Creating a project of their home, the owners want to have a cozy and comfortable room. Think over the interior decoration of each room, plan the arrangement of furniture. But the most important thing in building a quality house is its decoration, which provides the building with waterproofing and thermal insulation of the walls, is that necessary barrier between a warm room and cold air outside. The house has external and internal walls - which are better to insulate?
Sheathing the walls of the house from the inside, you significantly lose living space, and cold and moisture continue to affect the exterior of the building. If you insulate and sheathe the outer walls, the living room will not decrease in volume, there will be no additional load on the foundation, but the brickwork will be reliably protected from moisture, temperature differences, fungi and bacteria. According to statistics, heat losses in homes by 40% are carried out through the walls. If the external walls of the house are thoroughly insulated, the cost of electricity will be significantly reduced.
Choice of insulation
Before starting any work, you need to take care of the materials and think about which is better to take a heater. For cladding the exterior wall of the house, mineral wool, consisting of artificial mineral fibers, is suitable. It is divided into two types: stone and slag. It is sold in plates or in rolls. It does not leak moisture, does not burn, does not respond to moisture, is resistant to mechanical damage, protects from insects and retains heat well. It is very convenient to work with her.
It can be used to insulate glass wool produced from waste in glass production. It has similar properties to mineral wool, but during insulation work with such material you need to wear protective gloves, a mask on your face and glasses. This will prevent small parts from getting into the airways and eyes.
Styrofoam or polystyrene foam is very popular. Slabs of this material are very light, have a cellular structure. It is the cheapest material, so it is often used in the construction of houses. There are two types: dense and porous. Now there are plates of expanded polystyrene, which are incombustible. This is an important quality for the safety of your home. After installing such material on the external walls, a layer of plaster or another type of cladding should be applied. In the open form, such a heater is not left.
Wall insulation
There are two ways to apply insulation to the surface of an external brick wall:
- A bonded method of laying plates joint to joint, which leaves no gaps.
- The crate, stuffed on the outer surface of the house, in the cavity of which pieces of insulation are inserted.
Now the bonded method of insulation is of great popularity, since with this laying of the material the so-called "cold paths" do not remain - these are places where the insulation material does not touch each other behind the crate, and unprotected stripes of the wall remain. In the bonded mode, the tiles are well joined, and the house is completely protected, without cracks.
The first step in warming will be the leveling of the wall surface. To do this, the surface is plastered, then a layer of glue is applied and a heater plate is applied. The edges and the center are reinforced with special dowels, the cracks are blown up with mounting foam. If the distance between the plates is significant, it is better to fill the space with a cut out strip of insulation.
The next stage of work on the insulation of the exterior walls of the house is the application of a reinforcing layer, which is a fiberglass mesh or metal mesh. A thick layer of glue is applied to the insulation plates and the mesh is pressed. Smoothing movements level the reinforcement layer. After the glue has completely dried, the surface is cleaned and prepared for the last stage for decoration with decorative plaster, which is subsequently painted.
Plastered and painted house
After applying the insulation, economical owners can simply plaster the house and paint it with paint for open surfaces. Plaster can be made embossed, volumetric or textured. It is widely used in our time for finishing work. Embossed plaster on the facade in harmony with smooth surfaces made of natural material.
To form a relief layer of plaster, use a trowel and ironing machines, a sponge and various graters. In this case, you need to act quickly, forming a relief pattern on the yet-dried layer of the base coat. An interesting element of decorating with relief stucco is the coloring of the texture with several contrasting colors. To do this, after applying the main color, the paint that has not yet dried should be shaded with a special mitt.
Facing the house with natural stone
The stone facades of the exterior walls give the impression of solidity and respectability. Natural stone is always pleasing to the eye, even if the house is not fully lined, but only, for example, a basement. This is an environmentally friendly and durable material that creates coolness in the house in the summer and does not release heat outside in the winter. Installation work is quick and easy.
The only drawback of this material is its weight. The material delivery will be quite expensive, and the stone itself is not cheap. There is an artificial substitute, which is much easier and cheaper, but its service life is much shorter.
Facade tile
For decorating and protecting the house from humidity, facade tile is used. It comes in several varieties: clinker, terracotta and decorative.
Clinker tile resembles a brick in appearance, only smooth and bright. Such tiles can sheathe a building made of foam blocks or silicate brick.
After finishing work, the house acquires the clarity of lines, the brightness of the brickwork. And such coverage will last a long time. Therefore, in Europe and in Russia, this skin is very popular. From the tiles you can lay out the tracks on the garden.
Terracotta and decorative tiles are less popular, but have the same properties. A variety of colors and shapes will attract the attention of people who want to have an original and unique design of their home.
Wood paneling
Since ancient times, wood paneling of the exterior walls of a house is very popular. Now popular material called "block house". After covering the walls, the structure becomes like a wooden log house. This material looks expensive and has good characteristics. It is lightweight, easy to install and durable. With minor mechanical damage, the material can be sanded and repainted.
Exterior walls can also be decorated with wooden lining. The quality and durability of the material depends on the choice of wood. Inexpensive and comfortable lining from pine. But if you buy oak, then the service life will last significantly: the oak does not decay, looks expensive, but also expensive.
Any wooden wall covering requires processing with special compounds that protect the tree from decay, protect against fungus, mold, insects. It will be necessary to varnish or paint the facade often. So you keep the neat appearance of the building.
Siding
Modern plastic material is made by extrusion through holes of various shapes of a vinyl mixture. Now the siding is produced in two layers: it is more durable, not combustible, it protects well from water and seasonal temperature changes. The material does not undergo erosion, does not rot, does not conduct electric current, is resistant to mechanical damage, has a long service life (50 years).
According to the type of installation, vertical and horizontal panels are distinguished. They are fastened with screws.
In addition to vinyl, metal siding is produced. For the production of such panels, galvanized steel is used, which is wrapped on all sides with a passivated layer and painted with protective paint.
Material selection
Before you decide and purchase the cladding material for the exterior walls of the house, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Consider the weight, price and quality of the material. When buying, you must definitely check the integrity of the package so as not to get poor-quality casing with broken corners.
When buying natural stone, you need to check that the stones are the right color.
Wooden lining is selected without knots and blue spots.
Siding should have uniform coloring, the same thickness and shape.
When buying expensive material, it is advisable to use the services of trusted manufacturers who have worked well in the market, or listen to the reviews of professional builders.