Back in the 90s, a new building material called siding began to gradually appear on the domestic market. Its outstanding characteristics such as resistance to burning, environmental friendliness, no need for maintenance, easy cleaning, any color shades and attractive appearance are maintained even in harsh climatic conditions for many decades, which served as a powerful impetus for replacing other unreliable materials used in cladding of building facades. At the same time, it turned out that any homeowner with elementary skills in using the tool can mount siding. Therefore, the demand for it continues to grow and only strengthens.
But still, it is worth paying special attention to the siding of wooden houses, which, due to their wooden structure and, as a rule, of many years of age, may have geometric irregularities. Despite the simplicity of laying siding, this process must be carried out in strict accordance with the technology provided.
This article will also be useful for those who decide to make their own wooden house siding.
Varieties of panelssiding
Finishing wooden buildings with this building material has many advantages over other options, although it is not very popular. After all, the properties of wood allow you not to waste heat. With proper care, the panels can last a long time, while maintaining an attractive appearance. But such care should be systemic, in addition, it is expensive and laborious. Siding is capable of serving for decades without any maintenance.
Before answering the question of what kind of siding is better to sheathe a wooden house, it is necessary to take into account the requirements for the material from which the sheathing should be made. After all, the building may be located in a region with increased activity of insects, rodents, high humidity, and so on. The budget issue will not be the last one.
Today, siding is produced in several varieties. It is made from various materials offered by manufacturers:
- vinyl;
- wood;
- metal;
- fiber cement;
- base.
PVC (vinyl) siding
If we take into account the price and practical application, we can say that vinyl siding is more often used to finish a wooden house with siding. It is made from polyvinyl chloride, which is molded in the form of panels called PVC panels. These panels have personal quality characteristics that affect their plasticity during expansion and contraction due to changes in air temperature. If the siding has high rates of plasticity, it is capable oftake longer to expand and contract as the temperature changes. In other words, ductility affects the durability of the siding and is a sign of the quality of the material. The service life of high-quality siding reaches 50 years, while siding with the lowest plasticity index will last approximately 7 years.
Vinyl siding features a wide color palette, which allows you to implement any architectural design in almost any performance. The lightness of PVC panels and ease of fastening will allow you to independently finish the siding of a wooden house with the task of meeting a small budget. In addition, vinyl has a high resistance to physical damage and is absolutely not prone to corrosion. But you need to remember that it is forbidden to mount vinyl records at low temperatures.
Wooden siding
Experts call this type of plates an ideal solution for the restoration of old country and country houses, but by no means optimal. Of course, wood siding will give the house a rich appearance and can be widely used for many country houses, but it will be very expensive. Such repairs cannot be called budgetary, and installation should be entrusted to professionals. After all, the tree does not have plasticity, and with inept sheathing, all errors will appear. In this case, it would be a shame to spend money on material and not get the desired effect, saving on the work of professionals.
But if the price issue is not paramount, then in addition to a presentable extern althe attention of the buyer will be presented with such advantages of wooden siding as the absence of thermal conductivity and the creation of a comfortable climate inside the building due to the “live” material, which allows the facade to “breathe”. A positive feature of wood as a building facade is the absence of a "thermos effect" between the wall and the sheathing, which will affect the durability of the entire building.
Also, when decorating a wooden house with wood siding, one cannot fail to note the unconditional environmental friendliness of such a structure, absolutely harmless to human he alth.
Metal siding
Before sheathing a wooden house with metal siding, you need to decide which properties of the metal are needed in a particular design.
Metal siding comes in aluminum, steel and copper. Accordingly, each of these metals has its own weight, ductility, strength and price. The latter is significantly different from other types of siding and often becomes the main criterion that determines the choice of the buyer. Therefore, without special need, metal siding is not purchased, and therefore is not in great demand in our region.
But the advantages of this type can be safely attributed to fire safety, the ability to install metal siding at any temperature, a large variety of colors, obtaining an imitation of a facade under a bar, pine or shipboard. Also, metal siding can be made in any length. But you immediately need to understand that with an overabundance of material, return itthe seller will not be able to, as it was made to order.
Fiber cement siding
This type of siding does an excellent job of decorative purposes, imitating any type of wood and coloring of natural stones, but being devoid of their shortcomings. For example, fiber siding is relatively light weight, does not rot, is not affected by insects, and does not require maintenance. Also, its advantages include thermal and sound protection, high resistance to precipitation and humidity, absolute environmental friendliness and fire safety. Another "plus" of fiber cement is its resistance to temperature changes, namely (unlike PVC siding) fiber cent is not deformed when heated and frozen. In terms of color, fiber cement panels are not inferior to other types of panels; finishing a wooden house with this type of siding will not be more difficult than conventional installation. But the price will differ significantly from the usual price for vinyl, because fiber cement practically combines the advantages of all types of panels and does not contain the disadvantages inherent in other types.
Plinth siding
Is a durable type of panels used in foundation cladding. It is made of polyvinyl chloride in the form of panels, following the example of vinyl siding, but has a greater thickness.
Ground siding imitates brick or natural stone. It fits perfectly into architectural solutions and can be mounted on the entire facade of the building. But in viewDue to its high cost, it is often used in combination with vinyl siding and complements it well due to its extensive color offerings.
The service life of basement siding is approximately 50 years. It attaches like vinyl panels. Physical impacts or other stresses on basement siding will be easily tolerated. Its advantages over PVC panels include resistance to temperature changes even in severe frosts, which means no further deformation.
But even the most durable and high-quality panels will not withstand operation if the siding on the outside of a wooden house is not done correctly. In addition to observing the rules for fastening panels, it is absolutely necessary to prepare the walls of the building for installation.
Preparation for installation
Preparation is considered the most difficult and responsible period, because it directly affects the results of the installation. First, it is necessary to treat the walls with a material that prevents the appearance of fungus and insects. After the walls are carefully leveled with slats, because the siding does not tolerate the "wave effect" and is deformed. On the processed even walls of a wooden house, wooden or metal slats are fastened strictly according to the level, which will be the frame for attaching the siding. Profiles should be on all edges of the building, around doors, windows, openings, and so on. Between them, it is possible to lay insulation under the siding for a wooden house. In this case, it should be ensured that the insulation remains below the level of the rails withto provide ventilation between the wall and the façade.
Methods of fastening siding
There are two mounting methods: vertical and horizontal. The first is called a soffit, which has recently replaced the plastic lining. It is used when carrying out external finishing works for internal filing of the roof. Using the second method, the facade of buildings is sheathed directly. Both horizontal and vertical siding are attached in the same way. But the main condition before installation is to carry out thorough preliminary work.
Tools for attaching siding panels
Various tools can be used for fastening. The following options are offered (you need to choose based on availability and personal usage skills):
- personal protective equipment: gloves and goggles;
- markup: level, pattern, tape measure;
- cutting siding: metal scissors, cutter, hacksaw, grinder, jigsaw;
- fastening panels: screwdriver, screwdriver;
- if you need to create new holes on the panel: hole puncher, grinder.
Installation of siding
As already mentioned, at the beginning of the installation it is necessary to fix the profiles on the walls of the building (including in the corners).
First, the crate of a wooden house for siding is formed, and then the PVC panels are fixed, taking into account theirpossible movement due to temperature changes, leaving a gap of 6 to 8 mm to the inner edge of the profile. The installation starts from the bottom of the building, where the starting profile is fixed. A panel is inserted into it and pulled up until it clicks.
After the top of the panel is nailed or screwed in the designated cut places. At the time of fixing, it should be remembered that the panel clamped to the rail will not be able to move freely when the temperature changes, which will lead to its deformation. To prevent this, you need to leave a gap between the nail head and the panel (from 1 to 1.5 mm). The nail should be centered in the hole and be nailed straight.
Panel attachment points must be kept at a distance of 30-40 mm from each other. After fixing the panel, it should be checked for free play on the sides. The next panel is fastened in a similar way: the lower part of the panel is inserted into the upper lock of the fixed panel and pulled up until it snaps into place. The upper part of the second panel is nailed or screwed. The wall cladding ends with the achievement of the finishing profile in the upper part. A PVC panel is inserted into this profile, its excess part is cut off if necessary.
Following these simple instructions for preparing walls and battens, as well as fixing PVC panels, it is possible to independently sheathe the facade of a wooden house with siding, ensuring its protection and pleasant appearance for decades.
