There are a large number of materials for cladding the facades of buildings. Along with natural raw materials, synthetic products are widely used, which have shown themselves on the positive side during operation. These materials include vinyl siding, which is available on the market in a wide variety.
Types, types and colors
Polymer products are used everywhere today, in almost every area of human activity you can find plastic products, objects or structures. The construction industry was no exception. Polymeric materials are also present in this area, among which it is worth highlighting vinyl siding used for exterior work when cladding buildings.
It is plastic panels that have become the leaders in popularity among finishing materials for facades. Such panels are used to decorate low-rise buildings, garage structures, utility buildings, baths, as well as public structures - trade booths, office buildings, gas stations.
PVC products are remarkable for their appearance. There are varieties of siding that mimic natural materials such as wood or natural stone.
In addition, elements made of polyvinyl chloride do not rot, do not burn, and also provide a high level of protection from external factors, they are quite simple to install and are durable.
The main purpose of vinyl siding is to clad the foundations of houses.
Considering the area of use, plastic elements can be divided into three main groups:
Soffit - similar products are used for horizontal finishing. Quite often, such material is used for roof sheathing. There are several subspecies of polymer raw materials: perforated siding, solid and panels with perforation in the center. The perforations on the elements provide additional ventilation of the bases
Base / plinth panels - they are small-sized products, a notable feature of which is their increased strength. A similar property of the material is achieved due to the thickness of the siding, which is twice the usual values, usually this parameter for the strips is about 4 mm
The strength of the products provides them with resistance to possible mechanical influences that are possible during the operation of the building. However, this does not affect the mass of the panels, so there is no need for additional reinforcement of the foundation of the structure.
Wall siding - this group of products is used for cladding vertical bases. Elements are smooth, embossed, or repeating the texture of natural materials
On sale you can find several varieties of vinyl siding profiles:
- ship board, a distinctive feature of which is the presence of two bends;
- "Herringbone" - similar elements have one bend;
- double and triple herringbone - which differ from each other in the number of bends;
- block house - the elements of such products resemble log trim.
Based on the shape of vinyl products, there are three types of products on the market:
- elements consisting of one rail are marked with the letter S;
- panels consisting of two strips, they are designated with the letter D;
- triple siding, which manufacturers mark with the letter T.
PVC panels, which are offered to the consumer by domestic and foreign manufacturers, are presented in a wide range of colors, due to which it will be quite easy to choose the required shade of products for cladding.
Focusing on color design, products can be divided into the following categories:
- white panels;
- colored siding;
- products of pastel shades.
The last group of products is the most popular. The demand for such a color range is due to the possibility of a harmonious combination of such solutions with other materials and shades, in addition, elements of pastel colors have a lower cost in comparison with panels of bright colors.
The high cost of products in saturated shades is explained by the presence of coloring additives in the composition, which cost quite a lot. But the use of expensive components for painting directly affects the durability of such panels - they acquire excellent resistance to the influence of ultraviolet radiation, due to which they do not lose their original shade for a long time.
Characteristics and requirements
The main advantages of polymer siding used for external finishing of buildings is its resistance to environmental and atmospheric influences, in addition, in comparison with natural wood, PVC panels do not suffer from insects, the formation and development of various microorganisms on the elements is excluded.
The small weight of the plastic structure also plays an important role in choosing this particular material for finishing the house, since there is no need to use special construction equipment to install the panels.
As practice shows, cladding with vinyl siding will be productively used for at least 50 years, and the presence of a huge number of connecting parts for products will allow installation in the shortest possible time.
Taking into account the technical characteristics of the material, it is worth highlighting a number of basic elements that make up the product:
- Polyvinyl chloride. The products contain about 80% of it; the level of quality of the finished product will depend on this substance. It should be noted that there is siding on sale, which can attract a buyer at a low cost in comparison with counterparts from other manufacturers. Its low price is due to the use of secondary raw materials in the production process of products, which negatively affects the performance of the cladding in the future.
- Calcium carbonate - this component is present in the composition of the lower layer of products, in percentage terms its presence is about 15%. The main function of an ingredient is to fill the structure of the panel.
- Titanium dioxide - as for this substance, it is included in the composition of the top layer of siding, its share in the material is 10%. It is necessary for maintaining the color of the material, as well as for the stability of the product structure. Thanks to this component, polymer products acquire resistance to UV radiation.
- Modifiers, which are responsible for the resistance of the material to mechanical stress. The price of products directly depends on the number and proportions of certain modifiers.
- Coloring pigments - due to these substances, the required color of the product is set. When purchasing products, you should pay attention to the fact that depending on the production series, the color of the products may differ slightly.
- Lubricating components - they are not included in the composition of the raw material, but they are used to ensure the sliding of the material during the manufacturing process, in addition, the smoothness of the finished panel depends on them.
Vinyl panels are produced by extrusion. This process involves pushing the entire composition through the profiling hole, due to which it takes the form of a tape. After carrying out this procedure, the material is cut into products of the required length, and a working profile is assigned to the segments.
In modern production of products, two extrusion methods are relevant:
Monoextrusion - as a result of this manufacturing method, products are released, where all available additives are distributed evenly over the sheet, without taking into account the outer and inner layers
Co-extrusion - makes it possible to produce products where the quality of the material on the outside and inside will be different. This feature is very relevant for raw materials, since the upper part during operation is more susceptible to the influence of external factors, therefore, it is important to increase its resistance. Inexpensive co-extruded siding can be distinguished from the rest visually - its top layer will be more saturated in color, the second layer, as a rule, does not include dyes, so it will be lighter
There are no Russian standards regarding the norms for the production of vinyl panels, and therefore the manufacturing companies are guided by foreign requirements and norms regarding this material.
There is a general standard for vinyl siding made by ASTM (USA). This organization has prescribed the optimal characteristics that PVC products must meet. It is on them that foreign and domestic companies are relying, engaged in the production of cladding products and accessories for them.
Among the presented list of standards, it is necessary to highlight the following technical characteristics of the material:
- The thickness of vinyl panels can vary from 0.9 to 1.2 mm. For products with an operational life of more than 10 years, the recommended thickness will be 1.1 mm.
- As for color, there are ASTM D 3679 D 6864 D 7251 standards, which regulate this parameter of products.
- ASTM D2943 standard regulates smoke generation, ASTM D635 - material flammability level.
- ASTM D 1784-81 contains a specification for the composition.
- The impact strength of the product is specified in ASTM D 256.
Dimensions and standards
There is no single standard regarding the size of vinyl siding, therefore each manufacturing plant has an individual dimensional grid for panels.
It is possible to distinguish the ranges of length, width and thickness of the sheet in which products from polyvinyl chloride can be made:
- the length of the element can be from 2.5 m to 4 m;
- width - from 20 to 30 cm;
- panel thickness - from 0.9 to 1.2 mm.
As with slight color differences, there may be some inconsistencies based on the siding release series with material dimensions. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase all the material and components from one manufacturer in order to avoid problems during installation and reduce the attractiveness of the exterior cladding of the building.
Calculation of material and components
Vinyl siding hardware comes in a variety of sizes and configurations. Moreover, all the parameters of the elements will be different not only based on the series, but also taking into account the manufacturer of the material.
The following products should be attributed to standard additional components:
- Starting bar - it is present in any collection and series, from any manufacturer of plastic panels, since it is a mandatory part required for installation. It is with the fastening of this element that the installation of the entire structure begins.
- J-profile - a product that is used for cladding vertical joints - window or doorways and soffits.
- Outer and inner corners.
- H-profile - the main purpose of the element is to connect the strips in cases where overlapping panels are not provided.
There is a list of genuine vinyl panel accessories.
They are not found in every manufacturer of these products:
- finishing strip - its task is to cover vertical joints, that is, the same, in fact, as that of a standard J-profile;
- window strip - acts as an analogue of the J-profile, but differs in a more complex configuration;
- platband - used in the course of work near doorways, and, unlike the J-profile, has a slightly different device.
When planning the purchase of original components, it should be borne in mind that the cost of the elements most often exceeds the cost of the material itself for the cladding.
To carry out the installation of vinyl siding on your own, an important issue will be the correct calculation of the amount of material for finishing, as well as additional elements required for fixing the panels.
Calculations are made based on the building plan. First of all, the total facade area is divided into several components in order to determine the area of each base. The size of the window and door openings is subtracted from the total value of the front area. Taking into account the size of the ridge and roof, you can calculate the size of the roof overhangs, which are hemmed with soffits.
In addition, you will need to calculate the number of additional platbands, window strips and other components that are used to fasten the panels. In order to accurately calculate the required number of such elements, you should have a clear understanding of the process of installing vinyl siding.
In addition, in the course of calculating the working material and components, it is worthwhile to understand that the amount received will indicate the amount and list of materials when using products in the work without resulting residues, which in most situations cannot be achieved. That is why, having marked all the values, they should be increased by at least 10% in order to help solve all sorts of problems that may arise during the installation of panels.
Installation of plastic panels is a simple process. Given the tools that almost every owner has, everyone can do this work. To install, you need a level, a marker and a screwdriver. The installation of profiles due to their specific device involves fastening products one to another, close to each other. Thus, the joints of the materials will be overlapped by the following material.
To attach the siding to the facade, a lathing made of wood or metal is made. Thanks to this method, you can hide any irregularities in the base, however, this will not affect the quality of the installation of the material, the main thing is that the lathing should be erected strictly according to the level. The panels are fastened horizontally from the bottom.
In the next video, you will find a video instruction on how to install Holzplast vinyl siding.