Your home defines you and is your identity. Building your own house is a dream come true, but if you want to make it perfect, you have to make the right decisions in every little detail. Cement is considered the backbone of your structure, and choosing the right type of cement is important as it affects the quality of your home.
But how? The cement has a direct relationship with the life, strength, and durability of your structure. It is not only useful in enhancing the quality of your house, but it can also affect the general costs. Cement is of different kinds, and each type is used accordingly. Foundations and structural work have some cement, which is used, whereas others can be used in plastering, masonry, or decoration.
We are going to explain the different types of cements, their uses, purpose, and some of the main considerations when selecting the most suitable concrete for your construction project in this blog. So let’s dive into it.
Main Types of Cement Used for the Construction of a House
As stated above, various types of cement hold different properties and purposes. So to find the best quality cement for your house construction, you must know what each type has to offer. Cement has 3 major types that are primarily utilized in the construction of homes. These are the ordinary Portland cement, Portland pozzolana cement, and Portland slag cement.
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC):
One of the most common and widely used cements for building houses is OPC. It is characterized by the strength, durability, and workability properties it possesses, and which it can offer, and this makes it a perfect choice in most applications. Plus, it can also be combined with materials or aggregates to create different and far superior concrete mixes.
Best for Projects: It’s commonly used for general construction, reinforced concrete buildings, foundations, pavements, roads, slabs, beams, columns, etc. It is also used for precast items used in houses, like concrete blocks, pavers, and pipes.
Strength: It provides high concrete strength. It is available in 3 grades, named by their strength.
- OPC 33: 33 MPa after 28 days
- OPC 43: 43 MPa after 28 days
- OPC 53: 53 MPa after 28 days
Pros & Cons: It has rapid preparation and solidification. It is also good in workability, durability, and strength, which is why it is ideal for load-bearing structures. It, however, is susceptible to cracks in mass concreting regions, less resistant to sulfates and acids, and also is costly as compared to blended cements.
Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC):
PPC is another cement, which is made by mixing OPC clinker with fly ash, volcanic ash, or calcified clay in a small portion, which is about 15-35 percent. The reaction leads to improved durability.
This kind of cement can be viewed as an appropriate choice in regions that are prone to moisture and chemicals. Therefore, Portland Pozzolana cement is a good option in case you have a long-lasting home in such areas.
Best for Projects: It perfectly suits brickwork, plastering, masonry, walls, slabs, flooring, sewage work, and other such works where structural strength and longevity are required. Masonry mortars and plastering works on residential projects are also made using it.
Strength: Compared to OPC, it has higher durability as it is resistant to moisture and chemicals. After 28 days of curing, PPC gains compressive strength of about 33-48 MPa. It’s similar to that of OPC’s 33/43 grade, but PPC gains strength gradually.
Pros & Cons: It is much stronger, tougher, and more resilient in the long term, and it is also resistant to acids, chemicals, and moisture. It is considered eco-friendly as we use waste like fly ash for manufacturing. However, when it comes to setting or early load-bearing, PPC is a bit slow at it compared to OPC. For example, OPC requires a minimum of 7 days while PPC requires about 10 10-day curing periods.
Portland Slag Cement (PSC):
PSC is a blended variant that is enriched with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Basically, it is a blended cement which is made by grinding portland clinker with GGBFS by about 25 to 65% by mass along with gypsum. This reaction leads to enhanced durability and lower heat of hydration compared to OPC.
Best for Projects: PSC is considered a suitable option if your house is being constructed in areas with dampness or chemical exposure. It is primarily used in foundations, flooring, plasterwork, concrete mix, and masonry, and in acid-exposed, sulfate-exposed, or chloride-exposed areas.
Strength: It is more durable than OPC, although similar to PPC, and it also increases in strength with time. Typically, at 28 days of age, it has about 33 to 53 MPa compressible strength.
Pros & Cons: One of its biggest advantages is that it allows lower heat of hydration, which significantly reduces the risks of any thermal cracking in large pours. It is also resistant to chemicals. However, it has a slower early strength development and a higher initial cost. The availability is also limited in some regions. It is commonly available in eastern India and in select regions.
Other Specialized Cements Used in Construction
We have previously touched on the key cement types in the construction of houses. They were primarily employed in general construction, such as slabs, walls, beams, and foundations etc. Now, we will talk about the special-purpose variations of Portland cement, which are predominantly applied to concrete parts such as tiles, flooring, decorative facade, or even precast elements.
Rapid Hardening Cement:
Rapid-hardening cement is a type of hydraulic cement that is designed for structures requiring early strength quickly. Whenever you are using fast-setting concrete for your project, such as for pavements, precast concrete products, or repair, it is utilized there. It has higher strength.
Strength: RHC takes about 1 to 3 days to reach the same amount of strength as regular OPC takes 7 days for.
Sulphate Resistant Cement:
It is another type of hydraulic cement and is actually a modified form of Ordinary Portland Cement. It is manufactured to resist any damage or attacks from sulphate salts, thus named, sulphate-resistant cement. Soil and groundwater are sulfate-rich, which can cause expansion and cracking in the exposed concrete of your structure.
Strength: Talking about strength? It can achieve about 33 to 44 MPA compressive strength in 28 days.
White Cement:
White cement has a high degree of whiteness. It is a refined type of OPC that is typically used for decorative purposes. It is best for terrazzo flooring, tile grouting, facades, aesthetic finishes, repair requiring color matching, and other decorative works for your house project.
Strength: It takes about 28 days for white cement compressive strength to reach 52.5 MPa.
Hydrophobic Cement:
Hydrophobic or Hydrographic cement is a specialized cement that is formed by blending Portland cement clinker with special additives. This helps it to hydrate properly and harden using water. It is mainly used in the construction of swimming pools, water shortage tanks, and sewage treatment systems in residential developments.
Strength: After 28 days, the compressive strength of hydrophobic cement will be approximately 30 MPa.
Expansive Cement:
Expansive cement is designed to slightly expand after setting or during hydration, offsetting the natural shrinkage that causes cracks in the cement. It is primarily applied to non-jointed floor slabs, repairing concrete, fixing anchor bolts, water retention structures, pre-stressed elements, etc. The expansion aids in filling the voids and gaps, lessening cracking, and enhancing the stability of huge elements of concrete elements.
Strength: The compressive strength of an expansive cement is 24.5 MPa in 28 days, while 14.7 MPa in 7 days.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing Cement
We now know the types of cements used in house construction, but how to know which cement is best for your project? It depends upon various factors such as strength, setting time requirement, durability, setting time, and more. You should always consider these factors as they not only help with the construction process but also with cost estimations.
Type of Construction Project: It varies according to what kind of construction you are doing. As an example, OPC is the best choice when working on slabs, beams, or whenever heavy structural work is involved. PPC or PSC are good for your houses when long-term durability and smooth finishing are required.
Environmental Conditions: Some houses are constructed in coastal or sulphate-rich areas. Cement that is resistant to sulphates would be required when you happen to be in such places. Similarly, in the humid climate, you can use hydrophobic cement to prevent any form of moisture uptake or damage.
Strength & Durability: You must always pay attention to cement, which gives a good degree of strength. One should ensure that their houses are resistant to heavy loads and other natural phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. OPC is usually the more appropriate choice in this case since it is more likely to resist the impact of natural phenomena as well as carry heavy loads.
Crack Resistance and Longevity: What is the life span of your structure? Have you observed the crack in house walls, floors, or ceilings? You must not use cement of low quality. Do you know that blended cements in house construction are better at avoiding cracks? It also helps make your structure more stable.
Setting Time: Sometimes, it can be difficult to work with fast-setting cement, and sometimes it is required. Slow-setting cement can also cause delays. So, you would know the cement you are using has the perfect set time for your construction project. It should neither be too fast nor too slow to cause delays and problems.
Finishing and Aesthetics: Different kinds of cement have their features and advantages. As an illustration, when you want to beautify your house walls or tiles, white cement can assist you.
Which Cement Type Is the Best for House Construction?
Choosing the best cement to build a house will depend on your type of project, needs, and requirements, among other factors that we have already mentioned in the above section. No single best cement fits all construction works. As an illustration, when your house is in the coastal areas, you would not use normal Portland cement but sulfate-resistant cement.
OPC can be used in structural elements like beams, columns, slabs, etc, whereas PPC can be used on plastering and other finishes. OPC also takes less time for setting, compared to PPC. Just like that, if your construction is near seashore areas, PSC is better compared to PPC and OPC as it provides you with corrosion resistance properties.
For decorative or aesthetic appeal, white cement is used. So, it all depends on what your house needs are.
Conclusion
One of the most important things in the construction of your residential house is to select the best cement to use. This is because your choice decides how strong, durable, safe, and secure your house will be and how long it will last in upcoming future. We have discussed various types of cements used in house construction projects, their benefits, and their strength. The best cement depends on your structure requirements. Strength, setting time, and environmental conditions are a few factors you need to consider to understand the best cement for the construction of a house.
