The question is quite reasonable and it is not difficult to answer it if you know the answer. First of all, it will depend on the building material, and secondly, on the region. In the southern regions, the thickness will naturally be less than in the regions of Siberia and the Far North.

In winter, at temperatures below -20 degrees, the wall thickness should be at least 44 centimeters. If the temperatures drop below 30 - 50 degrees, then the walls will need to be erected with a thickness of at least 60-90 centimeters. In this case, the walls must be plastered - but the thickness of the plaster must be at least 2 cm. Or even more. This is done so that water does not get into the cinder block - as you know, this material is very hygroscopic.

The thickness of the building wall, as usual, still depends on the region. In temperate areas where winter temperatures do not fall below -20 degrees, it will be enough to masonry in one cinder block, that is, within 40 cm. This is followed by a progression: for each degree of frost - two centimeters of the wall. For example, at maximum winter frosts-40 degrees, a wall of cinder blocks should be erected with a thickness of at least 80 cm. outer wall insulate with foam.

Today the cinder block is one of the most available materials for construction. He won his popularity not only because of the cheapness and big size, which simplifies the process and time spent on construction, but also due to the fact that you can do it yourself.

The first cinder block was made from cement mixed with sand, gravel, water and slag from a blast furnace. From here it got its name.

Over time, technologies have changed, and with them the composition of the blocks. Now it contains expanded clay, scrap bricks, fine crushed stone, gravel.

Like other building materials, the cinder block has its drawbacks. Among them are poor sound insulation, difficulties with conducting communications through it, appearance- the surface of the walls requires finishing, poor adhesion to mortars during installation.

Along with this, the blocks are distinguished by their strength, thermal conductivity and moisture resistance, ease of installation and various colors.

The cinder block is divided into several types - decorative, semi-block, corpulent and hollow. For the construction of a wall, hollow is usually chosen - it is lighter and has less effect on the foundation.

Cinder block wall masonry technologies

Under a wall of blocks, as a rule, they use monolithic foundation which is buried in the ground reinforced concrete slab... The foundation on the surface should be at least one meter high and a width corresponding to the width of the cinder block or slightly more.

When the issue with the foundation is resolved, you can proceed directly to the construction of the wall itself. You should get building level and any cord for aligning the rows so that the wall is flat. It will also not do without a hammer and a trowel.

The thickness of the masonry for the cinder block wall should be selected depending on the purpose of the proposed building. If it is household or utility room, then it is logical to use masonry in the floor of a stone or one stone. If this is a dwelling, then one and a half or two stones. The number of blocks will depend on the area of ​​the walls and the volume of the laid out blocks.

One cubic meter holds seventy two blocks. To build a masonry in one block, on square meter walls will take thirty pieces, if in half a block - half as much.

To lay out a cinder block wall with your own hands, you need:

Mark the places in which the doors and windows are supposed to be located. Purchase a cinder block mixture for laying in any hardware store or, to save money, you can do it yourself. This will require one part of cement, three parts of sand and water. A mixture or solution, about one and a half centimeters thick, is placed on the foundation and carefully leveled.

The laying of the walls begins in the corners, from the so-called lighthouse blocks, to which a cord is attached, with which the blocks are installed in one level and two or three rows are laid simultaneously.

The blocks should hang over the foundation at a distance of about five millimeters. The cinder block is placed on a level and knocked in the right place with a trowel handle or a hammer. The excess solution is collected with a trowel and taken for further work.

The installation time of the blocks on the solution should not exceed ten minutes, since the solution will begin to dry out and lose its properties.

For building load-bearing walls, and also, in order to avoid the appearance of cracks on the walls where windows and doors are located, the cinder block is additionally strengthened (reinforced). To do this, use an armo mesh and reinforcement.

Photos of the walls erected from cinder block can be seen below in our gallery.

Professionals lay the cinder block without any tools, and beginners should get a masonry template or make one themselves, for example, from boards.

It is advisable to plaster the finished walls immediately. If you did not make a cinder block yourself, but purchased it, then you cannot be completely sure of its composition. There are types of blocks that are afraid of moisture.

To increase the viscosity of the solution, clay is added to it, plasticity is a little detergent, density is a plasticizer, it will also help to increase the frost resistance of the wall.

It is better to outline blocks with colored chalk - it is clearly visible on the surface.

Photo of cinder block walls

At modern construction for the construction of private houses and various buildings, the most economical cinder block is. It's cheap, large in size and lightweight - these are the benefits it makes use of. in great demand... This means that cinder block walls are erected very quickly and without additional costs.

Initially, these blocks were made from cement mortar with admixtures of sand, gravel, water and slag waste from the blast furnace. Due to its components, it got its name. Improved over time technological processes, the equipment was improved, and the composition also changed.

Modern technologies make it possible to include in the composition of cinder blocks not only slag from furnaces, but also other components:

• fine crushed stone;
• brick scrap;
• expanded clay;
• waste gravel;
• perlite.

But their name remains the same today. Any block material is called a cinder block. In the everyday life of builders, it is called a wall stone.

Advantages and disadvantages of cinder block bricks

This material, in comparison with other masonry elements, has a number of advantages that justify the choice in its favor:

• profitability;
• technology and ease of installation, which does not require special qualifications and skills;
• decent indicators of technical characteristics for strength, thermal conductivity and moisture resistance;
• cinder block is resistant to all natural influences;
• exceeding the construction time, in contrast to brickwork 5 times;
• this material is frost-resistant and not affected by ultraviolet radiation;
• Unlike brick walls cinder block construction is much thinner, heat-shielding qualities are the same;
• various colors;
• has a small mass, which helps to relieve the base of the foundation.

Like any building material, cinder block bricks also have disadvantages:

• rough surface that requires immediate plastering;
• after manufacture, the cinder block must be kept under open air about 1.5 years;
• when passing through blocks technical communications difficulties arise;
• poor sound insulation.

These disadvantages are minor, but still they must be taken into account when erecting residential and industrial buildings.

Back to the table of contents

Nuances in the construction of buildings from cinder block

Installation of wall structures is carried out directly on strip foundations. Columnar foundations are not used in order to save money, because during installation on such a base it will be necessary to arrange additionally load-bearing beam... You can also save on foundations made of rubble concrete, rubble or solid concrete, since it is not used. During construction, a basement device is also not required. If you wish, you can arrange it 1.5 bricks thick, about 3-4 bricks high.

Block walls require protection with a waterproofing layer to prevent moisture penetration from the street. For isolation, roofing felt or roofing felt is most often used. The thickness of the walls must correspond natural conditions dominant in a particular region. In this case, the blocks are mounted in 1 block, and the thickness of the material changes. Smooth surface walls are achieved by plastering, since the edges of the cinder blocks are not as smooth as those of foam or twin blocks. Interior and exterior walls must be finished. The plaster mortar is made in accordance with the proportions of water, cement and sand.

If a different material was chosen for decoration, such as brick, sandwich panels, etc., then there is no need to pre-level and plaster the walls. Then only the inner walls will be aligned, because they will be finished with a finishing material (painting, wallpapering, etc.), and the surface of the blocks is unsuitable for this. For interior decoration you can use a lime mortar.

The mortar required for stacking blocks is made of sand sifted through a sieve with large cells, ordinary water and Portland cement, the grade of which must be at least 400. With different proportions of cement and sand, a grade 10 solution can be obtained, but only professional builders can do this ... Installation of walls begins from corners or junctions and from below, while laying out 2-3 rows.

Window and door openings are reinforced with metal channels or corners are used.

But a vault or a brick ceiling is not at all desirable.

When erecting walls, in addition to ready-made blocks, you can use a cinder block mixture. Using this material, a structure is obtained monolithic walls which are erected with climbing formwork with a maximum height of 60 cm.

The formwork is made of 40 mm thick planks. Inside the formwork panels are covered plastic wrap or glassine and spacers are inserted. On both sides of the planned wall, keeping a distance of 1-1.5 m, firmly standing racks are driven in. Their cross section is 10-15 cm, and the length should be equal to the height of the future walls. It is to these racks that the formwork will be attached. Slag concrete mortar is laid in layers not exceeding 200 mm. Each of them is subjected to ramming and bayonetting.

The reliability of any structure depends on the strength of the building material. When choosing cinder blocks for the construction of a house, garage, bathhouse or any other building, it is necessary to choose the right cinder block of the required strength grade - the durability of the structure will depend on this.

The advantage of cinder blocks is that they can be made from different types materials. This can be slag or screening of gravel and crushed stone, ash, expanded clay, sawdust, shell rock, brick waste, sawdust, perlite, etc. are used. Since all these materials have different properties, the composition ready mix will change and specifications ready-made cinder blocks, their strength, thermal conductivity, frost resistance, resistance to atmospheric phenomena, etc.

Like any building material, it is designated by the letter M (brand strength). The brand strength of cinder blocks can be different: M35, M50, M75, M100, M125, M15, M200. The higher the indicator, the higher the strength of the blocks. These figures show what kind of load (35,50,75,100,25 kg / cm2) the block can withstand on 1 cm2 of the surface.

For the construction of walls and partitions, lighter and warmer cinder blocks of grades from M35 to M75 are suitable, and for the construction of a basement, cinder blocks of a higher strength are used from heavy concrete of grades M125 to M200.

In terms of strength and durability, cinder blocks are not inferior to bricks, and in terms of cost and simplicity of laying, cinder blocks advantageously win over others building materials.

Hence the name of the people - cinder block, although time changes everything, it changed and physical composition of this material:

• popular fillers are: granite screening; battle of bricks, cement, concrete; expanded clay; crushed stone, perlite, ash, etc .;
• cement (M-500) with the addition of clay, lime, gypsum or plasticizing additives remained the binder.

Buy or do it yourself?

You can make cinder blocks both independently and in an industrial environment. For the first case, one cannot do without a vibrating machine or a vibrating table, since the technological condition for obtaining a cinder block is vibrocompression method... Such "home" production makes sense if you have skills and a small amount of construction: a private house, garage, outbuildings.

Buying a finished building material will slightly increase the cost of construction, but it will allow you to make a choice in accordance with the goal set by the project, climatic conditions, the authority of the manufacturer, the environmental friendliness of the composition, the type and size of the block, and the color.

With large volumes of construction, this will avoid unprofitable costs of physical labor.

Characteristics of the cinder block

In addition to the composition, the cinder block is characterized by standard dimensions - 200x400 mm and less than 200, the so-called half-blocks (for partitions), as well as the presence of internal voids (to facilitate the product).

That's why distinguish between monolithic and hollow cinder blocks, which are characterized by the degree of volume of the cavities:

• two rectangular cavities;
• four cavities of rectangular configuration;
• two or three round cavities;
• three rows of cavities of arbitrary shape.

The strength of the cinder block can be determined by the brand, the marking of which contains the value of the load that the material can withstand per 1 sq. Cm.

So the M-35 product goes only in combination with another load-bearing material of greater strength. M-50 and M-75 are used for partitions and interior walls... M-100 and M-136 - for laying load-bearing structures.

Low load bearing capacity limits the use of cinder blocks for multi-storey buildings, and the high hygroscopicity of the blocks requires the fulfillment of the following conditions:

• carry out the construction of a cinder block structure only in dry weather;
• lay the masonry on a high foundation (up to 70 cm);
• the outer coating with a layer of at least 2 cm should be applied immediately after the construction of the wall;
• do not leave the skeleton of the house for a long time without a roof.

A small video about cinder block houses.

What is good about a cinder block house

1. Its main advantage is fire safety, which in the conditions suburban construction has priority.
2. A house made of cinder blocks is not afraid of not only a hurricane or an earthquake, but the most destructive tornado, especially if the walls are reinforced with steel rods during laying.
3. The building is repaired without any problems, retains heat and protects well from temperature extremes outside.
4. The masonry process itself is easier than brick. It is possible to vary the thickness of the walls using masonry in one block, half a block, one and a half or two stones.
5. The cinder block masonry process is available to the layman.
6. Currently, the service market has interesting offers free projects of private houses from cinder blocks.
7. The cinder block is an excellent sound insulator and material inaccessible to biological destruction.
8. The operational shelf life is 100 years.
9. Prices for this type of building material are quite affordable.

Photo of cinder block houses.

What reduces the dignity of the cinder block house

1. It is gratifying that there is currently a sufficient selection of samples on the building materials market. exterior decoration, because a cinder block house cannot be left without covering the walls - it is so unpresentable in appearance.
2. They produce, however, cinder blocks with a decorative texture, but their hygroscopicity requires protection from precipitation and any kind of moisture. And such protection creates difficulties in the construction of ventilated facades, drainage system using waterproof materials.
3. This building stone complicates the work of laying pipes and cables.
4. High heat conductivity requires an indispensable insulation of the walls.
5. The environmental friendliness of the blocks depends entirely on the conscientiousness of the manufacturer, so you need to choose licensed brands that have proven themselves well.

What you need to pay attention to when starting the construction of cinder blocks

1. When choosing a cinder block, take an interest in the environmental friendliness of the filler: the best are expanded clay, shell rock, sawdust, crushed stone.
2. When choosing a material, pay attention to the integrity and identity of the geometry of several blocks from different pallets.
3. Before buying, check with the seller about the characteristics of the material that affect the density, frost resistance, strength, thermal conductivity.
4. The quality of the material can be checked with a 15mm nail by trying to manually stick it into the lower block. If it does, there is cause for concern.
5. A cinder block made without a vibrator is inferior in strength and reliability; suitable only for non-residential premises.
6. Making blocks on your own, you can always add the missing ones, you just have to comply with the setting time of the material.
7. The thickness of the masonry of the walls is determined based on the characteristics of the climate of the area.
8. Too thick layer of mortar (over 1.5 cm) will reduce the heat resistance of the walls.
9. Without preparation ordinary plaster does not stick to cinder blocks.
10. For high-quality masonry even a low wall will need scaffolding.
11. Cinder blocks are not used as construction materials and foundations.
12. The calculation of blocks can be done without taking into account window and doorways, taking into account 10-15% percent of losses during construction.