Light Weight Concrete - Floor Construction
Lightweight concrete is used as a sound barrier, to reduce noise, between floors. It's usually 1 1/2 inches thick and is poured on top of a wood framed subfloor. It's rarely used in single family homes, but can be seen in apartments and hotels.
What's The Difference Between Lightweight Concrete And Regular Concrete?
Regular concrete is made by mixing cement, rocks and sand together with
water, to form one of the most durable construction materials available
today, but it's heavy.
Lightweight concrete is usually made from cement, water, sand and a
light weight material called perlite. This reduces the weight of the
concrete mixture, allowing it to be poured onto a properly engineered
floor.
Can I Use Lightweight Concrete In My House?
Probably not, your house would need to have been engineered, to support
the weight. Even though lightweight concrete gives you the impression
that it's light weight, it's not. I've seen floors that were
designed
and engineered for lightweight concrete, only to find out later that
they ended up sagging and failing, in the long run.
You would need to contact a structural engineer for more information.
You shouldn't ever add any additional weight to a building, without
checking with a structural engineer first. Lightweight concrete would be
the perfect example.
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