Wall sandwich panels: a choice of exterior finishes for a private house

Such a popular finishing material as sandwich panels is used everywhere in the modern world, from the decoration of a private house to the cladding of the facades of public premises. They are also used to create enclosing structures, collapsible structures, all kinds of external partitions, shopping centers, industrial buildings and many other objects.

As you might guess from the very name of this decorative material, it is a multi-layer structure, with each layer carrying a certain functional load. Wall sandwich panels include outer and inner protective layers, as well as insulation and a vapor barrier layer to keep the panels from condensation.

The layers in the sandwich panels are securely fixed with special glue and pressing. They have at least three layers, with a hard material being used as the latter, so that the facade cladding is resistant to all kinds of external influences and precipitation. Standard dimensions of facade sandwich panels are 300 cm in length and 115 cm in width, while the thickness can vary from 10 to 32 cm.

Additional fasteners are usually included with the material, for example, strip strips, ebbs, self-tapping screws, corners, as well as ridge and pediment strips.

Like any finishing material, sandwich panels have their advantages and disadvantages, so it is worthwhile to study the instructions in detail, use the advice of the masters and read reviews on the Internet before starting to decorate the house. Among the pluses it is worth noting the following:

• ease of installation and minimum terms for facing the house;
• safety for human health and environmental friendliness of panels;
• excellent sound insulation and thermal insulation characteristics;
• light weight, thanks to which it will be possible to additionally save on the foundation;
• there is no need to use special lifting equipment for this building material;

• attractive appearance and a wide variety of textures and shades;
• resists moisture, condensation and, accordingly, protects the house from mold;
• affordable cost in relation to other building materials;
• durability and long service life;
• the possibility of facing the house with panels at any time of the year and at any air temperature.

And from the disadvantages of this facing material, it is worth highlighting such as:

• inability to carry additional load. Snow that has accumulated excessively over the winter can harm such a cladding of the house;
• be sure to additionally use insulation at the joints so that they do not freeze in the cold season;
• the fire safety of some sandwich panels is poor. This is especially true for styrofoam and polyurethane foam options.

The most popular material for cladding sandwich panels is metal. Such panels in their texture can be smooth or corrugated. These are, as a rule, galvanized sheets with a thickness of 0.7–1.2 mm.

The advantage of this material is resistance to corrosion, moisture and fungus.Such a panel is durable, it is not afraid of external influences, precipitation and temperature drops. In addition, metal sandwich panels have anti-vandal properties and do not collapse from impact and damage, this option is able to withstand heavy loads and is inferior in this indicator only to brickwork and concrete. The only drawback is that it is quite heavy, so you need a reliable frame.

Aluminum sandwich panels are lighter, but more expensive. The anti-vandal characteristics of aluminum are slightly lower than those of ordinary metal, but it perfectly withstands the effects of precipitation, as well as temperature extremes. As a rule, with the help of such structures, industrial, public and commercial premises are finished.

Wood-polymer sandwich panels, as a rule, are used for finishing residential frame houses. The main advantage of such material is environmental friendliness and safety for health. It does not emit harmful substances and is quite suitable for arranging the walls of a country house or cottage. And the low weight of the structure will allow you to get by with the simplest foundation.

And also there are sandwich panels with cladding made of other materials, namely:

• aluzinc (half is aluminum, the rest is zinc and silicon), which has high anti-corrosion characteristics;
• plastic and environmentally friendly drywall;
• plastisol made of polyvinyl chloride and plasticizers;
• purala on a polyurethane base;
• polyester and PVC, which are suitable for all climatic zones.

Under the outer layer of a sandwich panel, there is usually a heat-insulating material, which is especially important in the harsh Russian climate. The most common insulation materials include mineral wool, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene. The advantages of mineral wool are an affordable price, fire safety and increased service life.

Polyurethane foam is resistant to moisture, so you can forget about the problem of condensation, mildew and mold on the walls. This is especially true for the northern regions of our country, where there is a lot of precipitation at any time of the year. In addition, polyurethane foam is a durable and rigid material, therefore it will actually act as an additional frame for facade panels, significantly increasing their service life and resistance to mechanical damage.

And expanded polystyrene or, in a simple way, expanded polystyrene is a very light material, so it will have minimal effect on the supporting structures. Its only drawback is flammability.

The process of installing sandwich panels for external cladding of building facades includes several stages.

• Before finishing the facade with sandwich panels, it is worth removing dirt and old plaster from the walls. All parts that interfere with and fasteners are also removed. Thus, the walls should be a perfectly flat surface.
• Sandwich panels are installed outside on a wooden or metal crate. If the length of the panels does not exceed 6 meters, then horizontal profiles are used to further increase the stiffness of the wall.
• The fixing of the first row of panels is carried out with the lower groove. With the help of special marks, it will be possible to accurately verify the location of the coverage. You should be extremely careful when marking, because the success of all work depends on the installation of the first row.

• On the wall, the panels are fixed with self-tapping screws, and for the three-layer version, screws can be used.
• To close the joint elements, masters recommend using special linings and silicone sealant.
• If necessary, a heater is fixed between the panels.
• To protect the surface of the house from the formation of condensation and moisture, waterproofing is installed under the sandwich panel.

To make the cladding of the house correctly, you should not disdain the services of professionals. This applies not only to which craftsmen will be hired to work. It is worth pre-ordering a project and a competent layout of sandwich panels from specialists. It will allow you to imagine the location and combination of panels of different textures, shapes and shades on the facade of the house even before installation. The presence of preliminary drawings with a layout will significantly speed up and simplify the installation process.

The rates for such a service are about 20 rubles / m². For large-scale objects with an area of ​​more than 100 m², such a service is usually provided free of charge (subject to ordering the installation of panels in this company).

For information on how to properly install wall sandwich panels, see the next video.