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Facade decoration: what suits your home? Choosing a facade material

Deciding on the facade decoration of your home is a difficult decision. Here's a guide to help you out! With a variety of materials to choose from, this post will shed light on which one is best suited to the exterior of your home. It will also discuss the advantages and distinctive qualities of each material - from the appealing aesthetic of brick and stone façade to the low-maintenance and durability of various siding materials. With this helpful guide, you will be able to make the right decision and find the perfect facade for your home.

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Facade decoration is an extremely important task. Those who do not attach due importance to this issue are mistaken, believing that external decoration does not affect the quality and comfort of the house. Influences, and how! Once in my childhood, I saw a slogan on the door of an apartment building that reads: “The apartment starts from the entrance!” The poster urged the residents of that house to promptly wash the stairwells..

Waterproofing and thermal protection at home

What am I doing? And besides, our housing does not start from the front doors, not from the hallway, but much earlier. If you live in an apartment, returning home, you will pass through the entrance anyway. It’s good when it is clean and light, and the cold wind does not siphon from its windows. Right? It’s the same with an individual house. Well, well, there is no entrance in which someone’s guests would litter, hooligans break mailboxes, and a neighbor would go out to smoke under your door. And all the same, what do you see when you drive up to the house? Let’s not talk about a beautiful and well-maintained yard. We will not even touch upon the architectural forms of your home. Its facade alone is worth a separate discussion. Let’s talk about this.

It is wrong to believe that the facade finishing only serves a decorative function. Yes, of course, with the help of facade decoration it is possible to transform the structure beyond recognition, create a certain style, and satisfy the tastes of the home owners. All this is undoubtedly important, because the house must be liked, its exterior, no less than the interior decoration, influences the creation of a certain atmosphere and psychological background in the house. But we must not forget about the practical side of the issue. After all, a correctly chosen facade finish affects the durability of the house, its ability to retain heat, and the level of humidity. Without external decoration, the house seems to be undressed, and it is cold to him, and even a little ashamed to stand like this – without clothes. So what kind of home clothes should you choose? After all, it is important that the “suit fits” …

What is a facade finish for??

Well, everything is very clear with the decorative function of the facade finish – it is needed, unambiguously. And here, as you know, the taste and color … there are many options. But the practical component should be dealt with..

So, what functions does facade decoration perform besides decorating a house? Perhaps the main functions of facade decoration are

  • protection of the building from adverse external influences
  • waterproofing walls
  • thermal protection at home

Based on these goals, we will consider the main methods of facade decoration used in modern construction. Knowing the quality characteristics of this or that type of facade decoration, it will be easier to choose what you like..

But before touching on certain types of facade finishes, let’s figure out what exactly are its insulating and protective functions.

Whichever method of facade decoration you choose, it should cope well with adverse external influence. What could it be? This is pollution in the form of dust, soot, soot, and precipitation, and the sun’s rays, and the salty wind from the sea. All these factors have a destructive effect on the materials from which the house is built. This means that the facade finish should be especially resistant to such effects.. WaterproofingIs another important task of facade decoration. Moreover, this parameter has another side. The decoration should protect the facade from external moisture, and if we are talking about the lining of the basement, then we should also provide for such an attack as the capillary rise of groundwater and melt water. Obviously, the finish must be resistant to moisture and prevent moisture penetration. But at the same time, the facade finish must have good vapor permeability, otherwise its age will be short-lived. Condensation, which inevitably forms on the inner side of the finishing layer, without being able to evaporate, will destroy not only the facade finish layer, but also the wall itself. This is especially true for regions with frosty winters. Condensation in such a climate forms intensely, and the smallest droplets of water, penetrating into the structure of the building material and freezing there, contribute to the formation of microcracks, which, in turn, sooner or later leads to its destruction.

Finally, thermal insulation– another serious task, the solution of which is intended to contribute to the finishing of the facade. This parameter is closely related to the previous one. With the wrong ratio of water absorption and vapor permeability, excess moisture, accumulating in the walls, leads not only to their destruction, but also to the loss of heat in the cold season. Thermal insulation of facades is achieved through comprehensive measures. Here, one should take into account both the heat-conducting properties of the finishing materials, and the additional thermal insulation used under the cladding, if any, and the material from which the house is built..

Types of facade finishing

Today there are a fairly large number of different methods of facade decoration. But all of them can be divided into two large groups:

  • facade plastering with special compounds
  • facade cladding with various finishing materials.

Plaster

Facade plastering– the most common way of exterior decoration. It is used everywhere on buildings of any type: both in individual construction and construction of cottages, and in the construction of apartment buildings.

Facade plastering

One of the main advantages of facade plaster is its relatively low price..

Today, there are many types of facade plasters on the building materials market. We will not dwell on each of them in detail, since this issue has already been considered in detail. Let’s touch on only the most important aspects.

Type of facade plaster Benefits disadvantages
Mineral cement plaster
  • the lowest price
  • very high strength
  • low thermal conductivity
  • good vapor permeability
  • have an alkaline character, which prevents the growth of mosses and lichens on the plaster
  • short service life – up to 10 years
  • limited color range
  • low elasticity
Mineral silicate plaster
  • more durable than cement – 20-25 years
  • flexible enough
  • antistatic
  • has a high Ph value, is not subject to biological corrosion
  • limited color range
  • quite high price
Acrylic plaster
  • very elastic
  • more resistant to temperature fluctuations
  • easy to apply
  • more durable than cement plaster – 15-25 years
  • low vapor permeability is not suitable for facades, the thermal insulation layer of which is made of basalt wool
  • attracts dust and other pollution
Silicone plasters
  • good vapor permeability
  • no electrostaticity
  • high elasticity
  • resistance to aggressive environments
  • durability – up to 25 years
  • the most expensive formulations today

In general, considering plaster as a type of facade decoration, one should highlight its advantages such as

  • high decorativeness
  • ease of application
  • the ability to use on lightweight enclosing structures
  • less technological heterogeneity than when installing curtain facades
  • affordable price

The disadvantages of this type of facade finishing include its relative fragility in comparison with most facing materials..

Cladding

Facade claddingtoday is gaining more and more popularity. This is partly due to the spread of such a method of facade decoration as hinged ventilated facades, which provide excellent thermal insulation with the proper level of air exchange. Another reason for the growing popularity of facade cladding is the vast selection of cladding materials available on the modern construction market. Currently, very different materials are used for cladding buildings:

  • a natural stone
  • fake diamond
  • facade tiles
  • facing brick
  • siding
  • profiled sheets
  • sheet pile boards, etc..

Facade decoration with natural stone

A natural stone, undoubtedly the oldest cladding material. He is also the most durable. Hardly anyone will argue that a house decorated with natural stone looks respectable, expensive and stylish. And this is by no means an illusion – most likely, no one will decorate the hut on chicken legs with stone. But for modern cottages and spacious individual houses, this material is just right. Among the advantages of this type of cladding, first of all, it is the external attractiveness of natural stone that is called. However, the advantages of this method of facade cladding are not limited to this. It is worth noting also such points as:

  • special durability of natural stone. Of course, the service life of such a facing depends on many factors, and primarily on the type of stone, but in any case, it is calculated in tens and even hundreds of years;
  • good thermal insulation properties of the stone;
  • stone resistance to weathering and aggressive environment;
  • environmental friendliness and healthy energy of natural material. Here, however, one should note the opinion that granite has an increased background radiation. However, most often its danger is exaggerated..

The cladding made of natural stone has certain disadvantages, the main of which is the large weight of some rocks. For example, granite is considered one of the heaviest building materials. Facing buildings with natural stone is a rather laborious process. Often, it requires the strengthening of the enclosing structures themselves, the installation of anchors for each stone, the use of expensive glue, etc..

Therefore, an alternative to natural stone is gaining more and more popularity – artificial stone. This material is not so new – it was invented back in the 19th century, but since then the technology for the production of artificial stone has changed significantly. Today on the market there are many types of this finishing material that have different colors, textures and imitate different breeds. The advantages of using artificial stone are as follows:

  • this material is lighter than natural stone;
  • installation of artificial stone cladding is much easier than the same work using natural stone. Firstly, there are elements available on the market that are provided for the design of window openings, corners, gables, which greatly simplifies the entire cladding process. Secondly, artificial material is generally easier to process..
  • a large selection of color solutions allows you to implement a variety of design ideas;
  • most often the price of an artificial stone is slightly lower than the cost of natural analogues.

However, despite the rather impressive list of advantages, the artificial stone also has its disadvantages:

  • it is not as durable as natural.
  • artificial stone is less resistant to mechanical damage, especially to the effects of abrasive materials, therefore, over time, scratches and abrasions may appear on it.
  • in places with high humidity, artificial stone requires processing with special hydrophobic compounds, since it is able to absorb moisture.

In general, such a finishing material allows you to create a facade cladding that is practically indistinguishable from a natural stone cladding. The external qualities of artificial stone are more than outstanding, its heat and sound insulation properties are also quite high, lower durability is a very relative disadvantage, because in any case, the service life of artificial stone cladding will be more than a dozen years. The resistance of artificial stone to ultraviolet light, temperature extremes, chemicals and fats also makes it a very suitable material for facade cladding. Based on all this, perhaps we can confidently assert that this is, indeed, a worthy alternative to natural materials..

Facing brick

The practice of facing facades with bricks is quite widespread. At first glance, it may seem that this option is boring and uninteresting, but this is by no means the case.. Facing brickmuch more diverse than simple building bricks. It has various colors and textures and can imitate the surface of natural stone. The operational properties of facing bricks are due to a special production technology and make it possible to use it not only as facade cladding, but also for the actual construction of the enclosing structure. Such a brick is distinguished by its special frost resistance, strength, and the ability to self-cleaning. Separately, it should be noted the good thermal insulation properties of facing bricks, which are achieved partly by its hollowness. The fact that the facing brick has a cavity inside also facilitates its installation, since, thanks to this, the weight of this building material is relatively low. Perhaps this is one of the best options for cladding wooden houses..

Does facing brick have disadvantages? Yes, there is, of course, where without them. You should know that brick is able to absorb excess moisture. In addition, experts are of the opinion that domestic facing bricks are significantly inferior in quality to foreign counterparts, since they include impregnations of quicklime, an unequal shape and different shades of bricks within the same batch..

Facade tiles

If, for any reason, brick cladding of the building is impossible, it is worth considering an option such as facade tiles. In terms of their performance, facade tiles practically do not differ from bricks – they are just as frost-resistant, resistant to mechanical, atmospheric and temperature influences, heat-absorbing and diverse. However, the installation of facade tiles is much easier than a brick cladding device, the only thing it requires is the preparation of the base. Facade tiles are fixed on cement or special mastics and can be used both in new construction and for renovation and reconstruction of old buildings, and it is perfect even for simple cosmetic repairs. Another advantage of facade tiles is their relatively low price..

A fundamentally different way of facing facades involves the use of siding. Various types of siding are available on the market today, the most popular of which are vinyl and metal siding. Today it is one of the most and most profitable ways of lining knowledge in terms of time and money costs. Both the cost of the material itself and the costs associated with its installation are relatively low. The siding is mounted on a wooden lathing and allows for the complete cladding of buildings, up to the sub-cornice space, in a short time. The siding itself does not provide adequate thermal insulation, but a thermal insulation layer can be arranged under it without problems.

If we compare steel siding with vinyl, then the first option is more durable, resistant to mechanical stress and durable. The service life of steel siding is on average 50 years, vinyl – from 30 to 40. Today, even siding for finishing plinths is produced, which is particularly durable. The siding plates have special holes for ventilation and evaporation of condensation, which allows for a breathable facade. With the help of siding, it is possible to clad both stone and wooden buildings.

Well, the picture won’t be complete if we don’t talk about the disadvantages of siding. Depends mainly on the source material. For example, steel siding is heavy, corrosive, more expensive than other types of siding, is quite noisy and does not recover from damage. Therefore, this type of siding is not used, as a rule, when facing residential buildings – rather, it is an option for warehouses, industrial buildings, terminals. An alternative to steel siding is corrugated board, which is also used quite often, especially since facing with a profiled sheet is cheaper, and its installation is even easier than installing siding. This is perhaps the most economical cladding option in general. In recent years, it is gaining more and more popularity, since the corrugated board is perfect for the installation of ventilated facades.

Vinyl siding, steel siding

Vinyl siding is one of the most popular finishing materials in the West. We also find it increasingly used. This type of cladding is especially in demand in individual construction. This finishing material is practically devoid of serious drawbacks, except, perhaps, its instability to low temperatures. Although now there are types of siding that can be operated even at -50 ° C thanks to various additives.

There are other types of siding: cement, wood, aluminum. But they are not widely used in the market. Cement is too heavy, aluminum is subject to mechanical deformation, but wood does not have sufficient durability, and requires constant maintenance.

After talking about siding, I don’t even want to discuss the possibility of facing facades with clapboard or tongue-and-groove boards. But still, let’s say a few words about this. Of course, natural wood cladding looks beautiful. But only for the time being. In order for natural wood to be used for exterior decoration, it must be treated with various compounds that prevent rotting, the growth of mold and fungi, the reproduction of microorganisms and pests. But even so, the durability of this type of cladding is questionable. Considering the rather high price of facing materials made of natural wood, it seems that the game is not worth it, especially if there is a more suitable alternative.

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Comments: 1
  1. Alexander Clarke

    Is not an easy task. With so many options available, it’s important to consider factors like durability, maintenance requirements, and aesthetics. Are you looking for a classic look with brick or stone? Or would you prefer a modern touch with sleek glass or metal panels? How about the cost and environmental impact of the materials? Ultimately, your home’s facade should reflect your personal style while complementing the architectural design. So, what factors do you consider when choosing a facade material for your home?

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