Arbolite has been used in construction for more than fifty years, and during this time it has established itself as an excellent structural and heat-insulating material for the construction of low-rise buildings and structures. Dachas and country houses, outbuildings are built from it. A bath made of wood concrete blocks in terms of its qualities and characteristics is not much inferior to a wooden building.
Such properties of the material are provided by its constituent components: cement, sand, plant and wood fibers. Good vapor permeability, heat and sound insulation, structural strength - all these are wood concrete blocks, reviews of which both experts and consumers testify to its remarkable technical and operational characteristics.
Wood concrete block production technology: what components are wood concrete made of?
The technology by which blocks are made from wood concrete is similar to the process of producing wall blocks from cement-sand mortar. The difference is that when preparing the mixture, instead of a certain part of the sand, chopped wood or plant fibers are used. For the preparation of the mixture, cotton, rice straw, flax and other industrial crops are used. The finished mixture is poured into a mixer and mixed with water. Depending on the percentage of components, thermal insulation and structural blocks are distinguished. The former have a density of 400 to 500 kg / m3, while in the latter this value reaches 850 kg / m3. The strength of different types of blocks is also different and is M5-M15 and M25-M50, respectively.
The thermal conductivity of wood concrete depends on its density. At D400, it is equal to 0.08 W / (m ° C) for shredded wood, and 0.07 for plant fibers. For structural blocks with a density of D700, thermal conductivity with wood filler is 0.14 W / (m ° C), and with vegetable filler - 0.12. The lower thermal conductivity of wood concrete with plant fiber fillers is explained by the higher porosity of the feedstock.
To increase the strength in the manufacture of wood concrete blocks, reinforcement is used. This will complicate the technological process, and increase the production cost, but it allows you to get a more durable material, from which you can erect buildings with a higher height. In this case, the protective layer of wood concrete must be at least 15 mm. For reinforcement, bar steel of classes A-I, A-II and A-III and wire of a periodic profile are used.
Do-it-yourself weight, dimensions and masonry of walls made of wood concrete blocks
Houses made of wood concrete blocks are warm and relatively inexpensive, which is important for reducing construction and operating costs. Due to its high vapor permeability, arbolite provides humidity control, which helps to improve the microclimate. When choosing materials for finishing, it is necessary to take this property into account and apply layers as the vapor permeability coefficient decreases.
Due to the low density and good workability of the material, construction from wood concrete blocks requires less labor than building a house from brick, precast or monolithic reinforced concrete. The first row of blocks is laid on top of the plinth or foundation. First, lay out the corners and intersections of the external and internal walls. Having laid out the nodes to a height of 3-4 blocks, they proceed to laying the rows. Each row needs careful alignment. Taking into account the good machinability, the blocks are suspended using a power tool.
In order to give the masonry more strength, reinforce every 2-5 rows. Additionally, window and door openings are reinforced, as well as the upper row. Often, the masonry is completed with a reinforced concrete armored belt device, which is used for the installation of a Mauerlat or a roofing system.
Monolithic wood concrete is one of the most economical building materials used for more than 50 years in different countries for low-rise buildings. Economical construction from "sawdust concrete", as it is called, according to the composition, will be in demand at all times, especially when erecting secondary walls of industrial workshops or for private suburban housing construction. In monolithic walls, the arbolite mass is poured into the prepared formwork, and for the traditional construction of a house, a mixture of concrete and sawdust is formed in the form of blocks.
- Properties and composition of wood concrete
- What is part of wood concrete
- Basic block properties
- Wood concrete production
- Shaping blocks from wood concrete
Properties and composition of wood concrete
The advantage of the material is the minimum cost, low thermal conductivity, simplicity of manufacturing technology and the composition of wood concrete. Brick blocks made from a mixture of sawdust and concrete with some impurities are available and reliable, they are easy to make with your own hands right at the summer cottage, which will give additional savings. Its minimal thermal conductivity makes it useful even in cold climates. Forms for filling with the prepared mixture are easy to make on your own, taking into account the required dimensions, and, if necessary, the material lends itself well to sawing.
Like foam concrete, sawdust concrete is classified as a building material from the group of lightweight concrete. It is somewhat similar to an artificial stone made on the basis of woodworking waste - these are chips, small shavings and sawdust. Arbolit photo - varieties of material use in construction.
Today, wood concrete is formed in the form of slabs, blocks, panels and monolithic walls. The standard production of wood concrete material is outdoor blocks 20x30x50 cm and small panels, and partitions and walls are made of blocks 20x20x50 cm.For thermal insulation, ready-made panels 120x230x20 (28) cm are most often used.In this case, this standard is recommended, but not mandatory, manufacturers often pour blocks wood concrete of other sizes. The diameter and shape of the internal voids, as well as the composition of the material, also vary. According to GOST, wood concrete blocks have an inner coating with concrete-lime mortar, which prevents the effects of moisture.
Depending on the climatic zone and natural conditions, other dry plant components are often added to the sawdust. Similar technologies for making bricks have been known since antiquity, but the most widely used mixture of straw and clay, and today experimenters in the creation of economical building materials focus on a mixture of concrete with industrial waste.
In the post-war period, during the period of active Soviet construction, sawdust blocks found widespread use, due to their availability and economy. In addition to monolithic wood concrete, the wood mixture with concrete was poured in the form of hollow bricks. At the same time, the arbolite dimensions can be both standard and arbitrary, it is important that they are convenient for laying.
Analogues similar to domestic building materials are popular abroad:
- woodstone,
- duripanel,
- dyurizol, etc.
Today wood concrete is used for the construction:
- walls in the construction of industrial buildings;
- garages;
- outbuildings;
- country houses;
- warehouse premises;
- summer cottages;
- typical cottage construction.
In low-rise houses, wood concrete is used for the construction of not only internal walls, but also external ones that require facing, for example, siding or "wild stone". Load-bearing walls and secondary walls are cast from wood concrete, and lightweight structures for fences or partitions are also made from small hollow blocks. In addition, in a cold climatic zone, it is successfully used for an additional second layer when insulating external stone walls, that is, as thermal insulation - arbolit video.
The density of heat-insulating and structural blocks is within 400-850 kg / cubic meter.
The thermal conductivity of wood concrete is 0.08 W / m-0.17 W / m, that is, higher than that of foam concrete, expanded clay concrete and all types of bricks.
Frost resistance of building material - F25-F50, was used as an experiment in Arctic and Antarctic construction.
Fire resistance indicators - 0.75 h-1.5 h, non-flammable.
According to indicators of resistance to damage by rodents, termites, bacteria, fungi and rot - the classification of the biostability of group V.
What is part of wood concrete
Arbolit are blocks consisting of a two-component mixture - a filler from wood waste and lightweight concrete with a small amount of chemical stabilizers for the durability of wood. Despite the wood base, country houses are no different in strength, sound and heat insulation from more expensive materials. The only requirement is that finishing is required.
The material is fire-resistant, does not shrink, conditionally has 2 varieties - structural (denser, corpulent) for external walls and heat-insulating with voids for internal work and upper floors. Lightweight blocks are successfully used to lighten the upper floors in small buildings on soil, where it is not recommended to build large and tall private houses.
The basis of the composition of wood concrete:
- sulfate-resistant or Portland cement;
- wood-organic filler;
- chemical additives.
Chemical stabilizers can give wood concrete additional properties:
- remove excess polysaccharides from cellulose for the durability of the material;
- significantly increase the bactericidal performance;
- adjust the porosity of sawdust, etc.
Dry woodworking waste is used for the filler:
- wood chips,
- shavings,
- sawdust,
- chopped bark and needles,
- firm stems of agricultural crops (cotton, cereals, rice straw, etc.), depending on local raw materials.
Thanks to this technology, in order to save money, building materials from improvised plant waste can be made in remote agricultural regions. The production of wood concrete with your own hands can be set up serially - for local needs.
There are other options, respectively, the technologists for the production of wood concrete blocks, for example, sometimes use liquid glass with ash, lime, sand, slag and other components.
Basic block properties
The properties and technology of wood concrete combine the advantages of concrete and natural eco-materials for construction. For example, concrete gives it strength, and the tendency to self-ventilation, retain heat and absorb odors from wood. Like all building materials, arbolite has its disadvantages and obvious advantages.
1. The main advantages of building materials:
- multifunctionality in construction - the ability to cast monolithic walls, blocks, slabs, lintels for window and door openings of the required shape and size;
- wood concrete lends itself to processing (sawing and drilling), makes it possible to obtain blocks of the desired configuration, for example, a triangular one, for aligning a row of a peaked roof;
- economical building material from improvised ingredients;
- the simplest production technology and the ability to manufacture blocks directly at the construction site;
- hardened wood concrete has high adhesion, lends itself well to facing and finishing, often without a frame and reinforcing mesh;
- due to high thermal insulation, wood concrete houses are distinguished by lower heating costs than stone counterparts;
- wood concrete is fire resistant, despite the woody content;
- not subject to rotting and fungal attack;
- frost-resistant material;
- high sound insulation, it is favorable for use in the construction of houses near railways and airfields;
- the lightness of the material makes it indispensable on problem soils;
- environmentally friendly wood concrete is appreciated by allergy sufferers and supporters of eco-construction technologies;
- homogeneous material with equal distribution of the mixture;
- gives the least amount of waste when sawing, and broken blocks are easy to glue with assembly glue;
- saves time when laying, thanks to the large and lightweight blocks;
- has a low specific weight;
- does not shrink;
- perfectly holds fasteners (screws, nails, dowels) and light fittings for decorative finishing.
2. Arbolit also has its disadvantages:
- requires the construction of a high concrete foundation for the construction of a country house with waterproofing, if the country site is being erected in places of high humidity. This is due to the porosity of the material, and the adhered water is very difficult to remove outside, because arbolite is characterized by high water absorption - up to 50-80%. Due to the low moisture resistance, a protective finish of the outer layer is required;
- ready-made blocks can not always be bought, and making wood concrete with your own hands is sometimes problematic. In many places, this simple and well-forgotten technology is only being revived. Arbolit do-it-yourself video gives a complete picture of the production technology, which should be carefully studied before you start making it yourself.
Wood concrete production
Arbolite mixture for forming blocks is prepared in different ways, depending on the technology. For example, based on a concrete mixer, water glass, wood shavings, and 500 Portland cement.
For the production of large volumes of wood concrete, special equipment can be rented or purchased. To do this, you will need equipment for:
- kneading,
- ramming,
- masonry in molds,
- drying ovens,
- place for hardening, protected from moisture.
Detailed technologies for the industrial production of wood concrete blocks are available from specialized companies that sell them along with a set of equipment. In household use, you can use the simplest recipes, the method of crushing woodworking waste and the technology of wood concrete, however, even here you cannot do without a concrete mixer and molds for producing blocks.
Shaping blocks from wood concrete
The best filler for the mass for wood concrete will be sawdust of different fraction mixed with crushed shavings, treated with a lime solution, which have already been exposed (dried) for 3-4 months in air. Sawdust, soaked in a lime solution, is mixed and dried, it will remove polysaccharides from cellulose to eliminate the causes of rotting and swelling.
The shape for rectangular blocks can have arbitrary sizes, but it is better to use the standard - 25x25x50 cm. The boards inside should be as smooth as possible. Pieces of film linoleum can be additionally treated with KN-3 mastic.
Experienced craftsmen recommend making molds for wood concrete blocks from scraps of boards with their own hands, and for the convenience of removing finished products, it is advised to fill the walls with pieces of linoleum. The mixture during the filling of the mold can be compacted by hand with any suitable device. If you have a ready-made vibropress, you can use it.
The filled block is kept inside the mold for a day, after which it is laid out under a canopy to harden. Some technologies recommend keeping the blocks under the film for the final hydration for 1.5-2 weeks. The low temperature of the warehouse does not affect the quality of wood concrete blocks, but they should not be left in the cold. In the heat, the blocks can dry out and crack, so they are periodically sprayed with water.
It is convenient to knead the sawdust concrete mass in a metal trough or box, where sifted sawdust and crushed shavings are laid out, poured with a solution of water with chemical additives. The moistened substrate is mixed well until homogeneous, then sprinkled with cement, mixed and dry cement is added again until a thick consistency is obtained. The most convenient mixing is obtained in a small concrete mixer.
Adjusted proportion:
- 1 part of the volume - sawdust plus chopped chips,
- 1 part of the volume - dry cement,
- 1.5 parts of water with additives up to 4-5%.
There can be more cement, while the wood concrete will be stronger, but heavier, and for porous and hollow material, which is used for insulation and a wall, less cement is added.
For additives used:
- liquid glass;
- calcium chloride;
- sulphate aluminum or aluminum;
- slaked lime.
When filling the form with a mixture to obtain wood concrete, you can insert 2-3 identical wooden throws to obtain voids. The mass is laid in layers in 3 steps, followed by compaction with any suitable device such as a bat or a wooden hammer. For wood concrete under the first floor, you can add reinforcement between the layers. The surplus must be removed, the top is leveled, for example, with a wide construction trowel, the form is exposed under a canopy to harden the concrete.
When removing the finished wood concrete block, turn the mold over to a flat surface and the hardened material stands for a week under the film and finally dries 3-8 days before laying.
It is better to make the first batch small - to check the properties of the resulting wood concrete. Can be tested for sawing, punching and holding nails.
The construction of a storage space for a vehicle is a fundamental task for a true motorist. In this case, the structure must perform certain functions.
Well, after all, it is not a barn, a chicken coop or a simple utility room that costs, but a real house for a kind of family member. Arbolite blocks allow you to get an excellent and inexpensive structure, so a garage made of wood concrete can be found more and more often.
We build a garage from block arbolite
The construction of a building made of wood concrete does not differ significantly from the construction of other block materials. The greatest similarity will be with the foam block, with the exception of the moment that the wood concrete will be cheaper. To build the same chicken coop or shed, it is also better to use cheaper material, especially since it is quite often used for the construction of houses (if a person is good in such a structure, then the material is suitable for other purposes). Like all construction processes, the construction of a garage from wood concrete blocks must be carried out according to a certain algorithm.
We create a project
Without preliminary design, it is unlikely that it will be possible to build a structure that can meet existing needs. To begin with, it is worth understanding what functions the garage should perform: exclusively storing the car or also carrying out its repair. In the second case, construction begins with the construction of a revision pit.
Before arranging the pit, do not forget to check the groundwater level, otherwise you will have to make repairs in the scuba gear. In any case, waterproof the walls. It is not recommended to use wood concrete for their arrangement - it is susceptible to moisture, so it is better to lay the walls out of bricks or cinder blocks.
Also, a detailed project is needed for the construction of a garage. Some try to do without it, but professionals draw a drawing even if a shed or chicken coop is being built, although they can build it by eye without any problems. An accurate design is the key to the durability of the structure and its compliance with the set goals.
To create a project yourself - use special programs or find a ready-made one. It also does not hurt to show the project of a garage made of wood concrete blocks to geologists and engineers. Only in this case, you can be sure that a particular structure will have the required characteristics in the conditions of the selected area.
Site marking
Layout of the site for the foundation
Take the project, pegs, fishing line (you can use a rope) and mark the perimeter of the future garage. Pay attention to the nearby structures. If they have already been erected, then it is better to step back a little from them.
When excavating land to create a trench under the base, it is possible to break the strength of the foundations of other buildings. Intervention can destroy a shed, chicken coop, or even an entire house.
Foundation construction
The peculiarity of the structure made of light wood concrete blocks is that there is no need to include a deep foundation in the project. A structure made of 90% organic material (wood) will be lightweight. Therefore, an ordinary strip foundation will be enough.
For arranging a site for a car, you can use any preferred option: pour concrete, use special blocks, lay out paving slabs (paving stones, wave, coil, diamond, etc.).
A trench for a garage made of wood concrete blocks, in most cases, is made a meter deep. The width depends solely on the thickness of the walls (50-70 cm).
A layer of sand is poured into the bottom of the trench - a special pillow. It is also recommended to waterproof the walls before pouring the mortar.
Preparation of the solution
Now it is important to use special adhesives when building structures from blocks, but in this case its use is irrelevant. From a material point of view, this is the same as building a chicken coop from gas blocks. Moreover, for wood concrete with its imperfect surface, it is optimal to use a cement mortar that can compensate for all irregularities. As for the proportions, nothing new needs to be invented. A standard cement mix is being prepared.
Wall masonry
The process is similar to building from other blocks and bricks, so it will not be described in detail. Just note that you need to start from the corners and constantly check the evenness of the rows using a level.
Installation of the opening beam
This stage is considered to be the most difficult in the construction of a garage. Note that the project should initially contain data on the width of the opening (for 1 car - 3 meters or more). Also, heavy monolithic reinforced concrete structures are often installed as a beam, therefore, to prevent an extreme load on the wood concrete, it is necessary to build strapping belts to strengthen the beam supports.
Roof installation
Its design may be the simplest. For example, you can look at a chicken coop or other building that does not have an attic space.
Roof construction algorithm:
Internal work
When constructing a conventional structure, to protect the car from atmospheric phenomena, it is enough to carry out insulation with conventional materials: mineral wool or foam.
Before carrying out internal work, consider the location of the shelves and stove stoves, if such are planned to be installed.
It is also imperative to carry out waterproofing to protect the walls from moisture. To do this, use polyethylene and drywall, and then paint the surface with paint of the desired color.
Outdoor work
Reinforcing mesh plaster
Outside, it is also worth protecting the walls from frost and moisture. The simplest option: a layer of foam, reinforced mesh and plastering on top. The plaster is also painted. After that, you can put the gate and "acquaint" the car with its new home.
Building a garage from block wood concrete is an excellent solution that can provide optimal conditions for storing a car within a small budget. Only when buying, choose trusted manufacturers, unless, of course, you want to find debris in the middle of the blocks when sawing and watch the walls literally crumble before your eyes.
It is attractive for private construction in that it provides excellent thermal insulation with a low weight and at the same time has significant vapor permeability - it “breathes”. However, the same is the reason for a number of features of the material.
Peculiarities
The best and unrivaled material for a bath is, of course, wood. Any other options are its substitutes, which lack some properties. Arbolit is no exception.
Wood concrete consists of 75% wood and due to this, its qualities are to some extent close to those. In any case, this material is clearly better than brick or ordinary. The fact is that if the temperature in the dwelling is kept constant, then the bath is a room where it is supposed to heat up as quickly as possible, but only periodically.
Therefore, wood is the best material: it provides quick heating, good thermal insulation and at the same time removes excess moisture from the bath to the outside. The walls in the wooden bathhouse never "cry".
Arbolite does not possess the latter property. The chips in it are crushed to such a state that the difference in the direction of the fibers does not matter. Therefore, wood concrete should be considered not as an analogue of wood, but as a stone building material with high vapor permeability.
Arbolite bath (photo)
Sequencing
- The foundation for a bath is usually made of a tape, with a mandatory base 50 cm above the ground.
- The masonry of the walls is the most common, for a bath it is suggested to put it in half a block, that is, to put a "brick" on the edge.
- But when decorating a bath, a rather complex multi-layer "cake" is being built. The point is that it is important for both the home and the bath to observe the correct sequence of materials: its vapor permeability must increase from the inside out.
- According to the characteristics, only wood lining is suitable for external cladding.
The sequence of building a bath from wood concrete with your own hands is as follows:
- Internal wood trim, in fact, there is already a violation here, since the vapor permeability of the tree is, of course, higher, the ventilation gap is 1.5–2 cm, vapor barrier and basalt wool insulation, as it belongs to non-combustible materials.
- Then a wall made of wood concrete, a windproof film, again a ventilation gap of 2–5 cm and an external finish.
Much depends on the quality of wood concrete, as stated by numerous reviews of the owners of wood concrete baths on the forums.
- If a structural wood concrete with a high cement content is used for the construction, then one cannot do without a vapor barrier and basalt insulation: the material is much closer in properties to sawdust concrete, and such a bath will take a long time to warm up.
- If a heat-insulating one with a large amount of chips is used, then the layer of insulation can be omitted.
Compliance with the rules of fire safety in such a bath is no different from a brick one, since arbolit, unlike wood, is completely non-combustible.
How to make a garage out of wood concrete with your own hands, read below.
The owner of such a structure will tell about the features of the construction of a bath from wood concrete in this video:
Garage
For the most part, the garage does not belong to the premises that are heated in winter: a large difference between the temperature in the garage and the temperature in the air can cause significant damage to a car. However, some kind of insulation is necessary to provide minimal comfort to the owner of the box. Arbolit is perfect for this role: reviews of garages made of wood concrete blocks are in most cases positive.
- The foundation is built light, usually tape. In most cases, they do without a base.
- Wall masonry is usual, with bandaging. For masonry, either perlite solution is used. Since the height of the garage does not exceed 2.5 m, reinforcement is not necessary. Plastic mesh reinforcement can be used to give the structure a neat look.
- Since there are no overlaps in the garage, the reinforcing belt in the outer part of the walls is not arranged. Wooden beams or steel trusses are used. Roof - corrugated board.
- Arbolit perfectly holds fasteners, so the gate frame is easy to install. Any racks and shelves are also not a problem.
- For reliability, the garage can be finished with plaster, especially when it comes to a rainy region.
The quality of the material is very important for the durability of the structure: non-dried wood concrete, including foreign objects, shrinks, creates difficulties in laying and wears out much faster. Judging by the reviews, this issue is a stumbling block when choosing a material for a garage.
The use of wood concrete in construction
It is undesirable to use wood concrete, even structural for a height of more than 3 floors. In this case, serious reinforcement of the structure with steel reinforcement will be required, and the latter, as you know, creates cold bridges. For a 2–3-storey building, a conventional reinforcing mesh is sufficient.
Read on to find out how to veneer walls made of wood concrete, how thick they should be, how to make them with your own hands.
Walls
Arbolite of different types is used in the construction of different walls:
- carriers, that is, loaded - they require a structural wood concrete, the thickness of such a wall is 50 cm, although in many lightweight buildings - a garage, a summer house, they are limited to 30 cm;
- self-supporting- also most often they manage with a thickness of 30 cm from blocks measuring 30 * 20 * 50 cm;
- partitions- internal walls are constructed with a thickness of 20 cm from blocks 20 * 20 * 50 cm.
Blocks are placed on a cement-sand or perlite mortar. The latter is closer in terms of thermal insulation, and therefore is the best choice. For masonry, choose a slightly under-dried material or pour it abundantly with water before applying the masonry mortar: otherwise, the moisture from the solution will be in the blocks before the masonry has time to grab.
According to GOST, wood concrete for the construction of walls is produced with a ready-made outer finishing layer from. The inner layer may be present - plaster may be absent. In fact, blocks with any finished finish are rare.
Arbolite must be protected from moisture, as the material absorbs it too well. Most often, plaster acts as a protective layer for walls made of wood concrete, since we are talking about a construction material, which has a lower vapor permeability than heat-insulating material. So there are no contradictions.
The interior decoration of walls made of wood concrete does not have any restrictions - from tiles to wallpaper. Since the surface has high adhesion, any cladding adheres perfectly to wood concrete walls.
The following video is about the construction of wood concrete walls:
Floors
The wood concrete floor does not cause unequivocal approval, judging by the reviews. It is used for this, which you either have to do yourself or order separately from the blocks. The thickness of the screed layer, as well as the insulation layer, reaches 10-15 cm, which is not always economically profitable.
Arbolite can be laid on the base of the floor or for insulation on a concrete screed.
- In the first case, a cement-sand base is prepared and very carefully: the use of vibrating units is mandatory. Then fittings are laid - cells 25 * 25 cm, and poured with ordinary concrete. Waterproofing is carried out - or with a primer, and then an arbolite screed is poured.
- A two-layer screed is laid on the concrete base: 7 cm from wood concrete with a high content of chips - heat-insulating, and the last 3 cm - from more dense wood concrete.
Such a floor arrangement is only possible with high ceilings. Read about the wood concrete overlap below.
Overlapping
For floors, special combined plates have been developed, since the strength of wood concrete as such is clearly not enough for the product.
- The slab consists of three layers: the lower one is made of concrete of the M25 or M35 brand with a reinforcing mesh, 10–12 mm in diameter. The armature is pre-stressed, which significantly increases the reliability of the product. The middle layer consists of heat-insulating wood concrete, and the upper layer is made of concrete of the same brand.
- There may be another option, in which the bottom layer and the ends of the slab are made of concrete, perpendicular to the plane of the bottom layer. Such a plate is cheaper and prevents uneven compression of wood concrete in the second layer.
A slab is available up to 4.8 m long.However, for private construction, judging by the reviews, a slab of 3.5 m is preferable.
About whether it is possible to make a foundation for a house from wood concrete with your own hands, read below.
This video will tell you more about sawdust concrete floors:
Foundation
Arbolite is a material prone to water absorption due to its porous structure, and therefore it is impossible to build a foundation from it. Wood concrete is defenseless against dampness and groundwater.
Wood concrete is not a well-studied material to recommend its widespread use. However, there are areas where wood concrete has already earned its good reputation and can be used safely.
Arbolite, which is also called wood concrete due to the peculiarities of its composition, was quite popular in the domestic open spaces in the middle of the last century. The production technology came to us from Holland, and already in the 60s on the territory of the Union there were about a hundred factories producing wood concrete. It was used for the construction of buildings in the coldest regions of the country, since the material has excellent thermal insulation qualities. In the 90s, many factories went bankrupt, they forgot about the arbolite, but the buildings built decades ago are still in excellent condition. Today, the material is experiencing a new round of popularity, it is actively advertised, but few people know what arbolite consists of, what pluses and minuses are characteristic for it and what types it is. We are in a hurry to rectify the situation and clarify.
# 1. Wood concrete composition
Arbolite is one of the varieties. The name of the material traces French roots: arbre is translated from French as "tree". If you know only this fact, you can guess what basic materials are part of wood concrete... So this:
It is clear that the characteristics of the finished material depend on the quality of raw materials. Since the chips in the wood concrete block are the most, the greatest importance is given to it. The composition should include exactly wood chips- not sawdust, hay, tyrsa or shavings (otherwise it will be sawdust concrete). The strength of the material depends on the caliber of the chips. According to the standards, the length of chips can be up to 40 mm, width - 5-10 mm, thickness - 3-5 mm. It is desirable that the block contains only chips without any impurities, although a small amount of bark (up to 10%) practically does not affect the strength of the products. Wood grade not so important, but usually used, but it is used much less often, since it will be necessary to use more additives due to the nature of the wood. 
Cement they are used not lower than the M400 brand, but since it has the peculiarity of quickly losing strength properties during storage, it is better to use cement of the M500 brand in the production of structural wood concrete blocks.
Without chemical additives the production of wood concrete is indispensable - the sugar contained in the wood is to blame, which impede normal adhesion. Therefore, well-dried wood is used in production, but this does not help either. The surface of the chips is mineralized with lime, calcium chloride, or sulphate alumina.
The ratio of the components is regulated by GOST. If, for example, the water content is exceeded, then at the exit you can get a block of insufficient strength, and there will be more problems with its manufacture.
Arbolite is produced in several forms:
- masonry blocks;
- hollow blocks;
- thermal insulation boards;
- panels;
- solution for creating monolithic structures and pouring in place (like and).
Since blocks of wood concrete have found the greatest use, today they are meant by wood concrete. As a rule, they are made with dimensions of 500 * 250 * 200 mm, but products with other parameters can be found. 
No. 2. Wood concrete production
The production of wood concrete blocks is not difficult, but it requires strict adherence to technology. In short, then the process looks like this... All the necessary chemicals are added to the water. In the meantime, the chips are poured into the mixer, water is added to it and mixed for a short time, then cement is added and mixed for another 3 minutes. Formation is carried out within 15 minutes in one of the following ways:
- manual molding without vibration;
- hand molding with vibration;
- production on a vibrating table;
- manufacturing on a vibrating machine with a surcharge.
Naturally, the mechanization of production makes it possible to obtain blocks of higher quality with the required performance characteristics. Compaction of the mixture ensures the correct distribution of chips in the cement and its complete coverage with a cement mortar. Vibration is applied carefully to achieve an even distribution of the chips without causing the slurry to settle at the bottom of the mold. 
No. 3. Arbolit: pros and cons
The composition of wood concrete blocks allows us to talk about numerous advantages of the material:
- excellent thermal insulation. The thermal conductivity coefficient of wood concrete with a density of 400 kg / m 3 - 0.07 W / m * K, with a density of 500 kg / m 3 - 0.09 W / m * K, 600 kg / m 3 - 0.11 W / m * K, 800 kg / m 3 - 0.15 W / m * K, and blocks with a density of more than 500 kg / m 3 are already considered structural. According to calculations, for moderate latitudes, a wall made of wood concrete with a thickness of 38 cm will be enough to provide the required resistance to heat transfer. In practice, walls are usually built with a thickness of 30 cm, and the interior and exterior decoration slightly increases the thermal insulation. It is good to use it together with wood concrete blocks, and then the problem of providing thermal insulation is quickly solved;
- good sound insulation;
- excellent vapor permeability, therefore, an optimal microclimate is maintained in an arbolite house;
- high resistance to fire. The material belongs to hardly combustible (flammability group - G1), hardly flammable (B1) and low-smoke (D1) materials;
- light weight allows you to save on and simplify the process of building a building;
- ease of processing;
- environmental friendliness;
- resistance to and rodents;
- high strength. No cracks form on the surface of the blocks. Buildings can be erected without additional inter-row reinforcement;
- ease of installation of fasteners, incl. and self-tapping screws, which distinguishes the wood concrete block from polystyrene concrete or expanded clay concrete.
Cons of wood concrete:
- the need for protection from direct exposure to moisture. Cement and mineralized chips have low hygroscopicity, but in direct contact with water (for example, rain and wind), the block can get wet and lose a number of its positive properties, so it is better to additionally coat wood concrete buildings, but there is nothing like that - houses made of many other materials for reasons of aesthetics or protection, they also get off. It is worth noting that there are cases of exploitation of buildings made of wood concrete without additional external finishing - nothing happened in 10 years;
- not the highest frost resistance. The block can withstand 25-50 freeze / thaw cycles, depending on the strength, but by protecting the material from direct exposure to moisture, the service life of the material can be significantly extended;
- insufficient geometry accuracy, even if all production requirements are met. For example, they have much more accurate geometry. A deviation in the parameters of the blocks leads to the need to increase the masonry mortar, and this leads to freezing of the walls at the seams. Recently, some manufacturers have begun to resort to milling blocks to improve their geometry;
- the price of wood concrete blocks is about 1.5 times higher than that of aerated concrete and foam concrete;
- an abundance of garage-made wood concrete with unknown performance in the market;
- in order to maintain the vapor permeability of the house, it is necessary to use only breathable materials for finishing the facade, but this is not a minus - rather, a recommendation.
Arbolit is widely used today in private construction for the construction of houses (up to 3 floors), summer cottages, garages and outbuildings; the material is also in demand in the construction of low-rise industrial buildings. Shrinkage is 0.4-0.5%. 
No. 4. Wood concrete density
The density of wood concrete blocks is the main indicator that is taken into account during the selection and purchase. The higher the density, the more durable and resistant the material is. On the other hand, a lower density provides better thermal insulation properties, therefore, blocks should be selected depending on the purpose of use.
By density, wood concrete blocks are divided into:
There is also a classification of blocks with the allocation of structural and thermal insulation material with a density of 450-600 kg / m 3.
When it comes to erecting the walls of a house using monolithic technology, then a solution with a density of 300 kg / m 3 has the same good bearing capacity as a block with a density of 550 kg / m 3. In addition, monolithic walls "grown" in a monolithic way using formwork do not have cold bridges.
No. 5. The strength of wood concrete blocks
The bearing capacity of wood concrete blocks directly depends on the compressive strength of the material. Strength increases with increasing density. Strength is determined by brand and class. The brand is the average value for a whole batch of samples, ranging from M5 to M100, where the number shows how many kg can withstand cm 2 of the block surface. In a batch of grade M75, blocks can withstand 65-80 kg / cm 2, and for large blocks this is a very significant discrepancy, therefore today strength classes are often used. The class determines the guaranteed strength, i.e. 95% of all samples must meet the specified parameter. Wood concrete classes range from B0.35 to B3.5.
The scope of use of wood concrete directly depends on its strength:
- heat insulating the material has a strength class up to B1 and a strength grade up to M10;
- structural strength class up to B3.5 and strength grade up to M100.
B1 blocks can be used for the construction of low (up to 3 m) one-story buildings, for higher buildings it is better to take B1.5 blocks, and for 2- and 3-storey buildings - B2.0-B2.5 blocks. 
No. 6. What to consider when choosing wood concrete?
Wood concrete block manufacturers today there are a lot, we will not single out someone specifically, since there are worthy companies in each region and it takes a very long time to list them. On the other hand, everywhere is full and handicrafts who are trying to sell a frankly bad product at a higher price, and even a quality certificate is not always a guarantee of actual quality, because we all know how documents are sometimes made. It is best to visit the production site, evaluate the technology and quality of the blocks with your own eyes. What are the criteria for checking and how to understand that the product is of poor quality?
No. 7. DIY wood concrete blocks
Numerous reviews of private builders indicate that It is better to buy wood concrete ready-made than to produce it yourself. The technology does not seem to be complicated, but it is difficult to achieve the necessary strength at home, and the labor intensity of the work is very high. Moreover, it is better not to use a self-made wood concrete block for laying load-bearing walls, but you can build a garage from it, so we give instructions on how to make wood concrete blocks with your own hands:
To improve the quality of the material, it is better to acquire a vibrating table and split forms. The composition and proportions of the mixture can vary depending on the desired result. 
For using wood concrete blocks with a size of 500 * 250 * 300 mm or 500 * 250 * 200 mm, the masonry is carried out in one or one and a half blocks, partitions are erected from blocks of 500 * 250 * 150 mm. It is advisable to take a dry break after every 3-4 rows of masonry. When erecting low-rise small buildings, reinforcement is not required - in other cases, it is better to lay the reinforcement every 3 rows. A house made of wood concrete will last for at least 60 years (this is how long the first houses made of this material have turned, and they are still in excellent condition) - it is only important to choose high-quality material with the necessary performance characteristics.