Vinyl siding "block house": features and benefits

Classic wooden houses have always been a priority for developers. Their appearance speaks for itself. They are comfortable and cozy. Many people dream of having a wooden country house, but it is not that easy. In order to build it, you need to overcome a number of difficulties, ranging from the choice of a log house and ending with external finishing.

Vinyl siding can be called one of the classic types of exterior finishes. But it is so widespread that by using it, you deprive your home of its individual style. Siding manufacturers have decided to keep up with the times and have developed a completely new model of cladding panels.

Block house is a wall lamella made of polyvinyl chloride, in shape imitating the appearance of a log or a wooden bar.

They are produced by coextrusion - forcing molten materials through an extruder. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that two dissimilar substances are used. At the end of the process, a profile is obtained that has several properties. It consists of two layers. The first layer occupies about 80% of the entire product, the second plays the role of a decorative element. The inner layer carries workloads and is responsible for the geometry of the profile.

The acrylic component gives the surface resistance, protects against external environmental influences, and also gives color to the product. The choice of color can be corrected by adding a different amount of dye.

The thickness of the product is 1.1 mm. In the manufacture of siding, vinyl powder is used, so the coating has a uniform structure and the same color over the entire surface.

• It is characterized by a high level of material resistance to external influences with the application of force. It is resistant to applied shock loading.
• The PVC compound has several advantages. It does not decompose, does not rot, does not corrode. Most importantly, it is environmentally friendly. The acrylic surface excludes the appearance of microorganisms on the surface. Mice and rats will not damage the coating.
• The co-extrusion mix contains fire-fighting additives. They reduce smoke production in the event of fire.
• The operating temperature range of siding is from -50 ° С to + 50 ° С. That is, in our climatic conditions, it can be used everywhere.
• The siding is resistant to ultraviolet radiation, the color remains the same as the manufacturer intended. He is not afraid of precipitation. With minimal maintenance, such a coating will last more than half a century.

• The weight of the finished product is relatively small, so it has no effect on the load on the base of the house and on the walls. The installation uses common tools, so there is no need to hire specialized workers, which can lead to additional costs. A small team of builders is enough to do the job quickly and efficiently.
• The siding type is great for ventilated facade systems. In addition, the walls can be additionally insulated and soundproofed. The design of the system allows this. This means that the house will become even better and it will keep warm.
• Last but not least, the plastic block house masks wall defects. If there is a difference in degrees or the slope is incorrectly withdrawn and it is impossible to fix this, siding will come to the rescue.

For all its advantages, the material has several disadvantages. For example, it does not burn, but melts near an open flame. Vinyl block house does not provide additional insulation of the facade.

There are block houses of different types and sizes.

Standard lamellas, resembling one wooden log in appearance:

• width - 180 mm;
• width - 250 mm.

They are suitable for outdoor use.

Lamels, similar to two double logs:

• width - 120 mm;
• width - 150 mm.

Indoor use is already allowed here. The length varies from 3 to 3.81 meters.

As a rule, these are natural shades. But modern technologies allow you to change the usual shade of wood and colors such as bleached oak or bronze walnut appear.

The siding lamellas are assembled one by one and snapped into place. Therefore, their installation is quite simple. To attach the canvas to the crate, additional strips are required, in which mounting holes are provided.

Without fail, the siding manufacturer has a line of additional components. For example, wind bars, outer and inner corners, starting profiles, hanging rails, finishing, window. They come in the same color as the siding. Their length corresponds to the length of the panel.

The same installation guidelines can be applied to vinyl block house siding as to conventional siding. Before work, you need to read the installation instructions.

First of all, you need to prepare the walls and other surfaces. To do this, a crate is attached to them. It can be made of wood or metal. The elements are fastened with a pitch of 400 mm. Thanks to the lathing, you can additionally lay insulation and increase the thermal insulation of the structure. The structure of the lathing allows you to make a gap between the wall and the fasteners, which means that it will be ventilated and condensation will be eliminated.

It is advisable to adhere to certain installation steps. Start and finish bars are fixed first. Then the corners are placed on the windows and doors, the inner and outer corners are fixed. An interconnecting strip may be required to join the panels together. The set of lamellas goes from bottom to top.

Any material, due to temperature differences, is subject to varying degrees of deformation or expansion. The fixed canvas should not be completely motionless. Fasteners do not need to be tightened to the stop, experts recommend not tightening them one turn. If nails are used, the distance between the head and the base should be about 1 mm.

The side gaps should be left with about 5mm of space for natural expansion and contraction of the material. In winter, the distance should be increased to 1 cm.

Hammer in nails and screw in screws perpendicular to the base and use only galvanized or anodized fasteners.

The initial panel snaps to the starting profile, the next panels are attached to the first one and so on incrementally.

At the finish, decorative corners and wind strips are installed.

• hammer, hacksaw, tape measure, level;
• electric saw;
• scissors for metal;
• punch for mounting holes;
• notch punch;
• tool for dismantling panels.

If you want your home to be mistaken for a natural wood home from afar, follow some rules:

• You need to carefully analyze the market, read information about manufacturers, see samples of the best.The color palette of the companies is quite different, and to make the finish pleasing to the eye, pay more attention to the choice.
• Always pay attention to appearance. The panels should have a uniform color, streaks or other shades other than the one stated are absolutely not allowed. The surface of the siding should repeat the wood texture. The better it is done, the more natural the finish will look.
• Mounting holes must be neat. They resemble an oval in shape. This is a special technical solution so that the coating is not static.
• Experienced builders are advised to choose well-known companies that have been on the market for more than one year.

Whoever comes across complex construction for the first time understands how costly it is. Buyers are always concerned with the issue of price. But this approach is fundamentally wrong. You need to think about quality and performance. A substandard block house can ruin the look of your home. The front and back sides of the lamella must be of the same shade. If this is not the case, then you have a low-quality sample.

The price of the material ranges from 200 to 900 rubles per 1 m2. To this price must be added the cost of the work. This is an average of about 300 rubles.

The following factors influence the price:

• quality of performance;
• complex installation;
• seasonality;
• workload.

Its shape follows the shape of wooden logs and this is its main advantage. It replaces the impersonal standard siding panels and gives the home a more aesthetic appearance.

Its main purpose:

• improves the external perception of the appearance of the house;
• masks wall defects without much effort;
• prevents the ingress of atmospheric precipitation and moisture from the outside;
• with its help, the house is insulated - insulation is laid under the siding.

Without much effort, you get a modern, insulated, beautiful home. And the variety of colors will favorably distinguish it from the background of standard finishes. Such finishing material has only positive reviews.

See the video below for the installation of block house vinyl siding.