Foam concrete has many advantages, but one of its significant drawbacks is the unattractive appearance of the facade. Additional wall cladding, which is becoming a necessity, increases the cost of work in labor costs. To give the facade an attractive appearance and at the same time choose the best option for the three components (price, quality, labor), you need to figure out how to sheathe the house from the foam block from the outside.
Trim features
Exterior decoration of the house of foam blocks performs not only a decorative function. Its important tasks include:
- Additional thermal insulation. Many materials for wall cladding are mounted on a frame, between the racks of which the insulation is laid. This layer allows you to reliably protect the house from the cold in the winter. To maintain the ability of the house to "breathe" it is worth choosing mineral wool as a heat insulator. When using it, no measures for additional ventilation will be required.
- Soundproofing. The outer cladding allows you to reduce the noise level in the room, which comes from the street and provide comfortable conditions for the rest of residents.
- It is important to protect the facade from the outside from various negative environmental influences. The outer wall lining also performs a protective function, preventing moisture from entering the foam blocks, which is especially true for aerated concrete, which has the greatest ability to absorb moisture.
Ventilated facade
This technology of work allows you to apply several options for decoration. Given the strength of lightweight concrete, do not use too heavy products, such as, for example, porcelain stoneware and natural stone. To give the house an attractive appearance, they are perfect:
- wooden lining;
- block house;
- siding;
- sandwich panels.
The most common option was vinyl siding. This material is not as expensive as wall paneling or block house and is more resistant to adverse effects. The first two options from the list can be attributed to natural materials. The raw material for production is coniferous wood. The first option allows you to sheathe the house "under the beam", the second wall cladding creates the illusion of a log building.
To protect the facade from the outside, the following tools and materials will be required:
- hacksaw;
- construction level (suitable for bubble) and a square (with a right angle);
- roulette;
- screwdriver and hammer;
- fasteners (nails, self-tapping screws, plate dowels for fixing the insulation);
- a beam with a section of 80x80 mm for the manufacture of a frame;
- insulation (thickness is selected depending on the climatic characteristics of the area);
- start profile;
- material with which the facade will be closed from the outside (siding, lining, block house).
Here you will need to install the frame and fix the wall covering material on it. It is important to choose a heater. To protect against cold use:
- Styrofoam;
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- mineral wool.
The first two do not let air through, so they create problems with ventilation during operation.
Most often, builders choose mineral wool, which is available in two types:
- hard plates;
- mats in rolls.
There is no fundamental difference in wall insulation between these two options. When using such a heat insulator, it must be reliably protected from moisture. From the side of warm air, a vapor barrier is always laid, and from the side of the cold, waterproofing.
Between the waterproofing film and the cladding elements, there must be a ventilated gap of about 5 cm wide. This is necessary to remove moisture from the surface of the mineral wool. It is thanks to this gap that the technology is called the “ventilated facade”.
To close the facade from the outside, the work is performed in the following order:
- cleaning walls from pollution;
- installation of vapor barrier;
- frame assembly;
- installation of a heater and its fixation;
- installation of waterproofing;
- fixing the start profile along the perimeter of the building at a distance of 15 cm from the ground;
- installation of the first wall cladding panel, its alignment;
- installation of the remaining elements, which will close the facade of the house outside, to the roof.
Plastering
This option allows you to create a facade without serious labor and special skills. Only the ability to hold a spatula is required. Wall plastering can be done in two ways:
- without reinforcing mesh with a layer thickness of 20 mm;
- using reinforcing mesh with a layer thickness of 40 mm or more.
Reinforcement allows the solution to stay on a vertical surface. Currently, the use of special “warm” plasters is widespread, which, in addition to protecting the facade, performing a decorative function, also serves as insulation.
The following materials will be required for the production of works:
- primer;
- plaster (front);
- reinforcing mesh;
- spatula, paint brush (roller);
- mortar and silicone based paint.
Brick protection
Brick wall decoration is a reliable option, but here it is worth considering some features. It is important that the foundations, even at the design stage, were designed for additional load and had broadening to support the external verst made of brick.
To ensure the joint operation of the inner verst from foam concrete and the outer brick, metal or plastic ties are provided. If this is not done, then the brickwork at some point in time can simply collapse. Ties must be positioned so that they fall into the horizontal seams of the masonry. The best option would be elements of basalt-plastic material.
Brick walling is a rather laborious process. It is necessary to prepare for the fact that construction costs, both financial and temporary, will increase. In addition, the surface will still require finishing, for example, plaster. Between the outer and inner versts provide a layer of insulation. It is better to choose extruded polystyrene foam or mineral wool.
For brick cladding, the following materials and tools will be required:
- facing (decorative) brick;
- masonry mortar;
- bubble level and plumb;
- trowel and pickaxe;
- cement mortar drill;
- metal or plastic ties and hammer drill.