Plancken - what is it? This type of facade decoration allows you to create a truly stylish and spectacular exterior, regardless of the nature of the structure. Such a lining becomes an ideal protection against capricious manifestations of the weather.
How effective is planken, what is it, what operational characteristics and advantages does the material have? All these issues are of interest to homeowners who need to implement high-quality external decoration of housing.
Plancken - what is it?
Facing is a special kind of facade boards. The main feature of the material is the presence of rounded or beveled edges due to chamfering at the edges of individual plates. According to the appearance it resembles a terrace and deck board. Differences exist only in thickness, which is an order of magnitude lower here and ranges from 15 to 22 mm. As for the width of the board, depending on the type of material, it can vary between 70-140 mm.
Today, planken finds its application not only in the field of external, but also interior decoration. How cladding is used in rooms for various purposes. Such a facade board is suitable for creating all kinds of shelves, decorative elements.
Larch planken
Larch is an ideal basis for the production of natural finishing materials. Wood has a natural protection against decay, tolerates moisture, and serves for a long time, as it is not susceptible to destruction by small parasites.
Larch has an attractive texture, shade and pattern of fibers, which becomes indispensable if you need to create an effective cladding of walls and ceilings. When exposed to moisture, larch acquires a denser structure and strength.
Pine
Pine planken is made from tall and even trees that are treated with special compounds, which gives the material durability and resistance to moisture.
As you know, the wood of this breed is saturated with resins. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of planken, its thermal and chemical treatment takes place. Thus, the material becomes not only a reliable basis for the production of cladding, but also saturates the premises with a pleasant natural aroma. This, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the well-being of homeowners.
Cedar
Like pine, this tree species can be found in almost all latitudes. However, Canadian cedar, which has a more attractive shade and pattern, is most often used for planken production.
The material is durable. Therefore, such a cladding of the structure can serve for many decades without changing the appearance and deterioration of operational characteristics.
KDP
Another common base for planken production is a wood-polymer composite. Characteristics of the material stand out against all the above types of finishes. WPC is produced by high-tech processing of the best pine species using polymers.
What are the qualities of polymer planken? What is it? Despite its chemical origin, the material has the following advantages:
- copes well with moisture;
- prevents rot;
- maintains temperature influences ranging from -50 to +70 ° C;
- facilitates the installation process;
- characterized by a variety of color and texture.
Mounting
Depending on the nature of the profile, planken finish is lapped or butt. In this case, a technological gap is left between the individual layers, which does not allow the boards to touch. Its size is determined by the width of the finishing material and depends on the type of wood.
There are two ways to install planken:
- Open - the lining is fixed with screws at the top of the board. This option is particularly simple, high speed of work and economical.
- Hidden is a more complex procedure, the result of which is the absence of visible fasteners on the building facade.
Regardless of the installation method chosen, high-quality performance of the task will require self-tapping screws with a corrosion-resistant coating or stainless steel.
Advantages of installing planking cladding
The traditional exterior finish with a clapboard or block house is laid out by creating spike groove joints. This hides the main disadvantage of such materials. The prolonged exposure to adverse environmental factors in the form of a sharp change in temperature and high humidity causes the deformation of these types of cladding.
Laying planken with a shutter speed between the individual layers of material makes the facade ventilated. Under the influence of changing weather conditions, the wood begins to move slightly, which allows it to maintain the structure and at the same time does not affect the overall stability of the structure.
Planken is more durable compared to the same block house or clapboard. In the case of observing the correct installation technology and periodic maintenance, the service life of the facade is measured not for years but for decades.
As you can see, planken acts as an effective facing material, easy to install and maintain. Thanks to the natural basis, the finish can be processed with special compounds that contribute to the improvement of its appearance, increase of technical and operational characteristics.