Buildings in the modern construction era can be made of different materials. So that begs the question, “Which material is better? Which is stronger, longer-lasting, and superior?” Well, the answer to those is, it depends. This also answers the age-old question of what material you should use for your house — it depends. There are so many materials that exist in the world of construction, and they each have their own uses.
Different parts of a house can be made of different materials. For instance, you can save construction costs by building a shed out of wood instead of concrete. Patterned and shaped glass can be used on the walls of a living room to make it look more decorated. Or if you want a more decorative floor, you can use polished concrete to achieve a marble-like look.
Let’s look at different building materials and what they can be used for.
Clay
- These construction materials can be shaped easily according to a mason’s desired shape. We can usually see clays as roof tiles, decorations, and aggregates for concrete. They’re durable and fire-resistant. However, clay is also known to be brittle and fragile on its own. Antique potteries are made of the same material.
Brick
- This construction material is basically hardened clay. It is when the clay is hardened in a fire kiln and shaped into squares to be delivered and assembled on site. Bricks are good as materials for walls because they’re thick and dense enough to block sound, allowing for a quiet and peaceful interior. Clay bricks are also more durable than normal clay because of the hardening process they undergo. They don’t warp, rust, or fade over time. They’re also easier and cheaper to maintain in the long run, making them a cost-effective material for houses.
- Bricks are usually stacked on top of each other and bonded through cement pastes to keep them from falling over.
- Because bricks are hardened and thickened through heat, they are generally fire-resistant. This makes them ideal materials for firewalls. In fact, they’re rated as the best material to prevent the spread of fires.
Concrete
- This is the most common building material in the field of construction, engineering, and architecture. Almost anything that we see in the modern era of building is made majorly of concrete. This includes bridges, homes, and roads.
- Take a walk around your home. The walls you touch, the concrete pavers on your garden, and your driveway could be made of concrete. The city roads are also made of specialized concrete called asphalt.
- Concrete is easier to apply than brick and is more versatile. It can be formed to construct complex shapes more so than most other building materials. It has the flexibility of clay and the durability of brick. They can also be processed to make beautiful polished concrete or decorative concrete pavers.
- Concrete is generally used in walls, foundations, and in other cases, decorations. For instance, driveways can be installed with concrete pavers to make them look more decorative.
