Which facade cladding is the right one for the house? What are the advantages and disadvantages of clinker, facing bricks, plastic and wood? Which facade paint for the facade and which measures for roof and windows should be used? In this guide you will find answers to exactly these questions! Because each of the individual facade claddings brings different pros and cons regarding effort, costs, maintenance, insulation, moisture and the risk of mould.
Which facade cladding is the right one for the house and its outer wall? What are the advantages and disadvantages of clinker, facing bricks, plastic and wood? You will find all the answers here!
Which facade cladding for the house?
If the facade of a house or the facades of several houses are to be clad, there are various articles to choose from at the specialist market. This raises a number of questions for the owner or builder:
Should clinker bricks be used instead and an independent wall created? Is it better to save costs and effort by using brick slips? What are the advantages and disadvantages of plastic and wood on the facade?
In the following paragraphs we would like to give you an understanding of the individual materials and their properties when used as facade cladding. If you have any questions about the right facade paint, you are also welcome to have a look at our homepage. There you will find our facade paints, which ensure a long-lasting facade through water resistance and protection against dirt.
Clinker bricks as facade cladding
A clinker wall as a facade cladding has the advantage that it is erected with some distance to the brickwork of the actual building.
This created hollow space insulates already at the end of the building and provides rear ventilation. In addition to the insulation provided by the double facades and the air trapped inside, the energy efficiency of the house and external walls can be increased by filling this gap.
If it is not possible to create external insulation, for example in the case of historic buildings that are subject to monument protection, this guide will help you.
The disadvantage of a clinker brick facade is that the wall needs a foundation, which means additional work and costs if it is built later. Therefore, if you want to save money, you usually rely on brick slips.
Facade claddings with straps
If facades are to be finished, embellished and / or insulated with a facade cladding, then friends of masonry will also get their money’s worth with so-called straps / clinker brick slips, which can be kept to a minimum.
Because brick slips as brickwork on the outer wall do not require a foundation and can be applied directly to the outside of the house – even on plaster.
The disadvantage is, of course, that there is no breathable space in between, which can be upgraded with insulation material. So here it must be ensured that the existing facade is already insulated and thus energy-efficient, so that facade cladding with straps only has to bring minimal improvements and can above all serve to improve the appearance.
The chosen material should also be breathable or have good vapour diffusion values.
Plastic facade cladding
Plastic facade cladding is available in various designs – as panels in wood, shingle, slate or masonry look as well as imitation fieldstone. With a “curtain wall” created in this way, which may not rest directly on the insulation material or on the thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) or perhaps the plaster, there are a few things to consider.
The advantages are of course the low costs and the quick application for facades that have been made energy efficient with a thermal insulation composite system.
The disadvantage may lie in the perhaps higher expenditure. First the outside wall of the house must be insulated, then a supporting structure must be applied to the insulation material.
This is usually made of wood and ensures that there is so-called rear ventilation between the ETICS and the curtain wall. This ensures that the moisture on the insulation can be removed by evaporation, diffusion and gas exchange. This effectively prevents the formation of mould.
Wood: sustainable, energy-efficient and modern again
The advantages and disadvantages of an exterior facade in wood are manifold and will therefore be broken down at this point. The biggest advantage of this natural building material is its environmental compatibility / sustainability.
In addition, energy efficiency is increased by cladding the facade with wood in winter it protects against the cold and in summer it keeps the heat away from the wall. As with the plastic facade, the wooden facade is also usually used as a curtain wall for an ETICS.
The biggest disadvantage of the wooden facade is the necessary maintenance. Wood must be treated regularly to keep out moisture, dampness or the direct effects of water from rain.
This is because wet wood can dry out, but it consumes thermal energy, which is drawn out of the house/insulation by the heat. If the insulation is so good that it does not provide the necessary heat, the wall will not dry and algae, moss, lichen or even mould will form. We therefore recommend our proPERLA wood impregnation for cladding with wood.
Insulation: roof, windows and more
If you are looking for information on facade cladding or various types of facade cladding, because you are currently renovating or modernising your house, then think beyond the wall.
Because insulation and treatment from the roof of the property is also important. In addition to roof insulation from the inside, you should consider a heat-insulating and life-prolonging roof coating.
Furthermore, windows and doors must also be taken into account for a high energy efficiency of the property, for example for the rank as KfW Efficiency House. As structural elements in walls and roofs, windows are often responsible for heat loss.
These elements that can be opened should therefore be well sealed and should have their own insulation advantages through double or triple glazing.
Expert advice from energy consultants
Which insulation, which thermal insulation composite system, which cladding for facades and what other measures are recommended for your house, you can discuss with a certified energy consultant.
Whether this now issues an energy document of identification with therein registered measures, arranges a reorganization plan with law-conformal steps or points out to you locally by thermography weak points at the front insulation – everything leads to an improvement of the real estate.
Maintenance and renovation
If you want to have your facade, facade cladding, roof, floor (concrete), metal components or metal walls or other parts of the house renovated, then ask the relevant service provider to use professional systems.
Take a look at our systems overview and find the right solutions for water-repellent, dirt-resistant and breathable surfaces with COROSAN, RENOTEC, proPERLA and thermaSOL.
If you would like to use our advanced articles as a renovating, maintaining and repairing service provider, please contact us.
We at becoTREAT are happy to advise you and have a lot of illustrative material for you and your customers in stock. We would also be pleased to advise you on our concrete sealing and silicification services. We look forward to hearing from you!