Brick foundation: the main nuances of work and material selection

26.12.201727.05.2017

If you've already finished with the foundation, it's time to start laying bricks. In order to be performed smoothly and efficiently, it is necessary to follow a certain sequence in the work.

There are several varieties of red brick masonry. The most popular types of masonry are multi-row and single-row. Red brick masonry looks beautiful if the dressing of the seams is made with a shift of half the brick.

You need to start work with the preparation of building materials and tools. You will need: red brick and reinforcing mesh, a trowel and a building corner, a plumb line, a level and ingredients for preparing a masonry mortar (sand, cement, plasticizers, clay, water).

Prepare masonry mortar. This is a very important point. Both the speed of work and the quality of the masonry will depend on the quality of the masonry mortar.

We take cement M400 and fine sand, in a ratio of 1: 4, take four buckets of sand for one bucket of cement. Sometimes, for the plasticity of the solution, clay or lime is added to it. Cement and sand are thoroughly mixed. It is very important to add the correct amount of water to the solution. If you take one bucket of cement for kneading, then you will need about a bucket of water (it is better to take a little less). Mix everything thoroughly. The solution should be homogeneous and plastic.

The first row is very important in the masonry, all further masonry depends on it. Using twine and a level, try to line the first row as evenly as possible. The big difficulty arises when drawing vertical angles.

The corners are laid out first. To display rectangular corners, use metal corners - orders. First, use a level to lay out a few bricks, then, using brackets, fix the corners. Now check the accuracy of the corners with a plumb line and pull the string for even laying.

To check the accuracy and levelness of red brick masonry, you can use a metal profile.

The seam when laying bricks must be thin enough. The thickness of the horizontal joint should be from 10 to 15 mm, and the vertical joint - from 8 mm to 15. If you plan to plaster the wall in the future, then it is advisable to lay the red brick in the "wasteland".

To do this, it is not necessary to completely fill all the seams and cracks with a solution, so that when plastering, the plaster solution already flows into the cracks. Such plaster will stick to the wall much stronger.

Reinforcement mesh is laid every five rows of red bricks. Check the horizontal and vertical planes of the masonry more often with a level and do not forget to bandage the seams.

We can often find a strip brick foundation in old houses, and we must give it its due, it has been preserved for decades in excellent condition and, most importantly, it does not lose its functional performance.

In addition, old houses have many basements and basements, where there is not even a hint of concrete base, everything is laid out strictly from bricks. This means that the builders had every reason to use this particular type of material!

Brick base under the house

However, what's the point of speculating when we can just try to figure out on our own and identify the feasibility of building it for our own home.

When can you lay a brick base

The beauty of this base is that it will suit almost any type of soil. Even if we have a problem area, groundwater, loose soil, serious freezing of the soil - a brick base will steadily survive all these misfortunes.

Let's put it this way, in terms of design features, a brick base can be laid if:

It's about a lightweight design... It is not necessary to talk only about the house, it can be a sauna and a garage, or a gazebo.
We are going to equip the basement... Brick, as a material of natural origin, is the best fit for this.
When we have a basement on the project, thisg.

What are the advantages of brick

Here it should immediately be clarified that the brick has several basic varieties, we need to know which brick is best for the foundation to choose.

We will proceed from the fact that the material should:

Be durable. This point, in fact, is not subject to discussion. The grade of the material must be from 150 and above, and the brick is corpulent!
Resistant to moisture. If you notice from the foundations, then there is always a red brick, which has a low moisture absorption.
Frost resistant. In winter, the soil can freeze through one and a half meters, and all this, together with thawing, will constantly put pressure on the brick foundation.

It is the red clay brick that has these main factors for laying the base. This is where high strength and low moisture absorption come together. So, this is the only foundation brick that we can safely use in the construction of a base for any house.

What are the pros and cons of a brick base

And right there, let's turn to the advantages that a brick basis can provide us with:

Plastic. This is the most important argument in favor of choosing this base option. Even with deformation, the base fabric does not tear or collapse, and certain parts can always be simply replaced.
Environmental friendliness, if we are talking about a basement or basement room, the walls of which will simultaneously be the foundation of the whole house.

We will, however, be objective, and frankly show that this type of basis also has negative sides:

High final price. Yes, let's start with this point, because the foundation always has a very strong influence on the overall estimate.
Labor intensity. Despite the fact that we will be able to raise the base with our own hands, it will really take us a lot of effort, plus the process itself is somewhat complicated by various masonry options and calculations.
If not hold waterproofing works, then the brick will pick up moisture quickly enough. This is despite the fact that it has low moisture absorption.
To build a heavy house, we will have to lay a rather massive basis, and this again brings us back to the points indicated above.

Nevertheless, since we are talking about such an option for the foundation, then let's get down to work, and go step by step from earthworks to the first row of the load-bearing wall.

Calculator for the number of bricks in masonry

A simple calculator looks like this:

Brick size

Single (250x120x65 mm) One and a half (250x120x88 mm) Double (250x120x138 mm)

Wall area

m 2

Calculation to make

taking into account mortar joint 5 mm thick, excluding mortar joint

Brick consumption

Solution consumption

Creating a red brick foundation step by step

First of all, we need preparatory work on the construction site. Since we have chosen to lay a brick foundation, it means that a geological analysis has already been carried out, and we have reason to build just this type of foundation.

Preparation

When preparing, we need to consider the following points:

Supply of necessary communications to the place of work, water, electricity.
Provision of normal, free access to the construction site.
Drainage works. Preparation for water drainage.
Preparation of a storage site for building materials.

Masonry calculation

Naturally, before starting the construction of the base. We have a project ready and we know what thickness of the foundation wall we will have. Accordingly, we select the material for these parameters.

The point is that we don't have to use the standard red brick sizes for the foundation. Today construction industry offers to take advantage of large dimensions. For example, it can be a double stone, the dimensions of which are twice as large as usual.

Why, you ask? We will answer, if we have a non-standard size of red brick for the foundation, it will be much easier for us to lay it. Here it is also necessary to consider that this may be our first masonry in general, so size matters, at least here, in the construction of the foundation.

Now let's define what we mean by custom and standard sizes:

Common brick - 250x120x65, and weighs no more than 4.3 kg. The latter is important, because we need to know the weight of the entire base, this will be one of the loads that we collect to determine the pressure on the ground.
Double - 250x120x138 mm, and this simply increase not only allows us to masonry faster, but also adds strength and thermal insulation properties to the base.

Number of bricks for masonry

Dimensions of the stone.
Foundation thickness.
Length, base length.
Masonry height.

The calculation is done as follows. First, we calculate how much material will go per square meter. For this, there are special calculators that automatically calculate everything.

Let's show by example standard size, for example, we have 153 standard, single, solid bricks per 1 square meter, this is taking into account the jointing, and without a seam - 189 pieces.

Now we calculate the square of the foundation, after which we multiply the number square meters by the number of bricks.

Advice!
When calculating the material, we need to add 10% to the resulting number.
We always recommend buying with a margin, even if we are talking about rough work.
We will always find where to use the brick in which case, and interrupting the masonry process due to lack of material is quite unpleasant.

Masonry basics

There are no significant differences in how to lay a brick on a foundation from that. How do we do it in the construction of, for example, walls.

All the same principles are followed here:

The laying is carried out along the guide and under the control of the building level. If we have deviations, then they should not exceed 10 mm.
Before laying, we tamp trenches or a pit, arrange a rough screed.
Rows of masonry can be tied for extra strength and elasticity with a metal bar, or even reinforcement.

A few tips for laying.

Advice 1. Red brick for the foundation, of course, has the necessary strength, but we can arrange additional "stiffeners", filling the corners of the foundation with reinforced concrete columns, 25x25 cm.

Tip 2. When laying, you can immediately lead and.
As soon as we pass a few nearby, carefully rub the seams and apply the first layer of mastic.
Subsequently, it will be possible to apply a few more layers of this material.

Separately, we will say how the waterproofing of a brick foundation can be carried out, especially if we do everything ourselves. We can choose several options, the priority will be mastic and roofing felt.

These are both the simplest and most economical options. It is important to note here that it is good to carry out waterproofing several times, and, for example, you can install roofing material in several layers on the outside of the base, and on the inside, paint everything with mastic.

Plus, it is imperative to assume the creation of a blind area and a screen to drain storm and melt water. That is, our waterproofing will go in two ways: directly in working with the foundation, and in arranging the space in front of it.

We can erect pillars not only for fences, verandas and gates, there is columnar foundation made of bricks, which allows us to build a very simple, cheap and rational base for a lightweight structure

Schematically, the installation of such a basis looks as follows:

A hole is dug, about 100x100 mm. The depth depends on the condition of the soil.
Fill the bottom with a sand pillow and tamp it tightly.
We install roofing material.
We build a column using a brick.

There is an option with steel pipe in the center of the pillar. That is, the choice of masonry completely depends on our desire, and on the load that will be carried out by the house.

Conclusion

As you can see from the article, a do-it-yourself brick foundation is a rather ambiguous choice, and even more so, not universal for all types of buildings.

Nevertheless, it continues to be used and plays a role in construction. It is not necessary to use it for the construction of a large and massive structure, but in low-rise construction such a foundation is quite capable of finding application.

Brick is a durable, strong material with high fire resistance. Brick is the most common construction material size 250x120x65 mm, excluding 3-5 mm tolerances. Bricks are laid with the long side (25 cm) along the facade (along the wall) and are called spoons or short - across the wall and are called pokes. The gaps between the bricks filled with mortar are called seams. The normal thickness of the horizontal joint (between the rows) is 2 mm, of the vertical joint (between the bricks) - 10 mm. The use of much thicker seams is highly undesirable, because this reduces the heat-shielding qualities and strength of the wall and violates the modularity of dimensions.

In cottage construction, solid brick is used, ordinary or clay red, fired, with a volumetric weight of 1700-1900 kg / m3 and less expensive silicate or white (volumetric weight - 1800-2000 kg / m3). For the convenience of work, the weight of one (solid) brick is from 3.2 to 4 kg. The thickness of homogeneous (solid) brick walls is always a multiple of half the brick and erected by 1/2; one; l / 2; 2; 2/2 bricks, etc. Taking into account the thickness of the vertical joints of 10 mm, brick walls have a thickness of 120, 250, 380, 510, 640 mm and more.

: 1 - ordinary full-bodied brick; 2 - hollow brick; 3 - facing brick; 4 - silicate brick; 5 - refractory brick (fireclay); 6 - clinker brick.

Brick in terms of its heat-shielding qualities is inferior to many materials, for example, at an estimated outside air temperature of 30 ° C (central part of Russia), the outer walls of solid brick of solid masonry should have a thickness of 640 mm (2/2 of a brick), which is 2.5- 3 times more wooden.

The domestic industry produces mainly six types of bricks.
Ordinary solid brick, usually red, has frost resistance, porosity from 6-8% to 20%.
The porosity of the brick determines the strength of its adhesion to the masonry mortar, the thermal conductivity of the walls and the absorption of moisture when the weather changes.

Usually ordinary brick has an unattractive rough surface, as a result of which the internal and external walls erected from it must subsequently be plastered.

Hollow brick - for the construction of external walls with increased thermal insulation capacity. Color: pale red, dark red, brown, yellow.

Hollow bricks are used to reduce wall thickness. The presence of voids in the brick reduces the need for raw materials, transportation costs, facilitates firing, and increases frost resistance. In order to reduce the consumption of bricks, reduce the mass of the walls and the load on the foundation, external walls can sometimes be completely laid out from hollow bricks.

Hollow bricks are made with through and non-through round, slot-like, oval or square voids. Due to the fact that the diameter of the through voids does not exceed 16 mm, and the width of the gap is 12 mm, during the masonry process, the solution fills the voids slightly, and the masonry has a reduced thermal conductivity. The brick can be plastic or semi-dry pressing: during plastic pressing, the brick is made with through voids, and with semi-dry - with blind ones (it is also called five-walled and laid with the voids down).

Facing bricks - for almost all types of outdoor work. The color, depending on the raw material, ranges from light yellow to dark red. Withstands exposure to water and frost.

Some types of facing bricks used for exterior decoration stoves, fireplaces, on the outer surface have beautiful ornaments printed, giving them an additional decorative effect.

With the use of facing bricks, the cost of the walls increases, but the difference is approximately equal to the cost of plastering the facade.

Facing bricks of light colors, yellow and cream, from light-burning clays are beautiful, the color of already fired bricks is largely influenced by the content of various compounds in the clay, and above all iron oxide.

A peculiar aesthetic effect is achieved when using profiled facing bricks. In the old days, profile bricks were obtained by cutting ordinary bricks or in special shapes.

Figured bricks - mainly for exterior decoration. Color - red-brown, has high frost and moisture resistance.

Shaped bricks are usually used for exterior decoration of a house.

Foreign firms offer a wide selection of shaped bricks various shapes and colors.

Glazed bricks - for cladding internal and external walls. Color - a different range of colors.
Glazed bricks are cladding bricks and are mainly intended for original cladding. Glazed bricks are obtained by adding various chemical solutions to the clay mass, which form a colored glassy layer during the firing of the raw material. Moreover decorative layer has good adhesion to the bulk and has increased frost resistance.

In terms of its main properties, glazed brick is similar to clinker ceramics, however, compared to other types of facing bricks, it is the most fragile, which greatly limits the scope of its application. It is interesting to use it for various kinds of panels and mosaic paintings both on the facades of houses and indoors.

Ceramic clinker modular bricks are used for cladding external walls. Color: white, gray, light black, red, has low moisture absorption, heat-resistant, frost-resistant.
Features of ceramic clinker brick are in its frost resistance (withstands at least 50 heating-cooling cycles), heat resistance, low level of moisture absorption (0.2%). This is achieved as a choice raw materialsand a special firing technology (at a temperature of 1800 °).

The brick has smooth end walls, like ceramic tiles, and a non-standard size - larger than that of an ordinary facing brick (in this regard, it is called "modular"). Therefore, due to the smaller number of required bricks in the erected wall, the laying time can be reduced.

To reduce the consumption of bricks, reduce the mass of the walls and the load on the foundation, the outer walls are laid out of hollow bricks or solid bricks, but with the formation of voids, wells, using heaters, warm solutions, etc.

The table shows examples of constructive solutions for external walls.

The most irrational is solid brickwork, the more economical is the laying with the formation of closed air layers 5-7 cm wide. At the same time, brick consumption is reduced by 15-20%, but external plaster is necessary. Air spaces are filled with mineral felt, foam. It is also effective to use warm masonry mortars based on aggregates of slag, expanded clay, tuff, etc.

The most common economical construction of external brick walls of well masonry, in which the wall is actually laid out of two independent walls half a brick thick, connected by vertical and horizontal brick bridges to form closed wells. Wells along the masonry are filled with slag, expanded clay or lightweight concrete. This solution protects the insulation well from external influences, although it somewhat weakens the structural strength of the wall.

With solid masonry, it is economical to construct brick walls with external or internal insulation. In this case, the thickness brick wall can be minimal, based only on the strength requirements, that is, to be equal to 25 cm in all climatic regions, and thermal protection is provided by the thickness and quality of the insulation. When the insulating layer is located from the inside, it is protected from water vapor by a vapor barrier, when located outside, it is protected by a screen or plaster from the weather.

Brick walls have a high thermal inertia: they warm up slowly and also cool down slowly. Moreover, this inertia is the greater, the thicker the wall and the greater its mass. IN brick houses the indoor temperature has slight daily fluctuations, and this is the advantage of brick walls. At the same time, in houses of periodic residence (dachas, garden houses), such a feature of brick walls in the cold season is not always desirable. A large mass of cooled walls requires significant fuel consumption each time to warm up, and sudden temperature changes inside the premises lead to condensation of moisture on the inner surfaces of brick walls. In such houses, it is better to sheathe the walls from the inside with boards.

: a - a fragment of the masonry; b - ordinal layout of bricks during laying right angle walls; в - wall corner of the well masonry; 1 - insulation; 2 - a diaphragm made of bonded bricks; 3 - jumpers.

Internal load-bearing walls are usually laid out of solid (clay or silicate) bricks. Minimum internal thickness load-bearing walls - 25 cm, cross-section of pillars - at least 38x38 cm, piers - at least 25x51 cm. Under heavy loads, load-bearing pillars and piers are reinforced with a metal mesh made of wire with a diameter of 3-6 mm every three to five rows in height.
Partitions are laid out with a thickness of 12 cm (in half a brick) and 6.5 cm (brick "on the edge"). With the length of the partitions, laid out "on the edge", more than 1.5 m, they are also reinforced with wire through two or three rows in height.

Facades are best faced with facing ceramic bricks. In appearance, texture and tolerances in size, it is of the highest quality.

Brick walls are usually laid out on cement-sand, cement-lime or cement-clay mortars. A cement-sand mortar with any brand of cement turns out to be too strong and tough, so it is better if you add lime or clay dough to it. The solution from such an additive will become plastic and conveniently laid, and the cement consumption will decrease by 1.5-2 times.
Lime dough, used as an additive to the cement-sand mortar, is prepared from slaked lime. If there is quicklime in the form of separate lumps (boiling water) or powder (fluff), it must be quenched with water in a wooden pit lined with boards and kept in this state for at least two weeks. The longer the exposure time, the better. The homogeneity of the composition and the strength of the lime dough increase with prolonged exposure.

It is also advisable to prepare clay dough for masonry mortars in advance. Pieces of clay are soaked in water and kept in this form until they are completely spread for three to five days. Then add water, Stir, filter, after settling, drain excess water and use it.
The shelf life of clay dough is unlimited.

The strength of the wall is ensured by bandaging the seams. There are two suture dressing systems - single-row chain and multi-row, multi-row mixed dressing is also possible.

: 1 - butt row, 2 - spoon row.

With single-row knitting, the butt rows also alternate.

More common are two-, three-, six-row masonry dressing systems.
Strength brickwork, made with ligation of vertical seams in each row or after three to six rows, is practically the same. It increases significantly if, regardless of the masonry system, in horizontal seams, three to five rows are laid reinforcement mesh with cells 6-12 cm wide made of wire 3-6 mm in diameter.

: a - two-row masonry system; 1 - butt row; 2 - spoon row; 3 - mixing vertical joints for a quarter of a brick; b - three-row masonry system; 1 - butt row; 2 - spoon rows; 3 - coincidence of three vertical seams; c - six-row masonry system; 1 - butt row; 2 - spoon rows; 3 - mixing vertical joints for a quarter of a brick; 4 - the same, half a brick.

: a - a fragment of the masonry; b - ordinal layout of bricks when laying a right corner of a wall with three-row diaphragms; в - corner of masonry with three-row diaphragms; 1 - insulation (lightweight concrete); 2 - a diaphragm of three rows of masonry; 3 - mortar screed; 4 - area of \u200b\u200bsolid masonry.

Quite widely used in the individual construction of masonry with three-row diaphragms and of course mixed masonry.

The cladding of facades, as already mentioned, is made with ceramic bricks (stone), but this can be successfully done with thicker brick with voids and, finally, with concrete stone.

Masonry from ceramic stones (a), from thickened bricks with voids (b), from concrete stones (c).

Lightweight masonry with horizontal diaphragms is of undoubted interest.
Such masonry consists of two parallel walls 1/2 brick thick, connected every five rows of masonry by horizontal butting rows. The latter are sometimes replaced with 6 mm thick reinforcement rods, which are laid every 50 cm of the wall length. The ends of the bars are bent at a right angle. The total length of the rods should be such that they are in the masonry at a depth of 8-10 cm.

When erecting such walls, two walls are first laid out to a height of five rows. Then the space between them is covered with dry aggregates or filled with “warm” concrete (adobe) in 15 cm thick layers and everything is carefully compacted. The last layer is leveled at the level of the masonry.

: a - brick; b - from "warm" concrete and reinforced steel.

If the diaphragms are brick, then whole bricks are placed on the mortar from the bottom and top sides, ensuring their strong bond. In order to protect the used rods from rusting, in the backfill against the places where they are laid, furrows 3-4 cm deep and wide are chosen with a trowel. The same furrow width and 5-6 cm long is chosen near the walls. Both those and others are filled with mortar (preferably cement, composition 1: 4 or 1: 5) to such a height that the reinforcement being laid is recessed in it either half of its thickness, or completely. After removing the first row, the rods are covered from above with a layer of mortar of the same thickness. Then they put five more rows, fill in the aggregate or pour in the mortar, lay the rods, etc. In the course of the masonry, every two rows, the voids are filled with "warm" "concrete on lightweight aggregates. Released bricks are also firmly bonded with concrete. by 25-30% and reduces the need for brick.Lightweight masonry is permissible when building houses no higher than two floors.

For a three- or four-storey mansion, brick-concrete anchoring is recommended.
It consists of two parallel brick walls, in the space between which lightweight concrete is laid. Jagged bricks protrude into the concrete masonry and are a kind of anchors connecting concrete and brick into a single structure. Deaf parts of the walls can be connected after 2-3 m with solid vertical diaphragms 1/2 brick thick.

: a - a fragment of the masonry; b - ordinal layout of bricks when laying a right angle; в - wall corner; 1 - outer verst; 2- insulation (lightweight concrete); 3 - anchor pokes; 4 - inner verst.

The consumption of materials for 1 m 2 of a brick wall with solid and lightweight (well) masonry can be calculated according to the tables given.

The list of types of masonry should be supplemented with the most durable - English - dressing, in which spoon and butt rows alternate through a row. That is, the bricks of two rows adjacent in height lie crosswise in relation to each other.