So you re building a basement.
Poured concrete basement walls vs block.
Poured concrete foundations are fire resistant.
Block cores must be filled with pea gravel concrete.
For a poured wall extra height just means taller forms and more materials.
Poured concrete foundation walls are arguably stronger than cinder block foundation walls.
Also the porosity of cmus makes waterproofing more difficult in a full foundation.
Also poured walls have a compressive and flexural strength several times that of concrete block.
Cinder blocks require less special equipment to put in place than poured concrete and are easier to lay yourself.
March 3 2014 michael luckado.
Poured or cast walls must have horizontal steel top and bottom.
Block walls can be as strong or stronger than poured walls.
They differ in the size of gravel used and that concrete blocks are hollow while poured concrete is solid.
Without joints poured walls possess a greater lateral strength which essentially means they have a greater ability to resist pressure presented by water and the soil from the outside.
A poured wall doesn t have joints like a cinder block wall so it should come as no surprise that it is naturally easier to waterproof.
Block and concrete are strong in compression but weak in tension.
A poured concrete wall takes less time to install has more mass is joint free typically is between 6 and 10 inches thick and with the steel rebar that is placed inside the wall it assures you of a less problematic way of constructing a basement wall.
Poured vs block foundations.
Last updated on september 16 2019.
So the question becomes does it make more sense to use a concrete poured foundation wall or should you use block.
According to the national association of home builders conventional 8 inch concrete cinder blocks cost around 1 46 per square foot of foundation before installation.
Poured concrete foundations provide a high level of strength and durability and can last for decades.
When walls are tall pouring is much faster than using block.
When you re building a new home you want the highest quality for the best possible price.
Reinforcing steel can be used to strengthen either material.
Fast tips for poured vs block walls.
Reinforcing steel needs to be in block walls both vertical and horizontal.
Block is more labor intensive especially as the height of the wall increases.
For purposes of the study a 24 by 40 foot basement complete with footings waterproofing and including all material and labor was examined from the standpoint of poured concrete full 8 inch block and modular 7 5 8 inch high block for both frame and veneered homes.
Be sure you use lots of steel no matter which material you.
Poured concrete vs block wall tips just below.
Poured concrete is a huge time saver.
A concrete block foundation can be stronger than a poured concrete foundation.
