Construction technologies are constantly updated. New materials appear, replacing old ones. Thus, relatively recently, a large-format building material called warm ceramics or porous ceramic blocks appeared on the market. The blocks contain high quality clay, sawdust and water. These components are environmentally friendly, which means that products made from them meet high environmental safety requirements. The blocks have a porous structure, which improves sound absorption and thermal insulation properties. These and other features of ceramic blocks have made them especially popular in the construction of single- and multi-storey buildings in many European countries. This article will talk about how to lay ceramic blocks, but first, we suggest you familiarize yourself in more detail with the advantages of this material.

Warm ceramics are used by both professionals and amateur craftsmen. For the sake of objectivity, the pros and cons of the material will be given below. So let's start with the benefits. This list includes:

1. Stability and strength. Modern technologies The manufacture of blocks provided the opportunity to obtain a unique combination of low thermal conductivity and high strength grade of the material. Ceramic blocks retained the parameters of ordinary red brick and acquired new properties.
2. Energy efficiency. Ceramic blocks provide air-heat balance High Quality. This means that the room will receive Fresh air with minimal heating costs.
3. Environmental safety and natural air conditioning function. Thanks to the capillary structure of the blocks, air penetrates through the pores of the walls, creating natural moisture exchange. Thus, the walls will play the role of a natural air conditioner: if there is excess moisture, it will be absorbed into the walls, and if the air in the room is too dry, the walls will make up for the lack of moisture. Thanks to this, the likelihood of the formation of fungi and mold on the surface of the walls is eliminated.
4. Cracks will not appear on plastered walls, since ceramic blocks do not shrink.
5. Tongue-groove joint. The tongue-and-groove joining technology makes it possible to lay blocks even in a vertical position.

1. Plastering ceramic block walls is very simple, as they have a slightly rough corrugated surface, which ensures reliable adhesion plaster mixture with the wall surface. This is also very economical, since to plaster a wall made of ceramic block you will need one and a half times less plaster mixture than for a wall made of ordinary red brick.
2. Ceramic blocks are more voluminous than ordinary bricks. Due to this, walls made of this material are erected several times faster than those made of brick. Thus, the cost of construction is reduced.
3. The light weight of the blocks reduces the load on the foundation. Savings can be up to 40%.
4. Ceramic blocks have high thermal insulation properties, so there is no need to additional insulation structures built from them.

Each material has both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is worth mentioning the disadvantages of the material. The main disadvantage is considered to be low load bearing capacity and the strength of warm ceramics. Therefore, when building a house from ceramic blocks, it needs to be further strengthened. It will not be possible to screw racks, ladders and other heavy products to the walls.

Laying ceramic blocks cannot be done using the mortar used for laying ordinary red brick. In this case, special masonry thermal insulation solutions should be used. This is due to the difference in the thermal properties of these materials.

Note! If you make seams from ordinary cement-sand or lime-cement mortar, they will create cold bridges. Consequently, the thermal insulation properties of the walls will be significantly reduced.

The binder of the so-called warm solution is cement, and expanded clay sand, perlite or pumice are used as fillers. It is worth noting that the use of warm masonry mortar is advisable when laying external walls. For construction interior walls a regular solution is used. It is prepared manually or in a concrete mixer at low speed.

Ready-made mixtures are available for sale, sold in dry form. All that is required from the builder to prepare the solution is to add water according to the instructions included with the mixture. The solution should be medium dense. It should not fill the voids of the blocks.

Note! Warm solution improves the thermal performance of masonry by 17%.

When laying ceramic blocks, a so-called bed seam is used. It is important to maintain a certain balance. A very thin seam will not equalize the horizontal errors of the blocks, and a thick one will worsen the strength of the masonry. Optimal thickness seam – 12 mm. The solution is applied evenly.

Note! Load-bearing walls are subject to static load, so the masonry joint must be continuous. When building partitions, the masonry seam may be intermittent.

In the south of the country, external walls can be built from less thick blocks. When laying brick walls, you need to make not only horizontal, but also vertical joints. Ceramic blocks are connected to each other using tongue-and-groove technology, which eliminates the need to fill vertical joints with mortar. This not only helps save mortar, but also reduces construction time.

Before laying begins, a waterproofing solution is laid on the base, on which a waterproof material should be laid. In this case, the width of this material should exceed the thickness of the masonry by 2–3 cm.

Note! Reliable waterproofing between the base and the wall being built is a guarantee of the strength of the house.

After waterproofing the base, a bed or horizontal seam should be applied. It needs to be leveled. In this case, you should start at the highest point. Walls made of porous ceramic blocks are laid in warm, dry weather. The air temperature should be above +5℃. Unfinished walls should be covered with waterproof material at night and during rainfall.

Masonry starts from the corners. The first blocks are laid in the corners and connected to each other along the outside with a mooring cord. Subsequent blocks are inserted into one another along a cord. In this case, horizontal displacement of the masonry should not be allowed.

It happens that the block sizes are slightly different. In this case, they need to be cut down with a tabletop circular or manual chain saw. When laying the first row, it is important to strictly observe the horizontal and angles. With a slight deviation from the horizontal, the blocks tap rubber mallet. The surface of each row is moistened with water before applying the solution and laying the next one. If on outside if mortar leaks into the wall, it should be collected. This can be done with a spatula.

The dressing of masonry and walls deserves special attention. The integrity of the structure depends on this. The shift of blocks in adjacent rows must be at least 0.4 of the block height. Dressing outer wall from the inside it is carried out with steel perforated anchors. They are laid in horizontal seams in odd rows.

So, now you are ready to build walls from porous ceramic blocks. For clarity, we have placed video materials at the end of this article. If you still have questions, ask our expert. He will kindly provide you with additional information.

Video

The presented video material reveals the intricacies of ceramic block masonry:

Ceramic block is a progressive building material, which is one of the alternatives to brick, the use of which is widespread in low-rise construction. This is an artificially created stone with a high percentage of voids, intended for laying load-bearing and partition walls, ceilings and fences.

From this article you will learn the technology for the production of ceramic blocks, their specifications, advantages and disadvantages, and also receive recommendations on the selection and features of laying blocks.

Purpose, production technology

The strength characteristics of ceramic blocks make it possible to use this material in the construction of residential and industrial buildings up to 9 floors high. Also, ceramic block can be used as facing material when filling frame buildings, in this case the number of storeys of the building being erected is not limited.

According to the provisions of GOST No. 503, the material is called “Ceramic Stone”; names such as porous or warm ceramics, ceramic stone, large-format brick are also common.

The technology for producing ceramic blocks is similar to the production process for making bricks. The raw material composition includes the following components:

• low-melting clay;
• burn-out additives - sawdust, peat, straw, husks;
• water;
• chemical modifiers (if necessary, to give the material improved performance characteristics).

Burnout additives, also known as porosizers, reduce the density of clay during firing by giving it a cellular structure. The more porosizers are added to the raw material, the better the thermal insulation characteristics of the material will be, and the lower its strength.

The mixture of clay with a porous agent is called a mixture; it is processed in a clay grinding machine, where the material is ground to the smallest fibers. Next, on a press extruder, blanks of the required shape are formed from the charge, the process is as follows - the mixture is moistened and enters a vacuum chamber, in which air is removed from the charge, then the composition is pressed through the extruder die, which forms a beam with voids inside from the charge.

The timber is cut into blocks using a string cutting machine, after which the blanks are delivered to the dryer, where the blocks harden at a temperature gradually increasing from 35 to 110 degrees over 72 hours. Next stage- ceramicization, which occurs in tunnel kiln at a temperature of 1000 degrees. During the process of ceramization, the porous agents contained in the mixture burn out and the material acquires a cellular structure.

On this manufacturing process completed - the blocks are placed on pallets and packed in stretch film. Some manufacturers of ceramic blocks additionally polish the surface of the products, which allows them to be laid using seamless technology using special glue. Also, in premium ceramic blocks, the pores can be filled with basalt or expanded polystyrene, which eliminates the possibility of masonry mortar getting into the cells.

1.1 Advantages and disadvantages

The widespread use of ceramic blocks in residential construction is due to the many operational advantages this material has. Let's look at the main advantages of ceramic blocks:

1. Porous kerambol has low thermal conductivity due to the presence of voids in its structure; it can be used to build warm house With minimum thickness walls
2. Large-format ceramic blocks are laid much faster than bricks, since the size of one block of 380x250x219 mm replaces 15 standard bricks. This allows you to maintain a high pace of construction and save on masonry mortar consumption.
3. Due to its cellular structure, the material has good soundproofing abilities.
4. Ceramic blocks are completely non-flammable, they do not emit harmful human body substances in contact with fire. The composition of the material contains exclusively natural, environmentally friendly raw materials.
5. Due to their low density (800 kg/m3, which is comparable to the density of wood), the weight of ceramic blocks is minimal. The small mass of a house made of ceramic blocks makes it possible to erect a building on a conventional strip foundation, saving on laying a powerful base.

However, the porous ceramic block has disadvantages. Initially, we note the fragility of the material due to the many internal voids - when transporting, loading and unloading it, you must be as careful as possible. The material is also prone to absorbing moisture, to protect against which it is necessary to waterproof the first row of masonry. Another problem is the low frost resistance of ceramics, which makes it necessary to cover the facade of the house with bricks, thermal panels, or cover it with thermally resistant plaster.

Material specifications:

• density - 780 kg/m3;
• frost resistance class - F25;
• volumetric water absorption - 12%;
• vapor permeability - 0.14 g/mchPa;
• sound absorption - 53.5 dB;
• thermal conductivity - 0.25 W/mK;
• strength class - M100;
• voidness - 50%.

The dimensions of ceramic blocks are determined in the regulatory standard GOST No. 530 “Brick and ceramic stone”, according to which there are 14 standard sizes of products. The most common ones are:

• 250*120*140 (replaces 2.1 bricks);
• 380*250*219 (replaces 10.7 bricks);
• 510*250*219 (replaces 14.3 bricks).

The following differences between the actual dimensions and the standard ones are allowed: width - 5 mm, thickness - 5 mm, length - 10 mm. In each standard size of blocks, the thickness of the outer wall should be 8 mm. Difference ceramic products What differs from other masonry materials is the presence of tongue-and-groove joints on the side edges, which prevent the occurrence of cold bridges on vertical seams.

1.2 Porotherm ceramic blocks (video)

The leader in the global market for the production of ceramic blocks is the Porotherm company (Germany). This is one of the first manufacturers of porous ceramic blocks, which has been operating since 1869. Today the company owns 230 factories around the world, 2 of which are located in Russia.

The Porotherm assortment includes the following types of ceramic blocks:

• Porotherm 51 - large-format wall blocks for laying load-bearing walls;
• Porotherm 51 ½ - additional blocks for dressing vertical seams;
• Porotherm 20 - blocks for filling openings in frame buildings;
• Porotherm 12 and 8 — wall blocks for laying interior partitions.

Among domestic producers Ketra ceramic blocks deserve attention, the cost of which is 15-20% lower than that of Porotherm. The company produces and supplies ceramic blocks of standard sizes NF 2.1, 10.7 and 14.3 to the market. A characteristic feature of this company’s products is that the blocks are produced in different shades - from brown to milky, which expands design possibilities architect.

There are also quite a few on the market a large number of organizations offering turnkey construction services for houses and cottages. Such companies provide clients with catalogs in which they can choose finished projects cottages of different sizes - from 40 to 200 m2. In this case, the contractor undertakes the implementation of all stages of construction - from the zero cycle to decorative finishing building.

2.1 What mortar is needed for laying ceramic blocks?

Laying blocks can be done using ordinary cement-sand mortar, however, manufacturers of block products recommend using a special one adhesive composition. When using glue that does not form cold bridges, you can increase the heat-saving characteristics of the wall by 15-20%.

Adhesive for ceramic blocks is often called “warm solution”. His characteristic feature is the presence of a porous filler in the composition; as a rule, perlite is used. “Warm mortar” is more expensive than conventional masonry adhesives, however, due to the fact that when laying ceramic blocks there is no need to fill vertical seams with mortar (due to the presence of a tongue-and-groove system on the blocks), the increase in costs will be minimal.

Proven compositions of “warm mortar”, the quality of which is beyond doubt, are Kleizer “KTS” and Ferozit 231. You can often come across recommendations that walls made of ceramic blocks need to be reinforced with masonry mesh, but in practice it is used exclusively so that in the cavity in the blocks did not allow the mortar to fail, and not to strengthen the masonry, the safety margin of which is sufficient for low-rise buildings. When working with blocks from leading manufacturers, there is no need to use masonry mesh at all, since the geometry of the cavities in them is selected so that the glue does not get into the pores.

IN last years many new species have appeared wall materials, which have high thermal insulation. However, the desired effect is incomplete when using traditional cement-based masonry mortar. The resulting seams do not have good thermal insulation; it is through them that buildings are cooled and the cost of heating them increases. Also, ordinary solutions can cause mold to form on wall surfaces.

Thermal insulating masonry mortar will help solve the problem. Special compositions help maintain the thermal parameters of the wall and reduce heat loss from the seams between bricks or large format blocks. In their manufacture, porous materials are used, one of which may be perlite.

Features of heat-insulating masonry mixtures

Thanks to the heat-insulating mixture, it is possible to obtain a homogeneous masonry. They have a special composition that makes it possible to obtain a plastic and durable material with high strength. Thermal insulating masonry mixture prevents the formation of cold bridges. Thanks to it it is ensured good vapor permeability. Some manufacturers of ceramic blocks and others thermal insulation materials It is recommended that warm mixtures be used for their laying.

When choosing a thermal insulation mixture, the following parameters must be taken into account:

• density;
• frost resistance;
• compressive strength;
• coefficient of thermal conductivity;
• temperature of use.

Due to the solidification of the porous material, the density decreases and the thermal protection of the material increases. The voids in it, which prevent heat loss, are created through the use of special substances in the composition - expanded clay, perlite, pumice or vermiculite. When preparing the mixture for construction site obtain a uniform distribution of the thermal insulation filler. This means that a high-quality composition can be produced exclusively in a factory with careful adherence to technology.

The warm solution must have the following characteristics:

• plastic;
• high thermal insulation;
• sound absorption;
• good adhesion;
• decorative appeal;
• low density;
• high-quality seam filling.

Preparation of thermal insulation mixture

The composition should be poured into a tank with warm water(25 kilograms of mixture require about 10 liters of water). After this it is mixed until it forms homogeneous mixture. The solution should stand for up to 5 minutes, then it is mixed again for several minutes. It should have a creamy consistency. No third party substances or additives should be added to the masonry mixture.

The Slavdom company offers to purchase heat-insulating masonry mixtures from such manufacturers as RAUF Therme, Porotherm, PEREL and OSNOVIT. They are delivered to all cities Russian Federation. You can get a closer look at the products in one of our offices, which are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Contact us! Our employees will help you choose the optimal masonry mortar for your purposes!

Many customers and builders are wondering whether it is worth buying a special warm mixture for laying ceramic blocks or limiting themselves to a regular CPC solution? Undoubtedly, the cement-sand mixture is cheaper, but at the same time it does not have some important technical characteristics.

Benefits of warm solution

• Specially designed for porous ceramic blocks to reduce heat loss through mortar joints
• Thanks to the special composition with perlite, the mixture is very convenient to use, it is plastic and does not fall into voids
• Thermal insulation properties are 4 times better than conventional mortar
• The yield of the finished mixture from 1 kg is 1.6 times greater than that of a conventional solution
• Easy to prepare mixture - just add water

Warm solution consumption

What problem does warm masonry mortar solve? According to statistics, about 15% of the heat in a house is lost through mortar joints. By choosing a warm mixture for laying ceramic blocks, you will improve the thermal properties by 15%, respectively. Since the thermal conductivity of the solution is almost identical to the thermal conductivity of the ceramic block, the wall can be called monolithic.

In addition to the original Porotherm TM mortar, there have long been analogues on the market that are not inferior in quality to the original, for example Perel masonry mixtures.

Although ceramic blocks appeared in the field of private housing construction relatively recently, they have already gained the status of a promising and high-tech material. The hollowness of the structure ensures low level thermal conductivity, which gave rise to giving the blocks the second name “warm ceramics”. Like all materials for building walls, ceramic blocks require installation, which is done quite traditionally - using masonry. But it is advisable to use a special, warm mixture for masonry.

Warm mortar for ceramic blocks - basic properties

Since ceramic blocks are a heat-saving material, to obtain masonry with low thermal conductivity it will be necessary to use special mixtures, a mandatory addition to which can be lightweight porous substitutes, such as:

• vermiculite,
• pumice,
• perlite, which are quite effective heat insulators.

For laying ceramic blocks, a warm solution is used, the composition of which is as follows:

• Portland cement - as a binding component,
• additives of polymer origin - to improve the plasticity of the finished mixture, accelerate its hardening, increase frost resistance, water resistance,
• porous fillers.

The scope of use of warm masonry mortars is quite extensive, except for laying ceramic hollow blocks it is used in the construction of houses from aerated concrete blocks and large-format blocks from cellular concrete. The properties of the warm solution allow it to emphasize all the advantages of these wall materials.

advantages

High-quality masonry completely eliminates the possibility of cold bridges, increasing the resistance to the heat transfer process by approximately 30%. In addition, lightweight fillers make it possible to minimize the pressure exerted by the walls on the foundation. Considerable savings can be achieved by reducing the consumption of masonry material.

Due to the high moisture-holding abilities of the warm mortar, it is possible to use it in masonry using thin-seam technology. Filling the joints in the masonry with a solution that has low thermal conductivity can significantly reduce the volume of heat flows penetrating through the masonry and reduce their speed.

At the same time, a warm solution is permeable to vapors, i.e. allows you to maintain optimal humidity characteristics in your home; condensation will not settle on the walls in such a room. Thanks to the use of warm masonry mixtures, home owners will not be in danger of the appearance of fungal and mold cultures on the walls.

Naturally, the owners of the premises will receive savings on the maintenance of the house itself and its heating in the winter.

The consumption of warm mortar for ceramic blocks will be approximately 1.75 times less than conventional sand-cement mortar, due to the low density of the former.

Watch a video about the properties of perlite solution, its preparation and use:

Features of preparing warm masonry mortar

In most cases, warm mortar is used when laying external walls; for internal walls, a regular sand-cement analogue is more often used. Prepare a warm solution with your own hands or using a concrete mixer; if the volume is expected to be large, then it is best to rent a concrete mixer - the speed of work will increase significantly. You can prepare construction dough from packaged ready-made mixtures- you just need to add water to them and then mix thoroughly. A standard bag weighing 35 kg will yield about 31 liters ready solution.

If the components are purchased separately, then you will first need to mix all the ingredients in dry form, only then can you add liquid.

• per 1 piece of cement binder, add perlite or expanded clay sand - 5 parts,
• For 4 parts of the mixture in dry form, you will need to use 1 part of water.

Water should be used from a tap; mineral impurities in water from reservoirs can affect the balance of the components of the prepared solution.

The consistency of the finished solution should be medium-thick - very liquid will fill the voids of the blocks and reduce their thermal insulation characteristics. Before use, the solution should be allowed to stand for 5 minutes.

If you make a warm solution thick, it will lose its ability to provide reliable fastening- ceramic blocks absorb too much moisture - the solution will dry out before it has time to gain strength. An excessively liquid solution will lead to an increase in material consumption - losses will increase due to the presence of voids in the blocks. The use of ready-made mixtures will avoid the need to moisten the blocks - a warm solution is able to retain moisture for a sufficiently long period.

The best time to carry out construction is the warm season, low temperatures cause the mortar to set too quickly, which ultimately does not improve the quality of the masonry. When masonry is carried out at temperatures below +5 C, anti-frost additives should be added to the solution, but they will not save the masonry from reducing its strength either.

Since perlite is the most popular of the binding thermal insulation materials, when preparing the solution it is customary to replace sand with it. Experts warn that such a composition should not be mixed in a concrete mixer for too long - perlite has a tendency to granulate and form into dense lumps. Having obtained a homogeneous mass, the mixing process should be stopped.

When laying the masonry of a private house, you can add color to the mortar, this will increase the decorativeness of the masonry, negative impact Tinting does not affect the quality.

Watch the video on how to properly prepare masonry mortar:

Criteria for choosing a composition for preparing plaster

In specialized construction stores today you can find dry warm masonry mixtures from different manufacturers, which differ in marking. This is very convenient for buyers - they can choose exactly the one that is suitable for a specific building material and contains the desired percentage composition:

• thickener,
• plasticizer,
• modifiers.

10 kg of dry mixture can contain from 150 to 200 g of various additives. Ultimately, the quality of the solution, its strength and adhesion are determined by the balance of the amount of modifiers.

Of course, using a warm solution for ceramic blocks, the price of which is significantly higher than the cost of ordinary sand-cement, may be considered wasteful by some. However, experts advise not to compromise and not to look for mixtures exclusively among cheap analogues - ideal product quality can usually only be guaranteed by manufacturers of warm ceramic blocks. Spending money without being sure that the product will allow you to get enough high performance masonry mortar, there is no point.

If we're talking about In order to get savings by using a regular sand-cement mixture, you will need to make it thicker in consistency, and soak the ceramic blocks in water before laying. Only this option will make it possible to obtain strong and reliable masonry. In this case, the consumption will decrease slightly, and the amount of moisture absorbed will also become less. ceramic block. To simplify the laying process, it is recommended to add plasticizers to the mixture.

Experts advise: thickness masonry joint from an ordinary solution should not exceed 1-1.2 cm, otherwise cold bridges will form, and therefore there will be heat loss.

Watch a video about how to build a warm house:

Of course, it is up to the home owner to decide whether to use warm mortar or regular mortar when building a house. But does it make sense to save about 10% on the cost of the walls, and then spend extra money on heating the house throughout the entire period of operation.