Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 59
  1. #1

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    Bricks and Blocks, which to use

    Bricks or blocks, which to use?

    Basically as these are only considered infill and not load bearing here in Thailand there is a lot of stuff you can use to build the walls in your house.

    First up we have these red blocks, I have to admit I have never seen a house built with these, well that is untill we built one, these are a bit pourous and some of them do have holes all the way through them so can have problems with the rain, but damn they look good

    With these it is best to color the cement with red oxide and rough finish the joins, for some reason if you smooth finish the joins the color looks crap, plus these are more your olde worlde type blocks so the rough finish does look better.

    Inside you need to render off and then it is best to use insulation and plaster board as these bricks do absorb the heat from the sun, on this one we just used the cheapy insulation plastic stuff with the reflective coating and plaster board with the reflective coating.

    These 20 by 40 center meter blocks can be bought in Salaburi for 20 odd baht each, or in Pattaya for nearer 40 odd baht each.




  2. #2

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    As you can see houses look quite nice made out of these red bricks.


  3. #3

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    Q-Con Blocks

    Q-Con Blocks are great, nice and square, 20 by 40centermeters, great insulation qualities and about 25baht each.

    In the first picture you can see a block being cut down to size using an ordinary wood saw, on the wall you can see that the joins are tiny between the blocks, for joining these blocks you use crocodile cement, this is a premixed cement based product that comes in 20 kilo bags, due to the blocks all being the same size and shape it makes it a very quick and easy job to build a wall.




    Putting the form work up for the concrete pour round the window frame, although now I believe they do lentals so you could just chuck one of them on top and have done with it.


  4. #4

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    Breeze Blocks or Clinker Blocks

    Breeze blocks are the lowest of the low, if you are just building a shack for your dog or pets then these are the things to use, at 3.50baht each this is the cheapest way to go, these things are so weak you can break them in one hand, again about 20 by 40 center meters each they are perfect for garden walls and that is about it.




  5. #5
    Member
    The_Dude's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    16-12-2022 @ 04:50 AM
    Location
    Nakornratchasima/Sacramento
    Posts
    586
    How do you run conduit in the Q-Con Block. Is it done with a router bit. And if so how long do the bits last.

  6. #6

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    We use an angle grinder and then chip it out, I think a router would do it but they are damn heavy and the bits quite expensive.

  7. #7
    Member
    The_Dude's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    16-12-2022 @ 04:50 AM
    Location
    Nakornratchasima/Sacramento
    Posts
    586
    Does anyone know if this product or somthing similar is in the states- California/ sacramento area to be exact? I would like to do some test on this stuff. Damm I wish I checked this out while I was there last!!!!

    The Dude.

  8. #8

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

  9. #9
    better looking than Ned
    Rigger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Last Online
    17-01-2018 @ 12:27 PM
    Posts
    7,898


    I am going to use these things to build a new bike work shop on a bit of spare land my wife has across the road it is going to be 4m x 9m with toilet shower and fridge and a bit of a sit down area out the side.
    Will be a basic build apart from the re-inforced beams for using a block and tackle. They tell me it can be done for about 30,000bht with a roller door fitted
    I dont know fok all about building so I am just having a BBQ a piss up and inviting a few mates over that are builders

  10. #10

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    Damn sure I wouldn't build it for that

  11. #11
    better looking than Ned
    Rigger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Last Online
    17-01-2018 @ 12:27 PM
    Posts
    7,898
    Quote Originally Posted by dirtydog
    Damn sure I wouldn't build it for that
    So how much would you build it for and I want a tile roof as well.

  12. #12

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    15k baht for the roof, about 8k baht for the roller shutter, 10k baht for the block work minimum, beam work about 6k baht using preformed beams, floor at 10cm concrete about 14k baht.

  13. #13
    Newbie

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Last Online
    15-11-2010 @ 09:40 PM
    Posts
    23
    Quote Originally Posted by dirtydog View Post
    Q-Con Blocks are great, nice and square, 20 by 40centermeters, great insulation qualities and about 25baht each.

    In the first picture you can see a block being cut down to size using an ordinary wood saw, on the wall you can see that the joins are tiny between the blocks, for joining these blocks you use crocodile cement, this is a premixed cement based product that comes in 20 kilo bags, due to the blocks all being the same size and shape it makes it a very quick and easy job to build a wall.




    Putting the form work up for the concrete pour round the window frame, although now I believe they do lentals so you could just chuck one of them on top and have done with it.

    I was told by a builder that you wouldn't want to hand cabinets from a wall built with these blocks. They are great for insulation on outside walls (they actually float in water) But for load bearing and walls where things will hang the builder said they aren't a good choice. I think it had something to do with how easily the crack if you try to nail or drill into them. The builder said that any walls that are going to bear any weight ..like cabinets or mirrors...need to be made out of the little red bricks.

  14. #14

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    ^ Your builder is an uneducted Thai i reckon

  15. #15
    Knows fok all
    daveboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    5,223
    Quote Originally Posted by egeefay
    The builder said that any walls that are going to bear any weight ..like cabinets or mirrors...need to be made out of the little red bricks.
    Thats bollox you just need to use the correct fixings

  16. #16

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    Thailands red Bricks

    So onto the most common building material in Thailand, yep red bricks, at 65 satang per brick they are cheap, here in Pattaya and surrounding areas these are hollow and sun baked, going into rice growing areas they are solid and then baked using rice husks, yep not a very hot bake.

    These are not load bearing, nor are they straight nor are they the same size as each other, they are a right pain to lay as they are so small and you use a pointing trowel to lay them, normally you would go like 5 to 8 high on each end then put a line up and follow that as close as possible, which here isn't very close.

    For some reason on these pictures taken today in jomtien they have decided to use them in a decorative way, pretty ropey job and probably lucky if they got paid, they also never bothered coloring the cement for the laying of the bricks and didn't clean up each day, yet, they rendered off the walls with colored cement, weird.




  17. #17
    Member
    jumbo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Last Online
    04-11-2018 @ 12:59 PM
    Posts
    239
    I guess that the guys using the Q-Con blocks work for one of your competitors DD. You would surely not allow your guys to cut and store blocks on an unprotected tiled floor?

  18. #18

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    ^My staff, that was the beginning of the job before the floor was replaced with Parquet, it was originally a car port so the floor was pretty crap anyway.

    Anyway here is a nice pillar done in the solid red bricks, this has been done quite well, these bricks are also very similar in size and shape which helps.


  19. #19

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763
    Here is a pillar that has been decorated with ordinary sun baked bricks, not too bad if your into that type of thing.



    Here are the solid red bricks that have been baked in rice husks.



    Here you can see unburnt rice husks embedded into this brick, gives you an idea of how badly they are baked.


  20. #20
    Dis-member
    Dougal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 07:17 AM
    Location
    Head Rock
    Posts
    3,507
    Quote Originally Posted by dirtydog
    Here is a pillar that has been decorated with ordinary sun baked bricks, not too bad if your into that type of thing.
    The solid red bricks do look much better than the extruded ones with the two holes. Despite my specifiying to use only the solid bricks for a wall, the builder used part solid and part holey bricks before I hit him around the head with one. He genuinely could not see that there was any difference between them.
    Lord, deliver us from e-mail.

  21. #21

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    Thai Bricks

    They have done a whole housing estate down Soi KhoPai in these bricks, I have to admit I have never used these but looking at them I would guess they are load bearing, they are of a uniform size and shape which is quite nice.








    To lay the bricks they have used the bags of ready mixed Crocodile cement so there isn't any pointing off to do, they also come in red and grey, the red would look quite nice if they had cleaned up the blobs of runny cement before it had dried, bit hard to get used to seeing houses made of red bricks when the bricks have such a small space between each one though.







    Here you can see they have used traditional Thai concrete beam work though.










    You can see the cement stains on the bricks on the bottom center of the picture.


  22. #22
    Thailand Expat
    El Gibbon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Last Online
    01-07-2017 @ 03:32 PM
    Location
    Udon Thani
    Posts
    2,109
    Don't know if they are the same, but, saw a program about this style of brick developed for 'self use'. After the Tsunami of 04 they sent hundreds of the presses to Ache. Can be run by one person and can make over 100 a day I think.

    Due to them seating themselves, once the first course is layed its pretty easy to follow along. Neat concept for the do-it-yourself folks.

    E. G.
    "If you can't stand the answer --
    Don't ask the question!"

  23. #23

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Pattaya Jomtien
    Posts
    58,763

    QCon Blocks, building a wall

    Might aswell get back to Q Con Blocks as they are using them down the road from me,

    Just some pictures of the block work and rebar and wall beams that have been poured.






  24. #24
    Dis-member
    Dougal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 07:17 AM
    Location
    Head Rock
    Posts
    3,507
    I found that the Q con blocks float. I'm not sure I would want to build a boat out of them though.

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Last Online
    20-10-2012 @ 04:24 PM
    Posts
    7,959
    Those Q-CON blockd certainly look like the go for me. The thermal insulation qualities sold me on them.

    I will probably use those Q-CON flooring planks for the second story floor also. The only concern there is that they will need to span 4 meters. I know they come in lengths of up to 6 meters. The floor itself wont be load bearing except for furnature etc.. Can anyone tell me if they can span 4 meters?

    Thanks.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •