Finishing the exterior walls of the building is no less important than arranging its internal surfaces. It helps to warm the house, protect the facade from destruction and makes it more presentable. Today, a huge amount of materials is used for these purposes, differing from each other in properties, functionality and appearance. The latest innovation in the field of building cladding has become clinker panels for the facade.
Material for a fairly short period of time has positively established itself in the construction market and has already adorned the surface of many buildings.
What are clinker panels?
Clinker panels are an innovative material that has two or three layers, which is used for facing any external surfaces. The standard module consists of polyurethane foam insulation from 2-8 cm thick, on which clinker tiles of various shapes and widths are specially mounted.
Ceramics, which are part of the material, are characterized by a high degree of resistance to moisture and temperature, and firing tiles makes it more durable.
Polyurethane foam in all countries has earned the title of ideal thermal insulation material, and this suggests that clinker facade panels combined the best properties of both components.
In the process of their manufacture, the tile is laid out in a special form, after which it is poured with liquid polyurethane foam. Thus, falling off of decorative elements during the operation of the panels is absolutely impossible. The decorative coating is tightly enclosed in the structure of the module.
What is the difference between two-layer and three-layer panels?
Three-layer panels have an additional heat-insulating base, with which they are mounted on the walls of the facade. OSB, fiber cement and glass-magnetized plates can serve as the third layer.
OSBs are considered good heat and sound insulating material with good strength. In addition, the plates do not burden the facing coating and are considered a fairly economical option. Working with clinker panels on a wooden base does not cause special difficulties, since the tree is easily amenable to any processing.
Fiber cement is environmentally friendly, high strength and long life. Despite this, this type of insulation is characterized by significant weight, which greatly aggravates the entire lining. If the walls of the building and its foundation are not strong enough, the use of such panels is not recommended.
Glass-magnet base is popular due to its flexibility. This allows you to install slabs on walls with small bumps. The material itself is absolutely fireproof, resistant to the influence of natural factors and acts as a reliable heat insulator.
Scope of application of panels without insulation
There are situations when the use of insulation is completely unjustified from an economic point of view. For instance:
- for facing frame structures, in the walls of which heat-insulating material is initially present;
- for use in arranging a system of ventilated facades, where the walls are insulated at the initial stage;
- for facing industrial premises, garages, arbors or fences, which are not necessary to be insulated.
In this case, a two-layer clinker panel without insulation is used, the price of which will be much lower.
The main advantages of clinker panels
Perhaps the main advantage that clinker panels are endowed with is the extraordinary simplicity and speed of installation. The thorn-groove mount allows you to securely lock the modules in relation to each other.
It is important that upon completion of their installation no finishing work is required. The following positive aspects of this cladding should also be noted:
- safety for the environment;
- resistance to temperature fluctuations and moisture;
- service life - more than 50 years;
- reliable protection of facades from moisture and mold;
- excellent thermal insulation abilities;
- unpretentiousness in leaving;
- ease of repair;
- extensive color gamut and a variety of forms;
- light weight does not exert a load on the base of the house;
- do not lose their original appearance under the influence of ultraviolet rays;
- Buildings clad with clinker panels look well-groomed and attractive.
Are there any negative aspects to using this material?
Unfortunately, in our world there is nothing perfect, and the clinker brick panel is no exception. Like all building materials, in addition to a number of excellent properties, they have some disadvantages.
First of all, their high cost should be noted. Not everyone can afford to clad the walls of their own house with clinker modules. Especially noticeable is the high cost of such finishes when used on the facades of two-story buildings and large cottages.
The second unpleasant moment is the fragility of the decorative, and in some cases, the insulating layer. Everyone knows that ceramics can not withstand strong shocks, so during installation of the modules you must be extremely careful with this material.
Panels with clinker tiles on a fiber cement base are very fragile at break and require extreme care during transportation and storage.
Mounting Features
To begin with, remove all elements that will prevent the installation of plates (air conditioners, window shutters, etc.). From the surface of the walls, remove the old cladding (if any), after which they are treated with antiseptic compounds and a primer.
The following is the process of creating the foundation for a quality installation of plates. As mentioned above, clinker modules can be mounted on any surface, but if there are irregularities on the wall, it will be very difficult to join the plates. In this case, it is better to make a special frame. It can be made of wood or metal profile. If wooden beams were chosen for the crate of the walls, they must be treated with special impregnations to prevent rotting of the wood.
To fix the grating on a wooden facade, ordinary screws are used, but if the base is made of concrete, for reliability it is necessary to use a puncher and dowels. Installation of panels starts from the corner of the bottom row, the modules are installed on the bottom of the bar and are fixed with dowels. Installation is carried out in a circle, you can proceed to the next row only when the previous one is completed.
The joints between the clinker panels are blown with a mounting foam to ensure the integrity and strength of the entire structure.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that this method of decorating facades cannot be called cheap, it is quite popular among owners of private houses. This is due to the fact that in addition to the spectacular appearance, the panels have a lot of remarkable properties. The manufacturers guarantee for this material is about 40-50 years, which means that the house, lined with clinker panels, will delight its owners with warmth, silence and comfort for many years. And in this case, their high cost is justified.