramic blocks, since the walls can "breathe" and regulate the humidity of the air.
- The house can last a century and a half and at the same time will not lose its thermal insulation characteristics.
This material also has disadvantages, among which it is worth mentioning the following:
- The price of ceramic blocks is quite high.
- Since these products are relatively new in our market, it is difficult to find a good mason to perform masonry.
- This fragile material needs to be stored and transported very carefully.
gas blocks
This material has excellent thermal insulation properties. In terms of thermal conductivity, a gas-block wall with a width of 300-400 mm is not inferior to a multi-layer brick structure. Walls of gas blocks maintain optimal temperature and humidity conditions indoors. The material is not subject to rot and has an impressive service life. The thermal insulation qualities of a gas block are 3 times greater than those of a brick wall.
Aerated concrete is quite light, so it is easy to transport and stack. It is easily cut with a regular hacksaw to the desired size. The laying of elements is carried out on a mortar or special glue, which requires little. The smooth, even surface of the gas blocks is easy to finish. Aerated concrete is considered environmentally friendly and non-combustible. It has a fairly high frost resistance.
Attention: for aerated concrete, the density characteristic is important. This indicator can be in the range of 350-1200 kg / m³. For an ordinary residential building, it is enough to take elements marked 500-900.
Advantages and disadvantages of gas blocks
The advantages of this wall product are many:
- The laying of walls from gas blocks is carried out 9 times faster than the laying of bricks.
- The low thermal conductivity of the product is a big plus in its favor.
- Aerated concrete has a high fire resistance, it does not emit harmful substances even during combustion.
- The porous structure of the material contributes to high frost resistance.
- In terms of vapor permeability, aerated concrete is comparable only to wood.
Cons of aerated concrete:
- Low bending strength.
- The material is prone to cracking.
- Hygroscopicity. After absorbing moisture, the thermal insulation performance of aerated concrete decreases, so the facade needs a protective finish.
- It is impossible to lay floor slabs and beams directly on gas blocks, therefore, before laying them, you will have to make a monolithic armored belt. This entails additional costs and time.
Wood
Many people who decide to build a house make a choice in favor of wood. This natural material is environmentally friendly. It creates a favorable microclimate in the house, maintains optimal humidity and saturates the air with healing phytoncides. In a wooden house it is warm in winter and not hot in summer, because wood has good thermal insulation characteristics.
A wooden house can be built from the following products:
- The log can be of natural shape or rounded. In the latter case, the material has a regular shape and a smooth surface, but needs additional protective treatment, since the natural protective resin layer, which is located under the bark, is removed during the cylindering process.
- You can use glued (profiled) and sawn or planed timber. Higher-quality houses are obtained from glued laminated timber, which has special grooves and ridges for a snug fit of the elements. Sawn timber is more often used to make frame houses.
- Frame-panel houses are made of OSB, chipboard, moisture-resistant plywood, which are attached to the frame. Insulation is laid inside the wall.
The main advantages of wooden houses are their environmental friendliness, comfort and reasonable price. Under such a house, you can make a lightweight foundation. Disadvantages - fire hazard, shrinkage.
Consumables for construction work do not belong to the main raw materials, but are closely related to them. As the name implies, they include small tools and materials that are consumed or worn out in the process of fulfilling a specific order, that is, with a short service life. Further in the article it is indicated what applies to building consumables.
Tools and auxiliary materials for manual application of protective, decorative and adhesive coatings
These are primarily paint brushes and rollers. Depending on the type of surface being treated and the type of coating being applied, they differ in shape and size. For the convenience of work, these products can be equipped with special telescopic rods, which are able to extend the handle of the tool up to four meters, which allows you to paint even a very high ceiling.
The use of a roller implies the purchase of an appropriately sized paint pan, which, thanks to its ribbed surface, evenly distributes the paint over the entire area of the paint tool and removes excess paint. As a rule, several rollers are purchased to work with coatings of different colors and compositions, but you can use one handle, changing only nozzles. When working with one painting tool for several days, to prevent drying out, both brushes and rollers are soaked in containers with water until the next use, or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
This series of building consumables also includes a series that allows you to seriously reduce the time and nerves when beating the perfect edge during the application of paint and varnish, as well as keep the mating surface clean. They differ only in the width of the overlapped edge and footage.
Spare parts, abrasive and cutting tools
Each electric tool used in construction or repair requires its own equipment, which is a processing structural element, usually of a replaceable type. It includes drills, cutting, as well as lubricants and much more.
Consumables for building tools are a significant cost element and the cause of endless disputes between the customer and the contractor. This situation is connected with a high degree of standardization of such components. With the same functionality, both the price and the quality of products can have a serious run-up. The choice is not always obvious, but with a large amount of work, it is worth giving preference to products from well-established manufacturers.
Consumables for construction equipment can be classified according to the following criteria:
- Metalworking. These include drills, borings, cutters for metal, cutting and grinding wheels, grinding materials, hacksaw blades, lubricants.
- Woodworking. Cutting blades for electric jigsaw, wood drills.
- For processing stone, tiles and concrete. Diamond-coated discs, chisels and percussion drills with victorious tips.
In this entire list, only wood saws and drilling-type components (with the exception of percussion drills) are subject to restoration by sharpening.
Hardware and fasteners
Depending on the type of work, this group of construction consumables can be even more costly than tooling equipment. This includes screws for wood, metal, nuts, bolts, washers and other hardware, all kinds of nozzles for a screwdriver and fasteners of any other types (screeds, rivets, clamps, brackets).
Container and packaging
It can be returnable or non-refundable. This is an important element in maintaining the presentation of the main materials. It can be paper, polyethylene, barrels, bags, pallets, boxes and other packaging.
Utility equipment and personal protective equipment
Hair and wire brushes, rags, containers for transferring and stirring bulk materials and garbage collection, brooms, stationery, gloves, glasses, respirators, etc.
All these trifles add up to a fair amount of money and cannot always be fully taken into account at the stage of drawing up an estimate of work. Therefore, often, to simplify the calculations for construction consumables, 3% of the cost of basic resources is allocated and included in the estimate as a common line without decoding the nomenclature.
To make it easier to navigate the variety of building materials, they are classified according to their purpose, based on the working conditions of materials in structures or on a technological basis, taking into account the type of raw material from which the material is obtained and the method of manufacture.
By purpose, materials can be divided into two groups:
structural and materials special purpose.
Construction materials, used mainly for load-bearing structures, the following are distinguished:
natural stone materials.
Inorganic binders.
Artificial stone obtained from:
monolithic with the help of binders (concrete, reinforced concrete, solutions);
sintering (ceramic materials);
melting (glass).
Metals (steel, cast iron, aluminum, alloys).
polymers and plastics.
Wood.
Composite (asbestos cement, fiberglass, ...).
Construction Materials special purpose necessary to protect structures from the harmful effects of the environment or improve performance and create comfort, the following:
Thermal insulation.
Acoustic.
Waterproofing, roofing, sealing.
Finishing.
Anti-corrosion.
Refractory.
Radiation protection materials, etc.
Each material has a complex of various properties that determine the scope of its application and the possibility of combination with other materials.
It is known that the properties of building materials determine the scope of their application. Only with a correct and qualitative assessment of the properties of materials, strong and durable building structures of buildings and structures can be obtained.
Property- the ability of a material to react in a certain wayon a separate or most often acting in conjunction with otherexternal or internal factor. The action of one or another factor is determined both by the composition and structure of the material, and by the operating conditions of the material in the construction of buildings and structures.
FACTORS AFFECTING BEHAVIOR
BUILDING MATERIALS UNDER FIRE CONDITIONS
Operating factors:
In order for a building or structure to fulfill its purpose and be durable, it is necessary to clearly understand the operating conditions in which each structure manufactured by them will operate. Knowing these conditions, it is possible to establish what properties the material intended for the manufacture of a given structure should have.
For example, the main requirement for the materials from which load-bearing structures are made is their ability to resist well the change in shape and destruction under the influence of loads, as well as, in some cases, low thermal conductivity and sound transmission (for example, for building envelopes).
Operating factors include:
Scope of the material.
Operating conditions.
Fire factors:
temperature and duration of the fire.
Fire-fighting equipment.
Aggressive environment in case of fire (toxicity of combustion products, destroying materials).