For years I’ve talked a good game about wanting to try my hand at laying a block wall, but if Comfort Block works as the company claims, I may be off the hook. Although similar in appearance to standard 8-in. CMUs, and still made from concrete, everything else about these blocks is different than what a mason is used to, and that’s what makes them so installer-friendly.
A bed of mortar is still used to lay the first course, but because the blocks are more precisely cut than common CMUs and have interlocking ends, they can be set in a bead of gun-applied foam adhesive.
The core of each block is asymmetrical, with a wide outer void and a narrow inner void. The outer void accepts an optional EPS-foam insert (about R-5) and the inner void accommodates electrical boxes and wiring. Since electrical is in the wall rather than on the face, you don’t need furring strips—the wall can be plastered. The 8-in. blocks are about $4 per sq. ft.; 16-in. blocks are also available.
—Justin Fink, editorial director
From Fine Homebuilding #285
