Facade decoration is not only a stylistic design of the house, but also a responsible layer of protection of the wall structure. Properly selected material for exterior cladding protects the frame from the effects of precipitation, wind and physical damage. How to sheathe a house so as not to be disappointed during operation? Building materials manufacturers offer many attractive options, and the final choice should be made taking into account compatibility with facade requirements.
Front cladding structure
Unlike plastering and applying paints and varnishes, facade cladding involves a multi-layer structure. Firstly, it allows you to more reliably perform physical fastening, and in different ways. Secondly, it is necessary to include insulators and maintain a ventilated space. The entire cladding structure will include three basic components - a frame, insulation with a waterproofing agent and the outer coating itself. How to sheathe a house is an important question, but without an initial assessment of the possibilities for arranging insulators with a frame, it is impossible to answer it. It can be siding, a regular board, lining orspecialized facade materials. The main thing is that all three elements organically complement each other both in terms of functions and structural design. You can start looking at the layers of cladding from the frame, which is first attached to the supporting base.
Crate for sheathing
Facing panels are usually mounted to surfaces on a frame base in the form of a crate. For this design, ordinary rails can be used, but since we are talking about the outer surface, it will be necessary to subject the material to processing with special compounds. The crate must be protected from moisture, have refractory properties and not be subjected to biological damage (mold, fungus, etc.). How to sheathe a house with a facade crate from an ordinary rail? Heavy materials in this case should not be used. The best option would be a lining made of a small rail similar in characteristics.
A more reliable design can be implemented on a large area. For this, either a board with a width of at least 5 cm or a metal prefabricated profile is used. But, in the case of metal, it is especially important to provide for the presence of anti-corrosion treatment. How is the installation carried out? Approaches to the installation of the structure and the fastening of individual elements may be different. To begin with, it is worth determining how the cladding will be connected to the wall. Because, for example, sheathing a house with siding with your own hands is not difficult if you use long bolts or brackets that pass through the crate. But for a small-format rail, it is better to use a phased mountingconfiguration. First, install the crate on the wall with dowels or screws, and then fix the rails to it in a separate order.
Insulation materials
Free space in the sub-facing niche is optimally suited for the placement of insulation. An insulator 15-20 cm thick can be placed under the crate, which will provide the building with a suitable microclimate while minimizing energy costs. What material should be used as insulation? Since we are talking about exterior decoration, high requirements for environmental cleanliness disappear, but the function of moisture resistance increases. It is best to use polystyrene foam boards, which independently cope with the removal of condensate. If the choice fell on mineral wool, which, as a heat insulator, is an even more effective solution, then it is important to take care of the windproof and vapor barrier layer.
Now you can move on to the installation activities. Mats, slabs or thick rolled material are pre-cut to the size of free cells in the crate. There is no need for special gluing or fasteners, since an overlay of rails will be mounted on top, which will close the insulator. In addition, it is possible to sheathe a house with siding with insulation without a counter-batten, since the panel arrangement provides niches for fixing the insulator. It is necessary to choose the right lamellas according to the format and prepare the sealing material for them.
Board - the most popular plating option
Traditional pure lumber is still the most affordable, easy to process and simpleaesthetic material for facade cladding. For external cladding, it is better to use a board made of larch, spruce or pine, and material from exotic species with sufficient hardness and moisture resistance characteristics is also suitable. As for the decorative properties, the photo below of a house sheathed with a regular board, presented below, only confirms the advantages of a natural facade over artificial cladding.
When drawing up a plan for sheathing, it will be important to determine the parameters of the board. The average range of sizes in thickness varies from 25 to 35 mm, in width - 100-200 mm, and in length - from 3 to 4 m. subject to the presence of a groove-comb. This is a butt joint that the board acquires as a result of a special selection along the edges.
No less important is the question of the location of the board on the front surface. From the point of view of visual perception, the classic horizontal scheme looks more impressive, but, as experts note, the vertical arrangement gives a practical advantage, since water drains downwards in the direction of the board and does not seep through the joints under the crate. By the way, it is possible to sheathe a house with siding in a horizontal pattern, since the facade panels of this type have completely sealed joints for joints, which exclude the passage of water and even condensate. But, the vertical arrangement of the slats is also not excluded.
Clapboard lining
The material is just as attractive in terms of environmental and decorative properties as a regular board. The only difference is that the slats of the lining receive a more complex profiled processing, specially designed for convenient and durable installation of the outer cladding. If the question is how to sheathe a wooden house without a significant load on the walls and load-bearing, you can safely choose a lining. This is especially true of frame houses on a columnar foundation. Lightweight slats practically do not shrink and at the same time are able to imitate a real timber. But it is very important that the material has a special impregnation with antiseptics. Thin planks are quickly destroyed by fungus and mold, so biological protection must be maintained constantly during the operation of the house.
Another popular type of plank sheathing is the block house. Its feature is a higher imitation effect. Block house planks can recreate the texture of rounded logs, protecting the facade from wind loads. In appearance, the standard models of such planks are similar to lining, but the fundamental difference lies in the material of manufacture. It can be natural wood, and plastic with aluminum. And if a house sheathed with lumber clapboard will benefit from the natural texture, then the strengths of a metal block house include durability, resistance to deformation loads and minimal maintenance requirements.
Siding panels
The merits of this material have already been mentioned more than once, for which there are many user confirmations. So, a house sheathed with siding, the photo of which is presented above, is characterized not only by a presentable appearance, but also by reliable protection of the walls. The performance of the panels may vary depending on the type of material. Classic siding is made of wood and focuses on the thermal insulation function. In regions with a cold climate, a sheathing system is common in which the siding is covered and sealed with mineral wool with windproofing. This combination performs several tasks at once - moisture protection, insulation, vapor barrier and air circulation.
Metal and vinyl siding is also common. In the first category, steel panels deserve special attention. They are heavy and cause a lot of difficulties during installation, but, from the point of view of mechanical protection of the wall structure, this is the best cladding option. If you need a practical and lightweight facade, then you can sheathe the house with vinyl siding. Such panels are able to withstand negative atmospheric influences, protect the insulating layers from moisture and at the same time be resistant to physical shocks.
Solid skin options
For brick houses, you can use large-format heavy cladding that walls and ceilings can withstand. In particular, the installation is carried out using fiber cement, metal and stone tile panels. Clinker bricks are also popular, in the manufacture of whichrefractory clay. In addition to the original appearance of such a cladding, you can count on effective thermal insulation.
As for the tile, it has practicality, high strength and unpretentious care. First of all, this applies to porcelain stoneware weak, which also have pronounced textured aesthetic advantages. But how to sheathe the house from the outside to get the effect of a truly classic facade? Of course, in such cases, natural stone will come to the rescue. You can use caddis, sandstone, marble and granite. Each of these minerals has its own natural and unique texture, which will give the facade an individual style. True, making such a choice, one should prepare for a difficult installation. Laying heavy stone on a vertical surface is a time-consuming and responsible task. And this is not to mention the fact that natural stone are weak are one of the most expensive materials for cladding.
Ventilated facade technology
The façade ventilation system is a ready-made multifunctional house cladding kit. When assembled, such a finish performs the functions of insulation, mechanical protection and decorative design. For example, the design advantages of a ventilated facade can be judged from the photo above. Houses sheathed using this technology also receive fire barriers and special insulation against the passage of moisture and steam.
The design of the ventilation facade is formed by a subsystem (bearing frame), insulation and cladding. As for the subsystem, it is represented byessentially a metal crate-skeleton on which the mounting hardware rests. But, unlike a conventional wooden frame, a galvanized steel carrier system is able to withstand many times greater loads.
A special insulation is placed inside the subsystem. Usually dense insulators are used in this capacity, which reduce the heat loss of buildings from 40 to 80%. The final layer of the ventilated facade is the outer cladding, which can be stone tiles or porcelain stoneware. If there is a question about how to sheathe the house so that the supporting structure can withstand heavy loads, you can safely give preference to a ventilated facade. The fastening system with anchor and plate dowels allows you to fix heavy cladding without the slightest risk.
What to consider when cladding?
In the course of work at each stage of the installation of facade cladding, it is important to remember two fundamental points. Firstly, it is the reliability of mechanical fixation of materials. Secondly, the minimum area of joints, gaps and cracks, which inevitably remain after the completion of the installation of each subsequent layer. At the household level, without professional help, you can sheathe a house with your own hands with a standard set of tools. The crate is assembled from lumber using nails, screws and metal staples. The structure can be fixed to the wall with brackets and anchors. The same hardware is used in the process of fastening the skin. Joints with gaps should be identified in time and treated with dry mixes. It could beprimer, tile adhesive, silicone sealer or bitumen - the choice of specific agent depends on the surface to be applied.
Decorative design of the facade
Finished upholstery can be improved with the help of paints and varnishes. First of all, this concerns wooden cladding, since other types of coatings initially have a factory stylistic treatment. For facades, calm tones are usually used, in harmony or in contrast with the shade of the roof. Moreover, the walls should always be lighter than the roof. You can also diversify a monotonous palette by applying two different shades of the same color.
Do not ignore the structural decorative elements. In a country house, the use of facade fences, window bars, frames and other stylistic attributes is quite justified. An example of such an improvement is illustrated by the photo of a beautifully sheathed house, presented below.
Conclusion
After roofing, the facade is the most vulnerable part of the building, requiring proper care. The most capricious materials are wood. Lining, board, chipboard and block house should be periodically treated with protective agents, varnished or painted. What is the best way to sheathe a house so that maintenance and preventive care measures are minimized? Galvanized steel siding is the least demanding in this regard. Once you have completed the installation, you can refer to its design only for external cleaning of surfaces. Vinyl panels are also famous for their practicality, but,compared to the same metal, they do not withstand strong physical exertion. Therefore, from time to time it may be necessary to replace cracked or deformed skin elements. One of the main advantages of siding is its high maintainability, so there will be no problems with the maintenance of plastic panels.
