Basement siding "brick": choosing a material for cladding

Plinth siding panels, made for brickwork, are conveniently mounted on the surface due to the correctly selected production format. In addition, this material can be applied to a wall already finished with another material. At the same time, the requirements for the quality of the working surface do not have strict criteria, as when finishing with other materials.

Facade siding imitating brick is made using polymer casting technology. Raw materials for its manufacture are optimally matched to the operational features faced by facade finishing materials. Brick-like panels are a relatively new material, produced according to modern technologies on the latest equipment in accordance with European quality standards, which ensures a long service life and high resistance of products to various negative influences.

When choosing a finishing material, it is important to consider the benefits of this or that type of finishing materials.

Brick-like plinth panels have many positive qualities.

• Weight of finishing. The light weight of the basement siding increases the load on the building foundation much less than the brick finish.
• Simple installation. The money and time spent on siding installation work is several times less than similar work using stone or brick.

• Weak contamination of the site. Installation of panels is carried out with minimal pollution of the surrounding space, in contrast to masonry work using cement mortar, accompanied by high dust content and small debris.
• Long service life. Modern production technologies provide a guaranteed service life of panels up to 50 years.
• Ease of handling. Siding is easy to clean and wash, does not require special maintenance conditions.

• Wide range of. Unlike analog materials, siding can imitate almost any texture and at the same time be of the desired color, a pleasant appearance remains throughout the entire period of operation.
• Economic affordability. The panels are cheaper than analogue facing bricks, their visual appearance is almost identical.

• Maintaining air exchange of the wall. When carrying out installation work according to the established factory method, the finishing material will not interfere with the normal air exchange of the wall. This will affect both the pleasant "non-stifling" atmosphere inside the house, and the absence of dampening of structures, contributing to their destruction.
• Additional insulation. The frame on which the siding is attached allows you to place heat-insulating materials inside itself, for example, polymer wool, without the need for additional work on the installation and finishing of the insulation.

But also brick basement panels have their weaknesses, these include:

• PVC is a rather specific material, working with which it is necessary to take into account its ability to compress and expand under the influence of a decrease and increase in temperature, otherwise the facade finish will not last long;
• some properties are weaker than those of analog materials: brick and stone, for example, strength or durability;
• externally, the plates imitate brick well, but if you look closely at a close distance, it becomes clear that this is siding.

From an operational point of view, brick-like basement siding has the following properties:

• resistant to drops, maximum and minimum temperatures;
• the siding is not porous, which determines its high moisture resistance, as a result of which the material does not damp and does not collapse;
• another consequence of moisture resistance is the absence of fungal mold on the surface of the plates;

• universal in use, can be used in combination with other materials for finishing the base;
• high resistance to aggressive natural phenomena: snow, hurricane wind and others;
• the color of the product does not fade or fade, maintaining a pleasant appearance throughout the entire period of operation;
• strong and durable, does not delaminate, does not crack in any operating conditions.

Graduation of basement siding occurs according to the main component of production.

The main component is PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the products are distinguished by a variety of sizes and textures that very accurately imitate facing brick masonry. When decorating the basement of a house with this material, it is necessary to take into account the property of vinyl to linear expansion, which should be reflected in the correct placement of the panels during installation. Otherwise, when the temperature drops, adjacent products deform each other.

Other material features include:

• low weight provides an easy and simple process of assembling products;

• products can be easily adjusted to size by cutting;
• high resistance to deformation processes;
• high thermal insulation performance;
• powerful waterproofing properties;
• not subject to the destructive effects of ultraviolet and infrared radiation from the sun;
• resistance to drops, upper and lower temperature limits.

The main material is one of the metals suitable for these tasks: galvanized iron, steel, aluminum. Each option has specific advantages and disadvantages.

The features of aluminum include:

• the lightness of the structures, respectively, facilitates the very process of installation work, and less material is needed to fix it;
• does not corrode;
• less resistant to mechanical stress;
• easy to paint.

Steel siding panels are characterized by:

• high strength;
• susceptibility to corrosive processes;
• the relatively large weight of the material complicates the installation of the panels.

Galvanized iron panels for brickwork:

• does not lend itself to corrosion;
• relatively heavy, about 2.5 times heavier than aluminum, somewhat lighter than steel;
• relatively durable.

For the manufacture of panels, a cement mortar with cellulose fibers, reinforced with synthetic additives, is used. Fiber cement siding is obtained by pressing the mixture. Before installation, the work surface must be carefully prepared, otherwise the panels will not last long on the wall.

The characteristic properties of cement siding are:

• strength;
• frost resistance;
• resistance to weather and sunlight;
• durability.

When choosing a material that imitates a brick for finishing a basement, it is worth considering some factors, including those that strongly affect the price of products.

The main part of the cost of finishing panels is formed by the raw materials used. For foreign counterparts: European or American, standardized raw materials are used for production, which have passed certification and many checks, respectively, the price of such products is much higher.

Also, imported products after production must be transported over long distances, which ultimately leaves its mark on the price.

It is better to buy branded goods from an authorized dealer of the trademark - their price will be the lowest, and there is no risk of buying low-quality products without a guarantee. Give preference to better-known brands that are manufactured in factories rather than handicraft workshops.

The main indicator of the properties of the basement panels is their composition., it is he who determines the operational properties of products, if a domestic manufacturer uses good raw materials, the quality of such panels will be slightly inferior to imported ones.

Although the material is relatively new, there is a fairly wide range of products on the market, the following manufacturers produce high-quality brick-like siding panels.

• "Dolomite". Produces panels with imitation stone in three main lines: "monotonous stone", "stained stone" and "exclusive". The size of the manufactured products is 30 cm x 22 cm with a thickness of 1.6 mm and a specific gravity of 1.8 kg.

• Docke. The manufacturer offers panels that imitate brick, stone and layered sandstone masonry. High quality at an affordable price has made this brand very popular.
• "Alta profile". Russian manufacturer of siding panels. The range of the company includes products with the texture of brick, layered stone and canyon.
• FineBer. Also a domestic manufacturer from Novosibirsk, which offers siding panels that imitate facing bricks, made in red and yellow.

After choosing a brand of basement siding that meets all the criteria, you need to calculate the amount of material that will be needed to clad the house.

To do this, you need to do the following. The area to be trimmed is calculated by multiplying the length and width of the plinth.

Installation costs increase with the length of the surface to be trimmed., the same rule applies to facade plates, the longer they are, the greater the allowance for fitting. The profile and slats from which the frame is constructed do not have such problems, although they should be bought not end-to-end.

For information on how to disassemble the siding so as not to disassemble the entire wall, see the next video.