Keramoplast: a promising novelty among roofing materials

Recommendation points

• Advantages and disadvantages of keramoplast
• Comparison of ceramoplast with traditional coatings
• The cost of keramoplast
• Features of coating installation

In this article we will talk about a relatively new roofing material – keramoplast. Let’s compare the characteristics declared by the manufacturer with the experience of real use, calculate the cost of arranging the roof, and also give basic recommendations for the correct installation of this coating.

Keramoplast, a new development of Russian scientists, appeared on the roofing market at the very beginning of this century. For its production, a mixture of synthetic and natural components is used, which does not include phenol, asbestos and similar substances that are extremely harmful to living organisms. The basis of the material is white clay, to which coloring pigments, polyaffines and polymers are added. The mixture is heated and actively mixed. The resulting plastic homogeneous mass is sent for pressing, where sheets of the desired configuration and sizes are formed from it. This is followed by rapid cooling of the finished ceramic plastic.

More recently, a new type of material has appeared – keramoplast, reinforced with a steel mesh, which significantly increases the strength of the coating. Thus, on sale you can find two main types of keramoplast. The material is available in a variety of colors and two textures: smooth and rough. The range of coverings includes standard corrugated sheets in three wave depths and tiles that simulate traditional roof tiles.

The covering is available in the form of sheets of different sizes, the maximum length is 200 cm.The thickness of the ceramic plastic can vary from 3 to 5 mm, the width of the plate is on average 90 cm.The density of the roofing material is 1500 kg / m³. The weight of the panel, depending on the length, is 9–17 kg. One sheet covers about 2 square meters. m roof. Manufacturers also produce ridge covers, wind strips and special fixing caps for high-quality installation of the cover.

Advantages and disadvantages of keramoplast

Keramoplast is positioned as a roofing material with excellent performance characteristics. Let’s consider them in more detail:

1. Manufacturability and plasticity. The material, which contains polymers, is easy to process. It can be easily sawed, drilled, cut, bent, and after heating it can be given any shape. However, it should be remembered that the coating is rather brittle in a cold state. Therefore, if you need to make a fastening hole in it, you should use a drill, and not punch the part with a nail like slate or ondulin.
2. The material is resistant to pollution, aggressive media and microorganisms. Mold does not develop on the coating, it is resistant to salts, acids and alkalis. Contamination on it does not stick to a smooth surface and is easily washed off by rain.
3. High strength allows the coating to withstand extreme wind and snow loads. According to this indicator, it is second only to ceramic tiles and slate. Sheets can be reused. All this is true provided that the crate is correctly installed.
4. A wide range of temperatures at which the roof can be used. It ranges from -55 ° C to + 80 ° C. This makes it possible to use keramoplast in various climatic conditions. Those who operate the coating warn that at minus temperatures it becomes quite fragile, which should be taken into account when installing in the cold season.
5. Low thermal conductivity, which makes the ceramoplast roof one of the warmest.
6. Ease of installation. The light weight of the coating allows it to be carried out practically alone. A well-thought-out fastening system for special self-tapping screws with protective caps screwed into a pre-prepared hole makes installation quick and easy.
7. Environmental friendliness. The absence of bitumen, phenols, asbestos and similar substances in the material makes the coating absolutely safe. Moreover, the presence of polymers and other synthetics is minimal. Keramoplast, even with strong heating, does not release toxins into the air.
8. Decent sound insulation, allowing you not to hear the sound of raindrops on the roof.
9. High resistance to UV radiation.
10. Modifiability. During the coating manufacturing process, modification of its properties is possible. The result is a fabric with enhanced strength, lightfastness, etc..

These are the main advantages of keramoplast. However, you need to understand that they can be fully disclosed only if high-quality material is purchased, as well as all requirements for operation and installation are met. A feature of the roofing can be considered its novelty. The first samples of the material appeared on the market about 10 years ago. Therefore, it is not yet possible to fully track the declared durability and preservation of operational properties. The manufacturer guarantees at least 30 years of perfect coating service, this has not yet been confirmed in practice.

However, short operating experience helped to identify such disadvantages:

1. Fire hazard. The material is flammable, flammable and sustains combustion. Special care should be taken to equip chimney outlets and other potentially fire hazardous areas on the roof..
2. Insufficient lightfastness. The manufacturer assures that the coloring pigment is evenly distributed over the material and remains unchanged during the entire operation. However, in practice, you can notice the fading of ceramoplast. Moreover, if the luminous flux is intense, this can happen already in the first year after installation..
3. The sheets may not maintain a uniform thickness, which creates certain difficulties during installation.
4. The design features of the coating suggest its attachment to the lathing using special fasteners. Holes are made in the keramoplast sheet, which are subsequently closed with special protective caps. Practice shows that the material from which they are made is short-lived and quickly degrades. In addition, they have to be bought “with a margin”, since quite often there is a defect in the box. Some developers initially refuse to use them, installing self-tapping screws with a metal cap.
5. Wind strips included with keramoplast can warp from temperature changes.

If you are going to buy this roofing covering, it should be borne in mind that a rather large number of unscrupulous manufacturers have appeared who offer “their own version” of this material. In order to reduce the cost of production, various impurities are added to it, the thickness of the sheet is reduced, etc. Naturally, such a coating will not be able to demonstrate good performance characteristics. In order not to purchase such “keramoplast”, it is best to buy material from trusted companies..

Comparison of ceramoplast with traditional coatings

Most often, developers choose between molded bitumen sheets or ondulin, metal tiles and ceramoplast. Let’s compare these coatings. The basis of ondulin and materials similar to it in composition is cellulose, which at high pressure and temperature is saturated with a bitumen solution mixed with mineral pigments, filler and rubber. Metal tile – a roof covering made of profiled steel, which is protected from corrosion by polymer spraying.

The strength of the coatings varies greatly. For ondulin, this indicator is low. In addition, as the air temperature rises, it begins to melt and temporarily loses its strength, while in the cold it becomes brittle. Metal tiles and keramoplast are very durable and resistant to severe temperature extremes and adverse weather conditions. The service life of ondulin is 15 years, the same for an inexpensive metal tile. Higher quality models of the metal coating will last longer, up to 50 years. Keramoplast, according to manufacturers’ assurances, must serve for at least 30 years.

The color fastness of all materials is approximately the same. All of them lose their color over time. They are also similar in ease of installation. However, there are also differences. Ondulin is laid with an overlap on two waves, keramoplast – on one. A soft bituminous coating requires 20 fasteners per sq. m, while keramoplast – only 10 pieces. Thus, using a new coating, you can save about 7% of the material, all other things being equal. The metal tile is also laid with an overlap, its size is 150 mm. However, the amount of waste when working with it is quite large. If the roof has a complex shape, it can be up to 40%.

Practice shows that it is most convenient to work with keramoplast. It can be easily cut with an ordinary hacksaw or jigsaw. True, the instrument quickly becomes dull and has to be changed. Opening the ondulin is more difficult. It is also made with a hacksaw, but it has to be constantly lubricated with oil to prevent the sawing surface from sticking to the bitumen and the tool getting stuck. In the heat, cutting is almost impossible: the bitumen melts and simply “wraps” around the saw. To work with metal tiles, a special tool is required that does not damage the protective polymer coating, otherwise the material is threatened by corrosion.

All compared roofing materials are relatively lightweight and do not require additional reinforcement of the truss structure. The main disadvantage of ondulin, like keramoplast, is flammability. The bitumen included in its composition is quite flammable and supports combustion. Metal tiles are devoid of this drawback, but they have very poor sound insulation. Therefore, many abandon it in favor of less “noisy” materials. The most “environmentally friendly” of the considered coatings is ondulin, since it contains bitumen.

The cost of keramoplast

Keramoplast is available in two versions: in the form of corrugated sheets and imitation of tiles. Determine how many full sheets are needed for the roof. To do this, divide the roof area by the sheet area. For a panel with a smooth surface, this will be 1.55 sq. m, for rough – 1.2 sq. m. So you can get the approximate number of sheets. To make the calculation more accurate, we take into account the dimensions of the ridge and slopes. We divide the length of the ridge by the useful width of the panel, round the result up or down to 0.5. Received the number of rows. Then we divide the length of the slope by the useful length of the sheet. The result is also rounded. Received the number of panels in a row. Then we multiply the values ​​and multiply the result by two, in case it is supposed to cover a gable roof.

For canvases simulating tiles, a similar calculation algorithm is used. For an approximate determination of the number of sheets, you can divide the roof area by the useful area of ​​the panel, taking into account the overlap. For a material with a rough surface, this will be 0.31 sq. m, for smooth – 0.28 sq. m. For a more accurate calculation, we determine the number of rows by dividing the length of the ridge by the width of the plate, and the number of sheets in a row, dividing the length of the slope by the length of the canvas. We multiply the obtained results and double them if the roof is gable.

Do not forget that, in addition to keramoplast, for proper installation, you will also need wind bars and skates. Their number is calculated very simply. We divide the length of the roof ridge by the length of the part, taking into account the allowance. Round the result to the nearest integer. The calculation is carried out similarly for the wind bar. The number of fasteners is determined based on the fact that at least 9 pieces plus a spare are required per sheet. We multiply the number of sheets by 10, we get the number of fasteners. When buying, you need to take into account that there are 100 pieces in a package with caps, and self-tapping screws are packaged in a box of 240 parts.

Having accurately determined the amount of material required, you can calculate the cost of the finished roof. Prices for a keramoplast sheet start at 450 rubles, imitation of tiles will cost from 150 rubles. The cost of ridge parts starts from 340 rubles, wind strips – from 280 rubles. The price of packing protective caps is about 100 rubles.

Features of coating installation

Keramoplast is laid on the crate. It is equipped with a board of 30×100 mm and a bar of 50×50 mm. The step of the construction depends on the slope of the roof, with its increase, the step of the sheathing also increases. If the slope is less than 10 °, a continuous sheathing is performed with a side overlap in two waves and an end overlap of 30 cm.A slope from 10 ° to 30 ° requires a construction with a step of 36 cm, a side overlap in one wave, an end overlap of 15 cm. A slope of more than 30 ° assumes a lathing pitch of 475 mm, an end overlap of 100 mm and a side overlap in one wave.

After preparing the lathing and applying fire retardants and antiseptics to it, you can proceed to the installation of ceramoplast. Laying is done horizontally. The process begins from the side of the building opposite to the facade, so it will be possible to visually hide the connecting vertical seams, and the coating will look monolithic. Most often, the so-called zigzag installation is used, when the joints of the previous row fall in the middle of the sheets of the next one. In this case, the corners of the mounted coating are not cut off. If the sheets are stacked without offset, their corners are cut at an angle of 45 °.

Recommended installation sequence for large surfaces:

1. We lay the bottom row.
2. From it exactly at right angles up to the ridge we mount the side row.
3. We lay all subsequent panels, focusing on the lower and side rows.

Before starting to fasten the sheet, we carefully check its location and the correctness of the side and end overlaps. To accurately fix the panel over the crate, pull the cord. We place the fasteners on the resulting straight line. We attach the sheet to the crest of the wave. The maximum number of self-tapping screws on the first panel is 30 pieces, on all subsequent ones – no more than 20.

Practice has shown that swelling of sheets is possible with sharp temperature changes. To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, it is recommended to drill holes in the material 3 mm larger than the diameter of the elements themselves, which gives a kind of backlash that prevents deformation of the coating. Fasteners must be tightened carefully, without overtightening, so as not to provoke a skew of the sheet.

After all the panels are laid and secured, the ridge is mounted. Parts are sequentially installed through the locking element. For fastening, use self-tapping screws or nails with protective caps. The step of the fastener is equal to the step of fastening the canvas to the crate. It turns out 12 parts per ridge, six on each side. If the angle of the ridge does not coincide with the ridge element, the part is heated with a blowtorch or a hair dryer from the inside and bends at the desired angle.

To seal the roof and hide the ends of the mounting elements, a wind bar is used. The parts are secured with six overlapping fasteners over the lock. Installation is started from the bottom point, then go up to the end of the covered element. One wing is fixed to the end rafter, and the other one is fixed to the roofing sheets. The step of the fasteners corresponds to the step of the lathing.

Keramoplast is a relatively new roof covering. Its good performance and affordable cost attract developers. However, it is impossible to guarantee with certainty that all its advantages really “work”, since the material has not yet stood the test of time. At the same time, some of its advantages are undeniable: reasonable price, environmental friendliness, durability and good sound insulation.