The facade of any building is her business card. You can choose one of the many ways to decorate the exterior walls of the house, insulate and protect them from the effects of external atmospheric phenomena. The most common options are siding, stone and plaster.
Description of polyvinyl chloride siding
Before the exterior decoration of the house will be carried out, you should consider options for carrying out these works. The market today presents many varieties of siding, among which one can be distinguished that is made of polyvinyl chloride. Such a finish is chosen by those consumers for whom functionality, practicality and aesthetics are important. The panels are lightweight, resistant to external influences and quite durable. With the help of them it will be possible to hide the shortcomings of the rough foundation. Siding based on polyvinyl chloride allows you to simulate all kinds of natural materials. Thus, you can decorate your house with panels for wood, brick or stone. Depending on the profile, wood siding can imitate a block house, timber or lining.
Pros of Vinyl Siding
Exterior home decoration, the options of which will be presented in the article, can be made on the basis of vinyl siding. Among its main advantages, we can distinguish resistance to alkaline conditions, acids and moisture. Such products are resistant to sharp and frequent changes in temperature, they do not burn, are environmentally friendly and are durable. The consumer can count on the fact that the panels will not change their quality characteristics during all years of operation. Installation is simplified due to its low weight, which does not require the need for reinforcement of the foundation. Owners of private houses will not have to rent special machinery and equipment, among other things, work can be carried out at any time of the year.
The nuances of using vinyl siding
If you will be making exterior decoration of the house, you should definitely consider the options for the implementation of these works at the first stage. Vinyl siding has some disadvantages. Among one of the most important, low resistance to impressive temperatures can be distinguished. Despite the fact that polyvinyl chloride is not able to maintain combustion, when exposed to temperature, it begins to melt and deform. After the acquisition, it is not recommended to leave the material in the open sun in hot weather, it must first be laid on a flat surface. Otherwise, you will encounter a deformation of the material, which will subsequently be unsuitable for installation. Experts do not recommend equipping next to the house, which is supposed to be finished with vinyl siding, places for recreation, operated using open fire.
Description of metal siding
Exterior decoration of the house, the options of which we offer in our review, can be carried out on the basis of metal siding, which can be aluminum or steel. Each of these types of finishes has its own minuses and pluses. Aluminum panels are lightweight, but their strength is lower compared to steel. Aluminum strips are easy to bend, and upon impact, dents can remain on their surface. You should be prepared for the fact that such a lining will cost much more. Steel siding has an impressive weight, so you can use it only on the facades of houses, which have a strong and good foundation. Among other things, such material is susceptible to corrosion. However, you can count on less impressive cost. Exterior decoration of a frame house, variants of which may involve the use of metal siding, is a very reasonable solution, this is especially true for outbuildings. Such cladding will perfectly cope with the protection of buildings from fires, and will also allow you to insulate the walls, giving them an aesthetic appearance.
Installation Technology
Manipulation of the installation of siding should begin with the preparation of the walls, which provides for the arrangement of the crate. Before starting the device, it is necessary to carry out a surface audit, clearing the space around the door and window openings, freeing the surface from the old plaster. The walls must be cleaned of protruding elements, namely drainpipes and lamps. If the house was lined with wood, then you have to get rid of the rotten panels, as well as strengthen the remaining ones. At the next stage, you can begin the installation of a battens system of wooden battens. The latter are fixed to the walls at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other. It is important to install these elements around the openings on the top and bottom of the wall. If the exterior decoration of the frame house is carried out, the options of which you can choose on your own, then when using siding, you may prefer to fix the panels horizontally or vertically. Reiki for horizontal siding should be located vertically, and vice versa. If you have to work with a new wooden house, which has a flat facade, then you can do without fixing the crate system. The space between the slats is filled with insulation, the thickness of which should not be more than the thickness of the crate.
Panel Installation
The described version of the exterior decoration of the house with siding provides for the installation of panels at the next stage, these manipulations must be started from the starting line. To do this, on the surface of the facade you need to find the lowest point located, stepping back 4 centimeters from it. At this level, a horizontal line should be recaptured. The upper edge of the starting strip is installed on the prepared line, the element is nailed to the surface with nails. It is important to leave a distance of 1.5 millimeters between the cap and the base. If one strip is not enough, then the next must be beaten, retreating 6 millimeters. At the joints of the walls, it is necessary to strengthen the external and internal corners, leaving a distance between the nails of 30 centimeters. Around the openings to fix the J-rails. Next, the lower edge of the panel must be inserted into the initial strip, and the upper edge should be fixed to the wall surface. In the place where the panel reaches the outer or inner corner, the length of the element should be less by a few millimeters, which will allow free space for expansion and contraction.
The nuances of the work
Exterior decoration of a country house, variants of which are presented by the modern market in a wide variety, can be carried out using siding. After you have completed all the above manipulations, you can proceed with the installation of the next series of products. In this case, you need to use the same technology, however, the lower edge should be fixed by the protrusion of the lower element. If the canvas horizontally is fixed with an overlap, and not with the use of a connecting profile, they should overlap each other by three centimeters. They should be placed apart, and not one above the other.
Using facade stone for cladding
As another option for decorating the house, you can select a facade stone. This material is now widely used for such work. The technology allows you to implement interesting design solutions and improve the performance of the facade. Considering the options for exterior decoration of a house from a bar, you can highlight the facade stone. In the role of the obvious and first advantages of this cladding, you can highlight the impressive appearance. On sale you can find a wide range of stone, which is represented by tiles, strips based on limestone and other products. Among other things, when finishing you can combine stones of completely different sizes, shapes and textures, which allows you to achieve unique effects. The facade can imitate wild stone, brickwork and many other natural materials. If you want to get an original design at the exit, then with the help of stone you can veneer only part of the facade, for example, a basement, as well as door and window openings. As for the remaining planes, they can be processed using decorative plaster or painted. If you decide to compare the options for exterior decoration of the house from aerated concrete, then you should pay special attention to the stone, which is not only effective in appearance, but also practical. The walls are extremely resistant to sunlight, rainfall and other factors.
The choice of stone for decoration
If you decide to prefer natural stone, you should know that it is presented on the market in the following varieties. Granite is the heaviest, but the most stable and durable stone. Marble is characterized by density and a wide palette of patterns and colors. If you want to choose something identical to the border, you can prefer basalt, but quartzite acts as a solid rubble stone, in which glossy interspersed grains of quartz are visible. Soft varieties of limestone are not suitable material for cladding external walls, for such work it is best to prefer dense varieties of limestone. Options for the exterior decoration of the house, photos of which are presented in the article, may include the use of sandstone, which is soft and porous. Due to the listed qualities, the material is easy to process and polish. Do you want to stone the house, but want to save? Then shale should be preferred, as it acts as one of the inexpensive varieties of natural stone. It is used because of the original appearance, as well as the internal structure, which consists of many layers.
Stone facade recommendations
If you are considering options for the exterior decoration of a country house, then you may prefer natural stone. However, when used, very stringent requirements are imposed on the surface. Regardless of the material the draft base is made of, it should have low humidity. In the presence of bases made of gypsum from wood, the humidity should not be more than 0.5%. If we are talking about cement walls, then the humidity should not be more than 4.5%. The facade should be devoid of chips, potholes and ledges. It needs to be rid of other irregularities. The allowable difference is 2 centimeters per square meter. Stone options for finishing the exterior walls of the house provide for a high facade strength. The base on which you intend to finish should not be subject to shrinkage or deformation.
Stucco finish
If none of the above solutions suits you, then you can choose facade plaster. It is resistant to temperature extremes, which are characteristic of most regions of Russia. The walls after it will be moisture resistant and vapor permeable. The facade after the manipulation is protected from external precipitation and high humidity, which can destructively affect surfaces that are unprotected during finishing. Stucco freely lets couples out, so the building gains the ability to breathe.
Exterior decoration of a wooden house, the options for which are presented in the article, may involve the use of plaster. Its consumers also choose for the reason that it is distinguished by sound and heat insulation qualities. The created layer creates a barrier to the penetration of noise and cold air. This allows you to create a microclimate favorable for living indoors.
Additional advantages of facade plaster
If you still can’t decide whether to choose facade plaster for cladding a building, then additional advantages should be highlighted, namely, resistance to mechanical influences, ease of applying composition and a large selection of textures, as well as colors.
If desired, home owners can independently perform plastering work, thereby saving on expensive services of professionals. Having visited the store, you can choose from a wide range of various coatings, each of which differs not only in texture, but also in color. After carrying out work, the house outside (the photos of some finishing options we gave in the review) will look much more attractive. In addition, to get a better result, you can hire specialists.