Advantages and disadvantages of fencing them Besser, types of fences made of this material, block stacking technology, building maintenance. The Besser fence is a massive, reliable structure with an attractive appearance made of artificial material in the form of small blocks. In appearance, blanks are difficult to distinguish from natural stone, but they are much cheaper. We will talk about the construction of a fence from such a product in this article.
Features of a fence from Besser
Besser is produced in the form of blocks of various sizes. The name comes from the name of the American company BESSER, which first launched their production. Building materials are made from sand and cement or expanded clay using a technology similar to the production of paving slabs. After pressing, bricks with the properties of natural stone are obtained.
For hedges, it is recommended to buy products made of fine-grained sand cement with dimensions of 190x390x190 mm. Some companies produce a special besser for fence posts 270x270x190 mm in size. Cement-based blocks are cheaper than expanded clay blocks, although they are inferior in strength. For fences, it is recommended to use a modification designed specifically for such buildings.
The product goes well with many building materials - shell rock, brick, etc. The use of various elements allows you to avoid blind structures and excessive massiveness in places where they are not required. If the fence is completely made of Besser, it is possible to decorate it with patterns that are obtained by alternating smooth and structural bricks.
Often only pillars are built from blocks, and the pier is filled with corrugated board. To do this, metal pipes are mounted in the supports and sheet material is screwed to them with self-tapping screws. This is the most economical Besser-based fencing option.
The large dimensions of the products allow you to build tall structures without unnecessary calculations. Massive metal gates are suitable for such structures.
For fences, red, brown, yellow and black bricks or unpainted (gray) bricks are most often bought. The latter is the cheapest option. The blocks are laid on an ordinary sand-cement mortar or special mixtures that do not create lime efflorescence.
Advantages and disadvantages of a Besser fence
The material has a lot of positive qualities. The advantages of a Besser hedge include:
- Resistant to low temperatures.
- Weak absorption of moisture, which increases the number of cycles of frost resistance and its resource.
- The strength of the bricks. They do not crumble, do not break, and have a long service life.
- High precision manufacturing of blocks, which facilitates the construction of the structure. Convenient workpiece shape speeds up assembly work.
- Low cost of the fence. The volume of a standard product is equal to 7 bricks, and the price is 2 times less.
- The versatility of workpieces. From them, you can build the walls of the fence and support pillars for them.
- Large color and stylistic variety, which allows you to make the hedge original and presentable.
- Safety for people. The product will not emit harmful vapors.
- Easy maintenance of the finished structure.
- The construction of a fence does not require great construction skills.
Users should be aware of the material flaws that appear during the construction and operation of the fence. There are very few of them: the blocks have a fairly large weight, which somewhat complicates construction work, and due to the massive structure, it is necessary to build a strip foundation or concrete support pillars.
Besser fence mounting technology
When building a fence from a Besser block, you need to know some of the features associated with the design of the product and the large weight of the building. Let's consider in detail the main stages of the construction of the fence.
Construction of the foundation for the fence
The Besser fence is very heavy and can shrink, therefore, in order to keep it in its regular position, a strip foundation is often built.
Operations are performed in the following sequence:
- Remove vegetation from the surface. Pull the cord around the perimeter of the area. Drive in pegs in the corners of the site, as well as in the locations of the gates and wickets.
- Mark the position of the support posts of the fence. To avoid complications with neighbors, it is recommended to build a fence 15 cm deep into your territory. The pillars should be located every 2-3 m.
- Dig a trench 0.5 m deep (for normal soil) and a width equal to the size of the blocks along the cord. If the soil is heaving or the area is swampy, dig a hole below the freezing level of the soil for this area by 30 cm. Otherwise, the heavy fence from Besser will sag during the thaw. In places where supports are being built, deepen the hole to 1.5 m.
- Assemble planks, plywood, or other formwork in the pit that will not deform under the action of concrete. It should allow the foundation to be built to a predetermined height, usually 15 cm above the ground. Protrusion above the ground is optional, but in any case, provide a level surface under the masonry. For the stability of the masonry, make the width of the foundation a few centimeters wider than the blocks.
- Anchor the walls tightly to prevent the concrete from crushing or spreading. You can attach a plinth to the foundation and use it to level the surface of the wall under the Besser blocks.
- To prevent the mortar from sticking to the boards, lay out the formwork from the inside with roofing felt. Fill the bottom of the trench with a layer of sand and gravel 15 cm thick and compact it, periodically pouring water and adding sand.
- In the formwork, weld two rows of reinforcement - in the lower and upper parts. If necessary, tie the rods with transverse elements, welding them every 40-50 cm.
- In the locations of the posts, weld the pins vertically, to the full height of the posts. For reinforcement, three to four rods of grade A III with a diameter of 10 mm are usually used. Blocks are laid around them. The reinforcement can be cross-linked, resulting in a rectangular structure. Instead of pins for strengthening the posts, you can use a pipe profile with a diameter of 50-60 mm.
- Prepare concrete from cement (grade 400), sand and crushed stone, which are mixed in a 1: 2: 4 ratio.
- Fill the formwork with mortar. Align the upper edge of the foundation in a horizontal plane. The smoother the surface, the easier it is to lay the beser.
- If the site has a slope, make a stepped foundation, each part of which is exposed to the horizon.
Further work can be performed only after the solution has solidified by at least 70 percent, usually after 28 days. To prevent the foundation from cracking, cover it with plastic wrap during drying and periodically moisten it with water.
Besser wall masonry for a fence
The masonry of a Besser fence is no different from the masonry of an ordinary building brick. Perform work in the warm season. With the arrival of frost, the construction site should be frozen until spring. To do this, cover the wall with plastic wrap or roofing felt.
Perform the following operations:
- Prepare a mortar - a plastic but not flowable mixture. It is obtained after combining 1 part of cement, 1 part of ground lime and 6 parts of sifted sand. First mix the dry ingredients and then add the water. A high-quality solution resembles thick sour cream in consistency. Too liquid mass will spread, and thick mass will not allow aligning the row. You can also use a ready-made dry mix sold in stores.
- Place the blocks on the foundation without mortar and evaluate the result. Make sure the first row is straight. If necessary, modify the wall with mortar, but its thickness should not exceed 1 cm.
- Apply the solution to the surface with a layer of 10-15 mm.
- Lay out the first row. Install the blocks with the technological groove down, in this position they will be more stable. Unlike silicate stone, besser does not absorb moisture, so it should not be pre-moistened. The upper part of the brick is wider and intended for mortar application. This shape allows you to hold the product with one hand, and work with a trowel with the other. Check the location of the wall horizontally with a cord and in a vertical plumb line. When laying, lay the brick on the wall and slide it all the way into the adjacent one. Fill the gap between them with mortar.
- Cover the surfaces of the first row of blocks with the mixture, bypassing the voids, as well as the side edges. For work, use 2 special templates made of wood for masonry. One of them is necessary to apply the solution to the edges of the Besser, the second - to lay adjacent elements in one line.
- Sew the joints in the same way as on brickwork, but do not let them bulge. The protruding seam will retain moisture on the surface. To make the seams even, use rods, the diameter of which is equal to the thickness of the mortar (8-12 mm). Turn the end of the bar into an oval shape. Walk along the joint no later than 20-30 minutes after styling.
- Cover every second row with a masonry net to connect with the columns. When working, use a trowel tapered in width. Split the blocks using a special guillotine.
- Tap the Besser with a wooden hammer to seal. Pull the string over the bricks and check the horizontal row with a building level. Check the correctness of each row of masonry. Use a plumb line to control the verticality of the wall.
- To increase the strength of the structure, it is allowed to lay a reinforced mesh between the rows. When building, periodically step aside and evaluate the wall from the side. Defects and defects can be identified with the naked eye.
When constructing a wall, use our recommendations:
- Install the Besser fence in the same style.
- Avoid contamination of the elements.
- Do not lay bricks if the mortar has started to set.
- When building pillars, place the elements around the reinforcement. Their dimensions, as a rule, are more than one block, so there is enough space inside, which is poured with concrete.
- Lay out the posts from two blocks of privates with a dressing.
Use expansion joints at the joints of the columns. They are necessary because of the significant change in concrete dimensions with seasonal temperature fluctuations. After completion of construction, fill them with silicone for outdoor use, followed by painting.
Features of caring for a fence from Besser
After erecting the wall, cover it with plastic wrap for 2 weeks so that atmospheric precipitation does not fall on the solution. At the end of construction, it is recommended to install a visor over the structure, which will cover the blocks from atmospheric precipitation.
To protect the Besser blocks from ultraviolet radiation and precipitation, cover the wall with special agents that create a protective film on the surface. After applying the product, the fence acquires a more juicy color, it is easier to clean, which greatly simplifies maintenance.
You can also use an acrylic primer as it repels water better. The operation is allowed to be carried out at least 28 days after the erection of the wall, when the solution hardens.
How to make a fence from Besser - watch the video:
The use of Besser blocks significantly reduces the construction time of the fence and allows you to get rid of "wet" works, such as plastering. They extend the service life of the structure due to their greater strength and frost resistance. To build a fence, it is not necessary to have the professional skills of a bricklayer, but deviation from the technology of performing operations is not allowed.
