Do you know all about building materials?
Head on to Coast Hardware to get all the necessary tools to put your building materials to use.
Building materials are all the materials that are used in construction. The construction industry uses multiple materials. The selection of materials plays a detrimental role in a building’s durability, cost, and maintenance. The materials used for construction have changed with the passage of time. In earlier times, natural substances such as wood, soil, clay, and rocks were used as building materials.
Nowadays, the materials that are being used include aggregates, cement, concrete, metals, bricks, and more. Some of these are natural, while others are synthetic. So what exactly is the purpose of all these materials? Here are some of the most common building materials and their use in construction.
Metals
Steel is the most common metal used in construction. It is flexible, strong, and can be chemically treated to become resistant to corrosion. Metals like aluminum and tin are also used but less frequently, mainly due to being more expensive and less strong.
Steel is used for the structural framework of high-rise buildings and industries. The high strength-to-weight ratio of steel makes it suitable for this use. Moreover, steel can be used in any environment. This makes metals a favorite for engineers for construction purposes.
Cement
Cement is one of the most common building materials in use today. It is commonly used as a binder to make concrete and is also used with sand to make mortar. It demonstrates excellent resistance to cracks and shrinkage.
The uses of cement are not limited to any single type of structure. It is used in buildings, residential homes, wells, bridges, and many more structures.
Concrete
A composite material, concrete, is formed by combining aggregate (crushed stone and gravel) with a binding agent, which is cement. Usually, Portland cement is used to make concrete. The cement mixed with water hardens with time and bonds the aggregate strongly together, giving concrete.
Its strength and versatility make concrete an ideal building material commonly used for laying the foundations of homes and buildings. To enhance the tensile capacity of concrete, steel rods are added to reinforce concrete.
Wood
Wood is one of the oldest building materials that is still in use. It is lightweight, strong, can be easily cut, and is readily available. These features make wood a very appealing material for construction.
Wood from trees is planned, shaped, and cut into standard sizes to be used in buildings. Wood in larger sizes is also used as pillars. Wood is typically used to lay the framework of structures such as bridges, buildings, and even residential homes.
Brick
Kiln-fired clay or shale, when given the shape of a block, is called a brick. Individual bricks bonded together with mortar are used to construct structures. The most common block now used is the cinder block made from concrete.
It is a durable and fire-resistant material. Able to bear great compressive loads, this is an ideal replacement for wood that is not fire-resistant. But the strength of the structure heavily depends on the mortar.
Give Us a Call
These are some of the most common building materials that are used for the construction of buildings. The construction of buildings requires more than just materials. It requires tools such as shovels, drills, and jackhammers as well. To get all the tools and building materials you need, visit Coast Hardware.
