What is Foam Concrete?

Foam concrete is a lightweight concrete that is made with dense foam, or suds added to a concrete slurry mix (cement and water). The dense foam is the aggregate in this mixture instead of sand or gravel for example. Foam concrete is mainly used for its insulation properties.
There are a number of foaming agents that can be used to make foam concrete, or aircrete as is is also known. The number one foaming agent is Drexel FM-160. This is a high quality professional product that is more expensive than some other options for foaming agents. If you are making a large amount or a high-quality project, you may want to make the investment into this Drexel product. Otherwise, you could make aircrete using concentrated liquid dish soap or even shaving cream. These products can make a dense foam that can support the weight of the curing concrete, at least for a time.
Vegetable glycerin is added to the concrete mixture when making foam concrete to prolong the lifespan of the bubbles. This allows the concrete enough time to begin the actuation and hardening process before all of the bubbles collapse under the weight of the wet concrete mix. When the bubbles do pop or deteriorate inside the hardened concrete, there is a tiny void or air pocket left behind which helps improve the insulation values of this type of lightweight concrete mix design.

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