Construction of Concrete Block Masonry in GTA
Concrete block masonry have nearly replaced the traditional burnt clay bricks used in construction due to the shortage of their labor, raw material and complex burning process. Another reason may be the higher prices!
The modern construction projects are using the two types of concrete block masonry that are hollow and the solid ones.
Hollow Concrete Blocks:
Blocks made of concrete having hollow spaces in between are called hollow concrete blocks. These are used where strength is lesser important for example decorative walls, inside partitioning walls, or the boundary fences.
Further the hollow concrete blocks are classified according to their strength and the shape as per the requirement of the construction area of the construction project.
Classification according to Strength:
High Density Blocks
These are made by mixing the cement, sand and fine gravel as raw material. High prices of raw material makes their price higher as compared to traditional bricks.
Low Density Blocks
These blocks are made by using industrial waste and fly ash or bottom ash. Blocks are of low quality and cheaper than all other varieties of bricks. These are mostly used in fences and decorative walls where strength is not an issue.
Classification according to Shape and Requirement
Stretcher blocks
This type of concrete blocks are used to join the corners of the masonry. In construction process they are laid with their length parallel to the face of the wall.
Lintel Blocks
These are U-shaped masonry blocks also known as beam blocks or channeled blocks. As the name suggests these are used to lay down the beams, generally above the windows and doors. Blocks have deep grove along their length, after placing the blocks these groves are filled with concrete to give extra strength to the wall.
Partition Concrete Blocks
Partition blocks are used to build partition walls. In shape, their hollow part is divided into two or three holes and are larger in height than its breadth.
Pillar Block
Pillar blocks are used to build the pillars, they are also known as double corner blocks. They are used in place where two ends of the corner are visible.
Jamb Concrete Blocks
Blocks are made with two holes with a shallow groove at one side of brick and a deeper grove at the other side corner of the block. These are specifically used where there is a need for elaborated window to be attached.
Column Block
These are square blocks with a single hole in the center. Blocks are stacked one over the other to make a column and filled with mortar from inside to strengthen the wall.
Bull-Nose Block
One edge of the block is round that is why they are used to build the corners to give them a round shape.
Frog shaped Blocks
These are named so because of their shape which is chamfered hollow from the above. This frog-shaped hollow shape is kept on the top side, when the next layer is to be laid, this shape is filled with mortar to give a stronger bond and hence a stronger wall.
Solid Concrete Blocks
Solid concrete blocks are made from dense aggregate to build stronger walls. These blocks are heavy in weight, stronger than the clay bricks, and larger in size. Walls made from these blocks are good load bearing and can handle much force than traditional brick walls, these are used to build bigger structures like multistory buildings.
Concrete block masonry have replaced the traditional clay bricks due to their strength which good for large structures. Another reason is there size that is larger to build the bigger structures quickly. Also, these are available in variety of shapes and strength to be used for specific places for more accuracy and lesser wastage of cut down bricks and hence saves money.
Contact Zoha Masonry for all type of Concrete Block Masonry in Toronto, Scarborough and GTA.