Now when performing facing works siding is often used. The assembly of panels does not take much time, according to the characteristics this material is quite durable, and the variety of colors and textures allows you to transform any house beyond recognition.
Panel Characteristics
Siding due to the high quality and ease of installation has been widely used in the construction and repair of country houses. Now you can find several types of panels, however, regardless of structure and thickness, they all have similar advantages:
- do not lose their properties in different temperature conditions (-40 to +50 degrees Celsius);
- do not burn;
- not subject to corrosion;
- Do not need special care;
- have a low cost.
In addition to the above functions, it is worth noting the many shades and colors that siding has. Assembling panels is also quite simple: following simple rules, practically anyone can cope with it without involving specialists.
Types of material
Siding is a facing material, characterized by a protective function and decorative qualities. Depending on the material from which it is made, there are wooden, vinyl, socle, steel and aluminum siding. The assembly of panels in the form of stone slabs gives the impression of solidity and quality. Most often they are used for covering the basement and walls of houses. Their appearance is identical to natural stone and unpretentious during installation and maintenance. Using them to finish the foundation, increase the parameters of noise insulation, thermal insulation.
Wood-based panels are used to decorate the walls of houses, even in areas with high humidity. In their production, the material is treated with a composition that excludes rotting, corrosion, as a result of which the guaranteed service life reaches several decades.
The most popular is vinyl siding. Its assembly requires exact adherence to the technology, namely, accounting for compensation gaps that provide thermal expansion. This is the most common type, because it is most often used for cladding houses.
Cladding with metal panels is most often used in industrial construction. These panels are characterized by special durability and a wide selection of colors.
Sheathing Features
Siding decoration involves the use of special accessories for sheathing internal and external corners, as well as joints. For these purposes, panels have a specific purpose. Sheathing begins with a start profile, and ends with a finish. For the design of corners, external and internal corner panels are provided. For the edging of door and window openings, a J-profile is provided. If necessary, interconnect two rows of panels using a connecting H-profile.
The assembly of vinyl siding starts from the bottom. After covering the first row, proceed to the next, etc. Panels are attached strictly to the battens. To do this, it is better to use aluminum nails or screws with a corrosion-resistant coating.
Mount Features
Having decided to do the house cladding yourself, you must follow certain rules to ensure durability and reliability. You should be aware that when the temperature changes, the siding will shrink or expand, so the holes for the fasteners are oval and the nails must be hammered strictly in the middle, without finishing, leaving a gap of a few millimeters. This requires some experience, but if it is not, it is better to use screws. Nails or screws must be driven into the panel hole strictly at a ninety degree angle. Even slight skew will prevent thermal expansion.
Siding assembly procedure excludes nailing or screwing screws directly into the panel itself. If it is necessary to fix the panel in a place where there is no hole, then it must be done with a punch. After fixing the panel, it must be moved left-right. If free movement is carried out, then the fastening is done correctly.
Wall covering can be carried out in any weather. However, it must be borne in mind that at high temperature the panels are already expanded, but at negative temperature, on the contrary, they are compressed. Therefore, thermal clearances should be performed correctly. Siding can be cut using a hacksaw or scissors for metal.
Preparatory stage
Do-it-yourself siding assembly is a fairly simple process, subject to the necessary technological rules. Sheathing the house with vinyl sheets should take place strictly on a flat surface, so if the walls have irregularities, then sheathing should be done. The initial optimal material is a wooden beam or a metal profile. Using a tree, you must first process it with an antiseptic solution.
The crate must be performed around the perimeter with a distance between the slats of 40 centimeters. If the house requires additional insulation, then a layer of thermal insulation material is laid under the slats.
Foundation siding
The work begins with determining the lowest point on the foundation, indenting upwards by 5 cm is done, and with the help of a rope, a level is established around the entire perimeter. First, the corners and start panel are set. When docking the panels, one must not forget about the gaps for thermal expansion. It’s better to start the work from the back, progressively moving towards the facade. Basement siding is available in standard sizes (45 centimeters). Typically, finishing requires mounting two rows.
The foundation of the house is the most vulnerable place, because it is exposed to high temperatures in the summer and snow and ice in the winter. According to their characteristics, PVC panels are identical to natural stone. Therefore, choosing base siding as a covering, you can permanently protect the foundation from the negative effects of the environment.
House sheathing
After completion of the foundation sheathing, further siding assembly is carried out. Instruction manual for laying polyvinyl chloride indicates that when wall cladding, corners are first mounted and platbands are installed on door and window openings. After that, the main work on laying the panels begins, while the first starting panel is attached to the upper row of the basement siding. It is necessary to overlap the panels horizontally with each other. The overlap should be at least 2.5 centimeters to prevent ingress of snow. Work is best to start from the back of the house, moving towards the facade. The last row is completed by mounting the finish profile under the eaves. If necessary, the last panel can be trimmed so that it freely enters the finish profile.
Metal siding
Metal panels, along with vinyl, are characterized by high characteristics of strength and durability. Metal siding is available in steel, galvanized and aluminum. The first two are mainly used for cladding industrial buildings. And aluminum has proven itself well when plating country houses. Its main advantage is durability: it is not affected by mold and mildew. From a decorative point of view, it also has advantages, since in addition to standard colors, these panels can be easily painted in any color.
However, if the shape of the sheet changes upon impact, it is impossible to restore the original appearance. It is also worth noting that this material has low thermal conductivity, therefore, using it, it is necessary to insulate the building. Installation must be carried out with caution, since violation of the integrity of the upper layer leads to the formation of corrosion.