Home makeovers can enhance your house in so many ways. This is often a necessary step before attempting to sell a property. With the right masonry materials you can transform your house into a personalized space where friends and family can have a pleasant time.
Whether you want to install a new floor, frame a door opening, repair a wall, etc. it’s important to learn about the masonry materials that will be used.
The most important types of materials used for construction purposes include:
Thatch: It’s the oldest material known and an amazing insulator. Many African tribes still use this material but it’s also being used in some modern homes.
Fabric: Although this is the type of home nomadic groups throughout the world prefer, it’s also being recently revived in modern buildings and used as fabric membranes.
Mud and clay: These are basically sun-dried mud blocks, built with raw/processed earth, which date back to 8000 B.C. Homes built with these materials tend to have a fresh temperature in the summer and warm during the winter but they don’t perform well during earthquakes.
Rock: These blocks are made of natural stone material such as granite, laterite, sandstone, and slate.
Wood: Wood is still popular for building homes throughout the world. There are some areas where timber is easily available, less costly, and the ideal approach for small structures.
Brick and block: It’s a very common construction type. Clay mud is generally used to shape each masonry unit. Bricks can be either burnt in a kiln or sun-dried.
Concrete: This is composite building material generally made of aggregate (composite) and a binder like cement.
Metal: It’s used on larger buildings or as external surface coverings. Metals used include steel, titanium, and chrome. Gold and silver are also used but for decorating purposes because these materials don’t have good structural qualities and they are very costly.
Glass: It’s great for windows and cover openings in buildings. It’s also used on the roof of modern buildings and as curtain walls. Glass is very hard and it’s made of mixtures of silicates, sand, and brittle.
Ceramics: These are tiles, fixtures, etc. used on counter-tops, tiled floors, and on ceilings as well.
Plastic: These are basically synthetic or semi-synthetic products. They are very adaptable and have different levels of hardness and resiliency.
Types of Masonry Work
A masonry structure comprises everything built by combining materials with the help of mortar. Mortar is similar to cement and it holds together stone, bricks, marble, and other materials. The two main masonry types are:
Veneer masonry: It involves pasting together materials to another structure, which offers the base for support. This is generally done for aesthetic purposes since it won’t create a sturdy structure.
Solid masonry: This type of masonry is built free standing and it’s not attached to something else.
Most common types of Masonry materials
Masonry is constructed of significant materials or masonry products laid and glued together by mortar. Masonry materials can be organic or man-made. Among the most common types of materials used on different masonry applications are:
Brick: They are very common and they can be used to bear the weight of a structure or as a veneer. They are made of soft slate, clay, shale, concrete, and calcium cilicate. They can also be shaped from quarried stone.
Natural stone: This masonry material can last a lifetime. Some natural stones include sandstone, slate, limestone, marble, and travertine.
Concrete block: These are larger than regular bricks and they have lower water absorption. It’s generally used on industrial buildings, factories, and garages.
Glass block: This is a glassy material cast as cubes as it’s used for decorative purposes.
Tile: A piece of hard wearing material such as metal, stone, ceramic, and in some cases glass. Tiles are used to covering floors, walls, and roofs.
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