build with leca blocks using butt joint?

[janne_sjoblom]

hellohello.
Going to build a house 5x4x2m with lecablock 19x19 on a cast slab. The facade will be plastered.

String masonry seems practical as you can use a so-called masonry box that applies the right amount of mortar.

Is it appropriate to build with joint-free masonry?

 

[frasse]

It works, it's listed as an alternative method on Optiroc's website, and it's a faster method than traditional masonry with head joint.

We received the comment "wow, you're using head joints, that's so advanced, nobody does that nowadays" from our neighbor's foundation builder when he visited.

At the same time, I think I've seen that most people actually use head joints.

Not sure if you should add more reinforcement as compensation, check with your supplier.

 

[BAS]

I use a miter box (threw it together myself in 30 min).
Vertical joints aren't much more work compared to measuring and cutting the stones that need to be cut.
However, apply the vertical joint so it can set for a few minutes; it becomes firmer and won't fall off when you lower the stone.
And it ALSO results in a stronger wall.

 

[Eld]

Butt joint is when mortar is also applied between the short ends of the stones (lecablocks). A butt joint-free wall, in other words, only has mortar between the courses, not between the blocks that lie next to each other.

 

[Bob_the_builder]

It's simply about trapping more air in the wall (in the vertical joint and between the mortar strings) to thereby achieve better insulation ability. A wall without vertical joints must be reinforced more.

 

[LB]

Are the two grooves in a lecasten intended to accommodate reinforcement........?

 

[TN]

Correct