Quite often, when building houses, SIP panels are used today. Residents reviews, the pros and cons of the material you can find out by reading the article. If you want to become the owner of a private house, not an apartment, then using sandwich panels during construction can be a profitable solution. This technology is also used by consumers who do not want to spend a lot of time on the long and laborious process of building a house. The construction will turn out quite easy, which is why there will be no need to lay a heavy buried foundation. After completion of work, you can immediately begin to equip the internal space and ennoble the external walls.
Description of SIP panels
If you decide to use SIP panels for building, reviews of tenants, the pros and cons of which you can find below, you should first familiarize yourself with the description of the materials and take an interest in its characteristics, which will help to avoid mistakes during the construction of the house.
Mentioned building material is a structure assembled from three layers. Among them, two OSB boards can be distinguished, as well as a layer of expanded polystyrene in the middle. In the manufacturing process, polyurethane adhesive is used, which allows you to connect the components together. Production involves the use of a pressure method of 18 tons. On sale you can find 2 varieties of these plates, namely the canvas, intended for the formation of ceilings, as well as wall panels.
Main characteristics
SIP panels, reviews of tenants, the pros and cons of which you can read in the article, consist of 97% of oriented chipboard. It is stacked in several layers, and in the process it is glued using various resins. At the same time, wood chips do not lose their useful properties that wood has. However, at the same time, it is possible to get rid of defects by the type of change of direction of fibers and knots. In order to achieve strength and elasticity of the plate, chips are located in different directions, they are placed longitudinally in the outer layers, while transversely in the inner layers. Thanks to its multidirectional orientation and special processing, which provides water resistance, as well as resistance to decay and mold, the plate demonstrates the qualities of an ideal building material.
Features of the internal component
SIP panels, reviews of tenants, the pros and cons of which you should know before purchasing, inside consist of expanded polystyrene. This layer is 98% formed from air, as for the remaining 2%, they are represented by styrene. Polyfoam is an environmentally friendly and non-toxic material, among its distinguishing characteristics we can distinguish durability, low weight and excellent thermal insulation properties. Thanks to this, the material has gained its popularity and is used as a heater during construction work.
Main characteristics
Projects of houses from SIP panels today are professional companies. However, you can do the planning of your home yourself. Sandwich panels can form the basis of summer cottages, frame-panel buildings, outbuildings and verandas. Modern consumers note that this material is convenient to use during construction procedures for the reason that the dimensions are ideal for this. The maximum height of the product is 350 cm, while the thickness varies from 5 to 23 centimeters. As for the width, you can count on a range from 63 to 150 cm. Dimensions will depend on what kind of work the products are supposed to be used for, these can be external, internal works, as well as the formation of ceilings. Buyers quite often choose these canvases also because of their low weight. For example, a product whose size is 250 x 125 x 18 cm has a weight of 50 kilograms. It is important to know the total weight of the panels that will be used to build the house.
Thus, the projects of houses from SIP panels, which provide an area equivalent to 150 square meters, allow you to erect a building whose walls weigh 15 tons. If we compare this material with a brick, which is needed for a house of the same area, then its weight will be 60 tons due to the fact that the weight of the plates is very small, so consumers are able to save on the foundation. It should be noted and reviews, which reflect the possibility of easy transportation of the purchased material.
Reviews of load resistance and thermal insulation characteristics
If you choose for construction material SIP-panels, which, according to customers, have increased resistance to stress, can be a great solution. This characteristic is due to the three-layer structure, which has the ability to undergo a longitudinal load of 10 tons per square meter. The transverse load is 2 tons per square meter.
If the material is affected by vertical bending, then the plate begins to shrink, while the other stretches, providing resistance to bending. These properties make it easy to tolerate fairly strong gusts of wind, the effect of external precipitation by the type of showers and snow, which is true after finishing. The constructions are very durable, and this is no accident, because the overlap acquires the ability to undergo an impact of 150 kilograms per square meter.
Finished houses made of SIP panels have excellent thermal insulation characteristics. That is why today more and more people who wish to improve their living conditions are choosing the described construction technology. The mentioned quality is due to insignificant thermal conductivity, which is ensured by a three-layer structure. If we compare the 12-centimeter panel with brickwork, the material properties will be the same. However, the last version of the wall should have a thickness equal to two meters. As for reinforced concrete, the thickness parameter should be 4 m.
Fire Safety Reviews
SIP panels, the manufacturers of which guarantee fire safety during operation, are processed in the manufacture of flame retardants. That is why when exposed to fire, according to consumers, the panel dies on its own. Fire resistance is 7 times higher than that characteristic of wood. All of the above characteristics indicate that sandwich panels can be used for prefabricated houses.
Positive properties
SIP panels, the production technology of which was described above, have many positive characteristics that made it possible for the canvases to gain such high popularity in the market. Among other characteristics, one can distinguish increased heat storage inside the building, the possibility of accelerated laying, which indicates that the house will be completely ready 3 months after the start of work. It is important when choosing construction technology to pay attention to the strength of the building, as well as excellent resistance to deformation during operation.
Canadian SIP panels allow you to form a lightweight frame, since a certain part of the load will be taken over by the panel. Recently, the modern buyer is increasingly paying attention to environmental friendliness. The sandwich panel fully complies with this requirement, since it consists of 97% natural wood chips, waxes, as well as fillers, which are completely harmless to health.
What else attracts you to sandwich products
The panels are created perfectly even, thanks to this, after the completion of construction work, without preparing the surface, you can perform finishing work, for example, puttying. Thus, this characteristic allows you to save money. You do not have to spend money on thermal insulation, since products of this kind do not need to be insulated. Due to the fact that the plates are small in thickness, it is possible to increase the useful area of the building by 30%.
The cost of houses from SIP
If you decide to build a house from SIP panels, the price of which should interest you, you must first make sure that you can do all the work yourself. Otherwise, you can use the services of specialists who build turnkey houses. After completion of such work, it will be possible to immediately move into a new dwelling, without waiting for the completion of shrinkage processes. After all, the described buildings do not deform over time, but serve for quite some time. A house made of SIP panels, the price of which can be equal to 1,200,000 rubles, will be warm and also very attractive. We are talking about the construction of 45 square meters. m. The more impressive the house will be, the more profitable the acquisition will be. So, 90 square meters. m. will cost 2,200,000 rubles.
Features of finishing work
Finishing SIP panels should be done immediately after completion of construction work. This is due to the fact that the products may be exposed to the harmful effects of the sun and moisture. During operation, unprotected sheets may darken from sunlight. It is important to close them so as not to collide with destructive processes in a few years. The work will be especially effective if an air layer is formed between the sandwich sheets and the decorative finish. Otherwise, some walls will heat up and cool more intensively than others. Cladding or plastering may become additional soundproofing.
Cladding selection
Decorating houses from SIP panels depends on the budget. However, you should pay attention to other factors, among them you can highlight the life of the material, fire safety during operation. Quite often, vinyl siding is used, which performs all the necessary functions of protecting a home. This finish is excellent for cladding houses made of SIP panels. If you want to improve aesthetics, then you can combine panels of different colors. To install them you have to equip the frame. You may prefer polymer panels, which are made in imitation of natural stone or brick, as finishes. You can choose this material, which will be distinguished by low cost and impressive quality.
Cement-ceramic panels, which are made of sand and cement with some added dyes , are also common.
Such products will have more impressive effects on the foundation, in addition, they are quite expensive compared to plastic counterparts. However, the house after finishing work will look as if the facade was decorated with natural stone. The surface of cement-ceramic panels is not covered by cracks, and also does not fade with time in the sun.
Main disadvantages
If you decide to use a sandwich cloth in the construction of future housing, then you should also familiarize yourself with the minuses of this material. Consider them in detail, because often users are interested in: “I live in a house from SIP panels. What are some unpleasant surprises to be expected?”.
Reviews of some negative features
A house from SIP panels over time demonstrates not only its advantages, but also very annoying disadvantages. You should not, for example, count on the fact that you do not have to spend money on decorating the house after the construction is completed. This is due to the fact that the panels are very easily damaged by mechanical stress. If you scratch the surface, then it loses its original attractiveness. Among other things, the facade is very susceptible to environmental influences. That is why it is important to do the finishing work immediately after the house is put into operation.
Despite the fact that the manufacturer indicates high thermal insulation characteristics, you can encounter the problem of drafts. Cold streams of air penetrate through the cracks in those places where the plates are interconnected. However, this disadvantage can be quite easily solved by using a construction mounting tape.
Additional disadvantages
You can not count on the resistance of panels to excessive loads. Within the limits of the norm, the products cope well with such effects, however, additional loads are beyond the power of this material. Consumers also quite often face the issue of the emergence of cold bridges, which are characterized by freezing of products in those places where the connection was made. This property is explained by the lack of insulation. Among the minuses, the possibility of damage to the frame, as well as fasteners in those places where the panels are joined, can be noted. This is due to condensation as well as dew point.
What should a consumer know before purchasing SIP panels
The material described in the article has many positive features. However, it is important to know about the weaknesses of the paintings. For example, during operation, the plates dry out, which leads to a change in their size, namely reduction. Thus, gaps appear between the plates, which is true for products in the production process of which polystyrene foam was used. These points must be taken into account during construction, taking care of options for solving various issues that arise during the operation of the building.