Wood is a material that is not resistant to the negative effects of the environment. To ensure its reliable protection, it is necessary to prevent moisture from entering the surface, the influence of faith and the sun on it. All this allows facing. The main question: how to sheathe a wooden house from the outside to provide protection, attractive appearance and good thermal insulation performance.
Work recommendations
It is important to note that the cladding should only be installed after the shrinkage of the wooden house is completed.. An exception is only glued beam, the shrinkage of which is insignificant (0.5%). It will take at least 2 years to shrink the house from the raw log, and the walls from the beam from 6 months to a year.
It is important to determine whether the decoration of a wooden house is necessary outside. Facing is appropriate mainly when the building is intended for permanent residence, that is, in the winter too. In this case, the materials used for the work will perform not only a decorative, but also a heat-insulating function.
When using the house as a summer home, it is not necessary to carry out insulation, so there is no special meaning in the decoration. It is better to treat the wall with protective compounds, such as impregnation or paint, since the appearance of any wooden house allows you to leave it without additional decoration.
Exterior decoration of a wooden house is carried out in stages and includes the following types of work:
- cleaning and processing of walls (various antiseptic compositions and flame retardants are used here);
- vapor barrier layer;
- assembly of the frame to which the insulation and casing will be fastened;
- installation of thermal insulation;
- waterproofing protection;
- decorative finish.
It is important to choose the right materials for each of the stages.
Antiseptics
These substances are extremely important for wooden structures. According to regulatory documents, they should process any elements of wood, regardless of their location. Processing materials are available in two types:
- coverslips;
- Lessing.
When protecting the building for cladding, it is better to choose glazing compositions. They do not give wood color and lay a transparent film. Covers can also be used, they differ only in that they paint the surface of the walls.
Vapor barrier
This layer is necessary to protect the insulation from the penetration of steam from the side of the room. If the insulation becomes wet, it will cease to fulfill its functions. It is inexpensive to protect the house with plastic film, but its use for a wooden house is not recommended. Such structures are chosen because of the ability of the walls to "breathe", and the use of polyethylene reduces it to nothing. It is better to use more modern options, such as vapor barrier membranes, which do not interfere with air exchange.
Installation of vapor barrier is as follows:
- If the house is built of timber (including glued), you will need to build a frame of battens for vapor barrier. This is necessary in order to provide a small gap between the film and the wall. When building a house from logs, this item is skipped. On the rails provide holes for free movement of air. Size is taken 20 cm.
- With a construction stapler or nails, the film is attached to the rails or directly to the wall (for logs). In this case, it is necessary to lay the material with an overlap of 15 cm.
- All joints and fasteners are glued with duct tape.
Thermal insulation
The type of insulation is chosen depending on financial capabilities and preferences. It will cost a lot to install foam, but such materials will block the air's ability to move through walls, and the house will need additional ventilation. The most common material for cladding wooden houses is mineral wool. You can also use options such as ecowool. It is similar to mineral, but it is made from flax, which is especially important when increased environmental requirements are placed on the house.
Mineral wool is mounted on a frame. It is important to ensure a ventilation gap between it and the decorative cladding, which will allow to remove excess moisture from the surface of the material.
To ensure such a gap, the thickness of the frame should be approximately 5 cm greater than the heat-insulating layer. The frame will also become the basis for fastening the skin.
After the insulation is laid, it is necessary to fix the wind-moisture protective membrane.
Fastening is carried out with brackets to the frame, the requirements for overlapping and gluing joints, the same as for protection against steam. It is important not to confuse the sides of the film when fixing it. If a special windproof membrane is used, then its uneven side is adjacent to the thermal insulation, and the smooth one is facing the outside air.
Sheathing Options
When choosing how to decorate the facade of a wooden house, you should be guided by the characteristics of the materials and their appearance. In addition, such walls do not have high bearing capacity and will not be able to hold massive panels. Products used for decoration should not be heavy, otherwise the load on the foundation and frame of the house will increase.
When deciding what to sheathe a wooden house, you can consider the following options:
- Wooden lining. When using this method of decoration, you can save the original concept of a wooden house - environmental friendliness and naturalness. The advantages include strength, ease of installation, sound insulation and heat insulation characteristics. The disadvantage is the need for periodic wall painting and treatment with antiseptics.
- Block house. The material can be called one of the types of wooden lining. For the manufacture of coniferous trees. The advantages are the same as in the previous version, but the ability to simulate a log house is added. The disadvantages are to add a high cost.
- Vinyl siding. The material with confidence can be called the most affordable. Vinyl panels are easy to wash, there is no need to process them with special compounds or tint. It allows you to give the building a modern look and interesting colors. The disadvantage can be called artificial origin and the fact that when sheathing a wooden house with siding, it loses its natural appearance. In addition, the panels do not differ in high strength.
- Planken. One of the varieties of siding. Using this material, you can simulate marble, brick or stone. Very expensive material, but at the same time very beautiful, environmentally friendly and absolutely does not require any maintenance.
The choice of how to finish the facade of a wooden house depends on its future owner. If funds allow, it is worth giving preference to materials made from natural raw materials.