Cladding with metal panels: subtleties of installation
All manufacturers of facade finishing materials, by and large, have one task. It consists in providing the exterior walls of the building with high aesthetics, strength and fire resistance of the cladding, and the convenience of its installation.
Many types of facade materials meet these criteria, but only metal cladding panels have such a valuable advantage as low weight. In this article we will tell how the walls are lined with metal panels, and in general, what types of them are used in the decoration of facades.
The content of the article
Features of metal facades
What is the popularity of metal facades?
After all, there are many options, for example, polymer panels, which are easier to mount and the price is cheaper. There are beautiful and durable fiber cement panels - although they are more expensive, in strength and fire resistance they are not inferior to metal, and even surpass it.
- And the thing is that the facing panel made of metal is the “golden mean”, the perfect combination of price and quality. There is only one drawback of such cladding - high thermal conductivity, therefore, such cladding does not hold.
- But if you consider that any types of panels are mounted on the frame, according to the system of ventilated facades, then such a requirement for cladding is not presented. For this, there are heat-insulating materials that are laid in the crate.
- The panel only provides a beautiful and durable shell structure. The thickness of the metal cladding may not exceed 0.5 mm, which means that its weight is negligible. For any building it is very important!
The lower the load on the foundation, the lower the cost of its construction. Maybe for a small building this is not so important, but for buildings with a large area of facades - it’s even relevant.
Types of panels
It should be noted that Facade cladding with metal panels almost always individual, and it looks more strictly and respectably than any other option. That is why metal panels are used mainly for the exterior decoration of administrative and office buildings, sports facilities, airports and train stations, shopping centers (see Decoration of shopping centers and repair of premises).
Siding
However, there are options that are great for low-rise construction - for example: siding.
In principle, this term can be called any panel, since the word “siding” itself means “facing”. But it just so happened that they apply it mainly to long-length panels, stylized as lumber.
- And yet, not so long ago there were panels, including metal, which were called "basement siding." They are distinguished by their small size and external design, imitating various types of brick and masonry.
- But, what is good for a private house is unacceptable for any office center. And the cost of basement siding is three to four times higher than the price of facade cassettes, which we will talk about.
- Now, let's talk about the design features of metal siding. Its fundamental difference from other types of panels is in the way of fastening the elements of the crate: both among themselves and to the crate.
- All siding panels, and not only metal ones, have a lock connection along the lower horizontal edge, and a mounting strip with slotted perforation along the upper edge. This also applies to long meters and modular panels. Therefore, their fastening is carried out similarly - there are only some nuances regarding the design of the crate, and end connections.
- The quality of the front finish of the facade siding (long) is in no way inferior to the panels that are used to decorate office buildings. It can be not only paintwork, but also polymer or powder coating. You can see the last option in the photo above.
Metal siding (see Facing the facade with metal siding will make building protection reliable) used only in low-rise construction for the simple reason that working at height with a long meter is inconvenient, and it takes too much time for such a facing. And time, as you know, is money.
Cassette panels
In the decoration of public and industrial buildings, mainly cassette-type panels are used. There are two types of such cladding - facade cassettes and linear panels. With their help, you can clad a facade of any architectural complexity, and at the same time it will retain its original appearance for a decade.
So:
- Facade metal cassettes replaced porcelain stoneware: a beautiful, but very heavy material. These are volume panels made of sheet aluminum or galvanized steel with powder or polymer spraying. The front cassette has curved edges, can be manufactured both in the factory and directly at the facility.
- By the way, for the manufacture of metal cassettes in a construction site, it is often not galvanized steel that is used, but rather Alyukobond-type composite sheet material. In order to make a cassette, you must have the appropriate equipment, and even such a small thing as the skill of working on it.
- So, just an instruction on the topic of how to cut milling and bending metal will not help here - this needs to be learned. The manufacture of facade cassettes at the facilities is carried out by specialized teams with highly qualified specialists. This gives more room for imagination, the ability to combine panels in shape or color.
- Well, for those who want to coat their own store, for example, with their own hands, you can just buy ready-made tapes or make them to order. The configuration and dimensions of the cassette panels can be very different. Limitations, of course, also exist, and they are due to both the size of the workpiece and the capabilities of the equipment used for this purpose.
- It is clear that there are always more opportunities in the factory floor. Linear panels are made only in the factory, and in principle, they are similar to metal cassettes. The difference is that the cassette is often square, and the linear panel has an elongated rectangular shape - this refers to the main, but not additional elements.
In addition to steel and aluminum, copper is also used in their production, although this greatly affects the cost of lining. If the surface of metal cassettes is always smooth, then linear panels can be perforated, rusted, or have any geometric relief, open or closed ends. How harmoniously the facing with linear panels looks, you can see in the example above.
Metal Panel Mounting Technology
In principle, all types of frame materials have similar mounting technologies. The difference is only in the size of the step of the crate, which is due to the dimensions of the panel, and in the methods of fastening the cladding elements, which can be both hidden and visible.
So:
- The ventilated facade, in which cassette panels are used as decorative material, is always insulated, since this type of cladding has a high level of thermal conductivity - it heats up very much in summer and does not retain heat in winter.
- As for the frame, its strength should not be less than the strength of the lining. Therefore, it makes no sense to install metal panels on a bar. For the arrangement of the substructure, an aluminum or stainless steel profile is used. But first things first.
Layout and installation of the frame
As usual, it all starts with the marking of the starting line and the mounting points of the brackets. Marking is carried out using measuring, and if the building is large, then geodetic instruments.
First note the mounting points of the brackets:
- Having departed from the angle by a distance equal to the size of the corner element, marks are placed with a vertical step corresponding to the width of the heat-insulating board. Horizontal, the step is usually 40-50 cm. Holes are drilled immediately at these marks, and, having installed a gasket from paronite, the brackets are fixed with anchors.
- Bearing elements of the main frame is a U-shaped profile of PS. It is mounted horizontally, and is fixed to the bracket by the shelf. Fastening is done with self-tapping screws with a press washer. By the way, the length of the bracket is selected taking into account the thickness of the insulation.
- For the insulation of walls using various types of heat-insulating boards, often mineral wool. The insulation is mounted on a wall that has been cleaned and insulated from moisture, and is fixed with dish-shaped dowels. Their number is calculated based on the norm: 5 pieces per 1 m2 of wall.
- A roll membrane is mounted on top of the insulation lap, which is also a vapor barrier and a wind barrier. It is not glued to thermal insulation, but simply attached to the crate with screws.
- After the "filling" of the structure is ready, proceed with the installation of the remote crate. Now the belts will be installed vertically, and for this you need an omega profile. Its shelves have a characteristic limb, with the help of which the profile will be mounted to the lower crate.
- Now the pitch of the frame elements should correspond to the size of the panels. Now in turn is the base ebb and the initial level. Installation of metal panels is from bottom to top. There is a protective film on the panel - before installation, it bends only at the ends, and is removed after all the elements adjacent to it are installed.
- The bottom of the cassette is latched onto the starting bar, and the top is fixed with screws to the crate. The second row of panels hooks onto the top of the previous panel, and is also fastened with screws on the upper edge. Very similar to siding, only here, in each row, sloping frames are still installed.
- Some manufacturers provide for the installation of decorative strips that perform the function of a joint stitching element. They can be installed in horizontal and vertical joints, as well as in external corner zones. They are fastened with screws, to the crate.
Some types of panels are not mounted with lock joints, but with decorative screws. In any case, accessories, fasteners, brackets, as well as a profile, coupled with the panel mounting scheme, a self-respecting manufacturer offers in the kit.
And how to install it correctly, you will learn by watching the video in this article.
