Fiber cement panel for facades - features + installation instructions

Facade decoration is not only the hallmark of the house, but also the protection of its walls from moisture, cold and other unwanted influences. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to approach the choice of material as responsibly as possible. Want to get a beautiful and durable exterior wall finish without overpaying? Then the fiber cement panel for facades is your choice. Here you can find out what kind of material it is, how it is produced, what happens and how to work with it correctly.

Fiber cement panels - what it is, the advantages and technical characteristics of the material

Fiber cement panels are a finishing material of artificial origin, produced in the form of slabs or siding.

Consists of 85-90% cement and 10-15% mineral additives and fiber - cellulose or synthetic fibers. The last component of the material plays the role of a reinforcing component that imparts flexural strength to fiber cement panels. Outside, they have a weather-resistant coating that imitates brick or masonry. Also, the composition of fiber cement panels includes water repellents - additives that simultaneously protect the material from moisture absorption and allow it to "breathe", remove small particles of water outside and not dampen it.

Fiber cement slabs and siding were created at the beginning of the last century as an alternative to plaster.

The new material was supposed to surpass it in many performance characteristics and be easy to manufacture / install.

More details about the advantages of fiber cement panels can be found below.

1. Lightness. Cement-fiber composite slabs and siding is very lightweight. This feature of the material greatly simplifies transportation, carrying and installation.

   In addition, the total mass of finishing is less, respectively, the load on the load-bearing walls of the house is reduced.

2. Non-combustible. Fiber cement is not subject to fire and is an obstacle to the fire.
3. UV resistance of fiber cement panels - the material will not fade after many years in the sun and will not lose its original appearance.

   

   Building finished with EQUITONE fiber cement panel

4. High impact and flexural strength - these characteristics Fiber cement panels are largely due to the fact that the composition includes cellulose or synthetic fibers that play the role of a reinforcing grid.

5. Low hygroscopicity - due to water repellents, fiber cement plates do not absorb water either from the outside or from the inside. But at the same time, as already mentioned above, the material has satisfactory vapor permeability parameters and "breathes".
6. Durability - due to the three properties presented above, fiber cement slabs can serve as a facade finish from 25 to 50 years, depending on the conditions and manufacturer. For a material with a relatively low cost, this is a very good indicator.

   

   Decorating the house with fiber cement panels

7. Environmental friendliness - fiber cement boards do not contain components harmful to human.

   When working with the material, you can not be afraid of any fumes and other negative influences.

8. Frost resistance - fiber cement finish can withstand a large number of freeze-thaw cycles without loss of strength. This material is quite suitable for exterior decoration of houses in places with a harsh climate.
9. Good heat and sound insulation properties , especially when combined with mineral wool insulation.

   

   Ventilated facade of a cottage with cladding made of fiber cement panels

10. Ease of installation - working with fiber cement plates is an order of magnitude easier than with plaster.

    If you have a certain set of tools and a source of information, you can install such a finish yourself.

11. Possibility to carry out installation in conditions of negative temperatures - unlike plaster, it is possible to work with fiber cement plates even during cold weather.
12. Versatility - fiber cement siding and panels are presented in dozens of options that differ in their size, price and appearance. They imitate a variety of materials and are perfect for both a private home and an urban office building.

Note! A controversial point regarding fiber cement panels is that some of the builders and owners of country houses consider this material not too beautiful and inferior in appearance to plaster or natural stone.

Now let's look at the technical characteristics of cement and fiber finishes. The main parameters of the material are given in the table.

Table. Fiber cement panels for facades - technical characteristics.

When choosing fiber cement panels for the facade, make sure that they are made in accordance with the standards GOST 8747-88 or DIN EN 12467 .

GOST 8747-88. Asbestos-cement sheet products. Download file (click on the link to open the PDF file in a new window).

GOST 8747-88

Prices for popular fiber cement wall panels

Fiber cement panel for facades

How fiber cement panels are produced

Let's take a look at the example of LATONIT fiber cement panels with the technological process of production of this finishing material.

Step 1. Mix cement, sand, cellulose and other components of the finishing material together.

Step 2.

The resulting mixture enters the molding department and is rolled out to a still wet layer of a certain thickness.

Step 3. Cutting the length and width of raw rolled fiber cement into sheets certain sizes.

Step 4. The fiber cement sheets thus obtained are stacked.

Step 5. The laid slabs go to the press, where they are subjected to high pressure. Due to this, excess moisture leaves the fiber cement, the density and strength of the finishing material increases.

Step 6. The fiber plates that have passed the press are sent to the chamber for thermal and moisture treatment.

There, the material goes through an accelerated curing process.

Step 7. Next, the fiber cement slabs enter the autoclave - chamber with high pressure and temperature. There, the material significantly increases its strength characteristics.

Step 8.

Fully cured fiber cement boards go through sanding and painting ...

Important! Often, a rather complex coating is applied to the surface of fiber cement panels, imitating real stone or brickwork.

Step 9.

The manufacturing process of fiber cement slabs is completed by culling, packing and sending the material to the warehouse.

Varieties and main manufacturers of fiber cement panels

By their appearance, fiber cement panels can be divided into the following groups.

1. Panels imitating masonry. They are produced in a large number of variants - the size and shape of individual "stones", their color, texture, degree of detail, etc. differ.

2. Panels made to resemble brick. The main part is available in red and yellow, but there are other options.

   

   Samples of fiber cement panels stylized as stone, brick and plaster

3. Siding imitating painted wood.
4. Fiber cement slabs with external stone chips. They differ in color, the presence of inclusions of other shades and the size of the fraction.

   

   Fiber cement panels with a stone chip finish

5. Panels with a single color and plaster texture.
6. Panels with a solid color and smooth surface. Such products are most often used not for country cottages, but for offices and multi-storey urban housing.

Important! Some of the fiber cement panels are produced unpainted - this stage of finishing the facade must be done by the owner of the house himself. On the one hand, this will allow you to choose the color that you, for some reason, did not find in the manufacturer's catalog.

But at the same time, you will need to spend time and effort on applying paint. It is also worth noting that the cost of such unpainted fiber cement panels is 10-20% lower than the fully finished material.

The durability and appearance of fiber cement facade panels directly depend on who produced them and on what equipment, as well as with what care the manufacturer followed the technological processes. In total, eight manufacturers can be identified who are considered leaders in this area in the construction market in the CIS. You can familiarize yourself with them from the table below.

Table. Fiber cement facade panel - major manufacturers and brands.

Installation of facade panels with your own hands

Not every homeowner allows his financial state to improve the house with stone tiles or decorative bricks.

It's not only the cost of materials, but also the complexity and high cost of the installation. There are special facade panels for insulation and making the house more aesthetic. Read more here.

How to properly cut, drill and store fiber cement panels

Before proceeding with the installation of fiber cement panels on the facade of a building, we will consider some features of working with them - cutting , drilling and storage. Let's start with panel cutting, which may become necessary when working with corners, slopes and the space under the roof of the cottage.

Step 1. The cutting line of the fiber cement panel is marked. She herself is laid on a flat surface face down. A soft material is placed under the panel to protect it from scratches.

Step 2.

Prepare the cutting tool. It is best to use a circular saw for this. In this case, a product with a guide rail, automatic feed and dust extraction is used - with the help of these devices, a neat and fast cut of the fiber cement panel is achieved.The circular saw blade must be positioned so that at its lowest point it runs 5 mm below the sheet of finishing material.

Step 3.

The circular saw turns on and the cutting process begins. Its disc runs along the entire length of the fiber cement panel. Then the cut part of the fiber cement board is separated from the base sheet.

Prices for the popular range of circular saws

Circular saw

Step 4. Wipe the surface near the cut of the fiber cement panel to remove the dust formed during the cutting process with a dry cloth.

Drilling the fiber cement panels should not cause you any problems. The main thing is to comply with several conditions.

1. If possible, use only special drills with the appropriate sharpening angle.
2. Do not drill several panels at the same time - only one at a time.
3. Pre-markup is required.

4. The edges of the fiber cement panel must be spaced. They depend on the specific characteristics of each sheet and should be indicated in the instructions or description supplied with the material.
5. After completing the drilling process, the panel around the hole must be free of dust from both sides. For this, use a dry microfiber cloth.

There are engineering communications in every house, in some cases they go out not underground, but above it.

In such a situation, it becomes necessary to cut round holes in fiber cement panels. You can see the process in the photos below.

Fiber cement panels should be stored in a dry room and strictly in a horizontal position. It is undesirable to put plates on the ends - they will deform. It is imperative to put pallets or wooden blocks under the stacks of fiber cement panels.

Video - Installation of fiber cement siding Cedral

Installation of fiber cement panels - step-by-step instructions

Let's present a step-by-step instruction, which sequentially outlines the process of installing fiber cement panels on the facade of a house.

Step 1.

The installation of fiber cement panels begins with the preparation of the wall. It is cleaned from the remnants of old finishes, dust and dirt.If the house is made of bricks or foam blocks, they get rid of the excess cement mortar between them. Then, using the level and beacons, it is determined how flat the wall is, whether there are any defects on it that need to be considered in the future.

Step 2.

Marking is applied to the wall for the installation of brackets on which fasten the frame for finishing from fiber cement panels. The spacing between the brackets vertically and horizontally is selected based on the project and the material used.

Step 3. According to the marks made in the previous step, holes are made for anchor fasteners. Their depth is selected based on the wall material and the mass of fiber cement panels that will be used for finishing.

Prices for popular hammer drill models

Rotary hammers

Step 4. Brackets for the fiber cement frame are assembled, mounted on the wall with anchor bolts. Then the length of their working part is adjusted according to the plumb lines that were made in the first step. This parameter depends on the thickness of the intended insulation layer.

Step 5.

According to the principles described in the previous operation, all brackets are installed on wall.

Step 6. A layer of mineral wool is placed on the main wall. In this case, cuts are created in the material for the brackets. The fixation is carried out using disc dowels, driven over the entire surface of each individual mineral wool slab.

At the same time, the insulation is laid with overlapping vertical joints like brickwork. This is necessary to improve the thermal insulation properties of the layer and eliminate "cold bridges".

Step 7. The vertical profile of the frame is fixed to the brackets. Their final connection is made with rivets.

Step 8. The rest of the vertical profiles are installed in the same way. They are connected to each other using a busbar and rivets, as shown in the illustration below. It is necessary to leave a small gap between the abutting vertical profiles to compensate for the thermal expansion of the metal.

Step 9.

Drill holes in the fiber cement panels for fastening and install on the vertical profiles. Level the product horizontally using a spirit level.

Step 10. Fiber cement panels are fixed to the frame by screwing screws in the corners ..

.

Step 11. One screws for fixing fiber cement panels for the facade is not enough - it is necessary to supplement them with skids installed in the vertical profile. They are fitted to the corresponding panel details.

Step 12.

Another panel is attached to the side. Its fixation takes place according to the same principle - first self-tapping screws in the corners, then fitted skids. But at the same time, a small gap is maintained between adjacent panels, designed to compensate for the increase in facade decoration for one reason or another and to prevent its warping.

Step 13. Next, install the rest of the fiber cement panels for the facade.

There should also be some gap between them.

Step 14. The slopes are trimmed separately. There are two options here. In the first case, the slopes are closed with metal painted products, in the second - with pieces of fiber cement panels.

The joints at the corners are treated with a sealant.

After that, finishing with fiber cement panels of the facade of the house can be considered successfully completed.