CODE OF BEST PRACTICE FOR THE USE OF AIRCRETE PRODUCTS  Page Index CHAPTER 1 Aircrete 1.1 What it is and what it does 1.2 Manufacture 1.3 Environmental policies CHAPTER 2 Project Planning CHAPTER 3 Properties 3.1 Acoustic 3.1.1 Sound absorption 3.2 Air permeability 3.3 Chemical 3.4 Density 3.5 Durability 3.5.1 Chemical 3.5.2 Frost 3.6 Environmental 3.7 Embodied energy 3.8 Fire 3.9 Movement 3.10 Sizes 3.11 Structural 3.12 Thermal 3.13 Vapour resistivity CHAPTER 4 Design 4.1 General 4.2 Acoustic 4.2.1 Sound absorption 4.2.2 Sound insulation 4.2.3 Airtightness 4.2.4 Resistance to the passage of sound 4.2.5 Protection against sound from adjoining Dwellings or buildings 4.2.6 Separating walls 4.2.7 Flanking walls 4.2.8 Internal partition walls abutting separating walls 4.2.9 Reverberation 4.2.10 Protection against sound from within 4.3 Thermal 4.3.1 Walls 4.3.1.1 Solid and cavity 4.3.1.1.1 Examples of U-values of walls 4.3.1.2 Below dpc 4.3.1.3 Basement walls 4.3.2 Floors 4.3.2.1 Beam and block 4.3.2.1.1 Examples of U-values of floors 4.3.3 Conservation of fuel and power 4.3.3.1 Dwellings 4.3.3.1.1 Poorest acceptable U-values and limiting air leakage 4.3.3.1.2 Elemental Method for new dwellings, extensions and alterations 4.3.3.1.3 Target U-value Method for new dwellings 4.3.3.1.4 Carbon Index Method 4.3.3.1.5 Energy ratings (dwellings) 4.3.3.2 Buildings other than dwellings 4.3.4 Thermal bridging, air leakage and condensation 4.3.4.1 Applying robust details 4.4 Durability 4.4.1 Chemical 4.4.2 Frost 4.4.2.1 Frost resistance 4.5 Fire 4.5.1 Combustibility and surface spread of flame 4.5.2 Fire resistance - Walls 4.5.3 Fire resistance - Floors 4.6 Moisture 4.6.1 Rain 4.6.2 Resistance to rain 4.6.2.1 Single leaf walls 4.6.2.2 Cavity walls 4.6.3 Rising damp 4.6.4 Resistance to rising damp 4.7 Structural performance 4.7.1 Walls 4.7.1.1 In general purpose mortar 4.7.1.2 In thin-layer or thin-bed mortar 4.7.2 Partitions including non-loadbearing partitions 4.7.3 Floors 4.7.4 Basements 4.8 Movement 4.8.1 Movement joints 4.8.2 Bed joint reinforcement 4.9 Coatings and finishes 4.9.1 Drylining 4.9.2 Plastering and rendering 4.9.3 Thin sprayed plasters and renders 4.9.4 Internal tiling 4.9.5 Painting 4.10 Cladding, tile hanging and weather boarding 4.10.1 Cladding 4.10.2 Boarding 4.10.3 Brick tiling and tile hanging 4.11 Fixings and ancillary components 4.11.1 Cut nails 4.11.2 Proprietary plugs 4.11.3 Spiral plug 4.11.4 Grouted fixing 4.11.5 Spiral nail 4.11.6 'Sleeved' nails 4.11.7 Wall ties 4.11.7.1 Spacing 4.11.8 Lintels 4.11.9 Joist hangers CHAPTER 5 Specification 5.1 General 5.2 Sample specification clauses 5.2.1 Aircrete blocks 5.2.2 Mortar 5.2.3 Workmanship/Site practice CHAPTER 6 Procurement Process CHAPTER 7 Construction 7.1 General 7.2 Health and safety 7.2.1 Weights of Aircrete blocks 7.3 Unloading deliveries and on-site storage 7.4 Product identification and site identification procedures 7.5 Setting out 7.6 Blocklaying 7.6.1 Below ground 7.7 Mortar 7.7.1 Thin-layer mortar 7.7.1.1 Mixing 7.7.1.2 Laying 7.7.2 General purpose mortar 7.7.2.1 Mixing 7.7.2.2 Laying 7.8 Wall ties 7.9 Fixings 7.10 Chases 7.11 Coatings and finishes 7.11.1 Plastering and rendering 7.11.2 Preparation of background 7.11.3 External renders 7.11.4 Internal plasters and renders 7.11.4.1 Dense plastering 7.11.4.1.1 Base coat 7.11.4.1.2 Finish coat 7.11.4.2 Lightweight gypsum plastering 7.11.4.3 Thickness of plaster 7.11.4.3.1 Thin-sprayed plasters and renders 7.11.5 Drylining 7.11.5.1 Direct bonding 7.11.5.2 Battening 7.11.6 Painting 7.12 Internal ceramic tiling 7.12.1 Tiling rendered and plastered walls 7.12.2 Tiling direct on blockwork 7.13 External cladding 7.13.1 Cladding 7.13.2 Boarding 7.13.3 Tile hanging 7.14 Beam and block floors 7.15 Waste minimisation 7.16 Post construction Further Information & References Glossary Further reading Sources References Standards and Codes European Standards Building Regulations