Exterior facade: material selection

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

How to decorate the house

The construction of a house is not only in the main works on the construction of the foundation, walls and roof. A high-quality exterior and interior decoration is also needed.
At the moment there is a very large selection of finishing materials, which are quite widely used for these purposes.

What a house is built of

Inner and exterior decoration of the house to a greater extent depends on the type of building material and its technical characteristics.
In the construction of the house today is used:

• Brick.
• Wood.
• Aerated concrete.
• Foam concrete.
• Shellfish.

Characteristics of materials:

• Brick is a fairly strong and durable building material that does not deform under the influence of moisture and various temperature extremes. It is also worth considering that it is very cold and its decoration along with insulation must be carried out necessarily.
• Wood is also a practical material, but it is considered rather “moody”. You can not do without the exterior decoration of such a structure.
  Such actions can not only warm the house, but also increase its service life.
• Aerated concrete, foam concrete - cellular concrete. Such material has small pores that absorb moisture quite easily and it is not recommended to leave buildings without finishing work for a long period of time.
  All this will reduce the strength and reliability of concrete.
• Shell rock, like wood, is an environmentally friendly building material. It also requires high-quality finish due to its not too attractive appearance.
  It also has pores (holes) that are able to absorb moisture.

For reference. It is worth noting that these properties of shellfish do not affect its technical characteristics, in contrast to aerated concrete and foam concrete.

Materials used for exterior decoration of the house

Types of materials for exterior decoration

Today there is everything for the exterior decoration of buildings. The photo shows examples of facades in the decoration of which more than one material is used.
Very often, moisture-resistant materials are used in the works, which are not able to deform under the influence of weather and climatic phenomena:

• A natural stone.
• Decorative rock.
• Brick.
• Siding.
• Plastic.
• Wood.

Each material is distinguished by its technical characteristics.

Facade natural stone

Facade decoration with natural stone

Outdoor facade decoration with the use of natural stone looks very original. Natural stone is distinguished by its strength and durability.
It is moisture resistant and is not able to absorb a variety of contaminants. It is very practical and most often used to decorate the facades at the bottom.
The stone has a wide variety of sizes and colors.

Tip. It is worth considering that natural stone is quite heavy and it is for this reason that it must be installed using additional structures.

Installation of natural stone

In order to carry out the installation of natural stone you will need:

• Concrete mortar.
• Level.
• Adhesive solution.
• Building grid.
• Reinforcing mesh.

Stages:

• A concrete solution is applied to the surface, which is prepared from water, sand, cement. You can add more adhesive to it, to increase the strength of the stone on the surface.
• A building mesh is mounted on this solution. After this, another layer of concrete is applied and a reinforcing mesh is attached to it.
  Then again a layer of concrete mortar, which is level. Natural stones are mounted on it.
  The whole process of work is simple and you can do it yourself.

Tip. Such a finishing material is often used in combination with plaster. You can apply it on any surface from any building material.

Exterior decorative stone

Exterior decoration with decorative stone

Exterior decoration using decorative stone is quite practical. This material in its appearance resembles natural stone, as it has different imitations, the sizes are also different.
Material Specifications:

• It is moisture resistant and durable.
• It is not able to be exposed to weather events and can withstand temperature extremes.
• It is worth noting that the price of it differs from the cost of natural stone, which makes the material more affordable.
• Weight is also different, it is much lighter.
• Decorative stone is very light and its installation is very simple.

Such material, as well as natural stone, serves as a decorative decoration of corners and the lower part building facade.

Mounting decorative stone

For its installation you will need:

• Concrete or adhesive mortar.
• Level (if the stone has straight shapes).
• Stucco (if necessary).
• Spatula (small and large).

Tip. You can only mount decorative stone on a flat surface so as not to violate the integrity of the finish.

Stages:

• The surface is initially leveled and a layer of concrete or adhesive mortar is applied to it.
• In such a process, it will not be necessary to use an additional reinforcing mesh, unlike natural stone.
• A stone is already mounted on the solution itself.
• If it has direct forms, then it is best to use a level according to which each element of decoration is set for a quality finish.

Tip. Decorative stone can be used just like natural to decorate corners and the lower part of the building's facade. It is used with plastered walls.

Facade brick

Brick is not only a durable building material, but also a finishing one. To do this, it’s not an ordinary look, but silicate brick, which is currently produced in red and white.
Material Specifications:

• Very often, when it is masonry, a decorative seam is used. For this, a special coloring agent is added to the concrete solution.
• In most cases, the exterior finish of buildings with bricks is used for buildings of foam concrete, aerated concrete, shell rock.
• Brick is a durable and practical material.
• It does not deform due to temperature changes and is not able to absorb moisture.

Brick installation

In order for the exterior decoration of the building with brick to be of high quality, you will need:

• Concrete mortar.
• Concrete mixer or mixing tank.
• Spatula.
• Level.
• Fittings.

The fittings are pre-mounted on the main walls of the building using metal plates. It is necessary in order to connect the external finish with the wall of the building.
After this is carried out brick finish in the chosen way.

Tip. Putting a brick is necessary so that the bars of the reinforcement fall between the bricks and are fixed with concrete mortar.

Exterior siding and plastic

Exterior Siding

These two finishing materials are very similar in their technical characteristics:

• They are moisture resistant and able to withstand significant temperature extremes.
• It does not fade under the influence of direct sunlight, which makes it possible to preserve the initial appearance of the building decoration for a long period of time.
• The practicality of plastic and siding is due to their universal use.
• They can be used both in external and internal works.
• Finishing can be done for the building of any material.

Tip. Before installing plastic or siding, do not level the surface.

Installation of siding and plastic

To carry out the installation of these finishing materials there is a special instruction, according to which a frame of wooden boards and bars is mounted on the surface.
For installation you will need:

• Wooden boards and bars, sticks.
• Wood screws.
• Screwdriver.
• Level.
• Starting strips for installation of material.
• Construction stapler.
• Sealant.

Installation steps:

• A wooden frame is made directly from wooden boards.
• Starting strips are mounted on it for mounting a side wall or plastic.
• The evenness of the entire finish will depend on them. The material is attached to the frame using self-tapping screws.

Tip. You can use a construction stapler for these purposes, whose brackets do not occupy much space in the strips, in contrast to self-tapping screws.

• The material has special grooves, which will serve as a fastener for the strips. To increase the tightness, all joints of the material are treated with a sealant.

There are also external and internal corners, which are mounted at the end of the finishing work using plastic and siding. They can be mounted using liquid nails. The video shows an example siding.

Insulation work

Facade insulation works

Exterior decoration of a residential building begins with the implementation of insulation work, which can be done at the time of decoration or separately. In this case, it all depends on the material that is used.

Materials that are used in insulation work

Today, building insulation is not particularly difficult.
To do this, use:

• Solid minerals.
• Styrofoam.
• Polyurethane foam.
• Mineral wool and so on.

But, as a rule, the insulation material should be well protected.
For this you need:

• Drywall.
• Sheets of plywood.
• OSB sheets.

Material Specifications:

• Drywall can be used both for leveling the surface and for insulation. The finishing process and insulation work using the material are carried out simultaneously (the insulation is inserted into the cells of the metal frame and closed with sheets of drywall).
  There is a moisture resistant type of material, but to leave without additional protection for a long time is not recommended.
• Sheets of plywood or OSB finish on the outside and insulation work also begin with the manufacture of the frame, but only wooden. In it, by analogy with wall insulation using drywall, a heater is inserted into the cells, and then sheets of material are mounted.

Tip. Such material is made of wood and that is why it is worth taking care of its decoration initially.

Exterior decoration of any structure is carried out depending on the building material of the structure itself. At the moment, any finishing material is practical and quite easy to use.
With their help, a unique and original design of the facade of any building is created.