If the old facade starts to crumble or if the outer wall of the newly purchased house is to be renovated, then homeowners have a choice: plaster and paint or rather a facade cladding?
Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. In the following we have compiled information and details about facade plaster and cladding with wood, natural stone, plastic, slate or other materials.
In addition, we have linked guides to both variants from our pool.
Facade design with plaster and paint
We have already shown you here how to replaster a facade and which materials and aids are necessary for this: Plastering a facade – tips, terms and building materials. You will also find a lot of information on our website about the right facade paint for designing and sealing exterior walls.
At this point, therefore, only the hint that the plaster facade is probably the most classic solution for the design of the house. In addition to a rough, even surface, textured plaster also allows the application of patterns and shapes.
Epoxy resin plaster in particular should be emphasized here. The facade design with fresh plaster can also be used individually by colouring the dried material.
Facade design with facade cladding
This is a job that requires a lot of customization. Especially if it is a curtain-type ventilated facade (VHF) made of wood. In addition to the natural material, you can also use corrugated iron, corten steel, slate and even plastic formwork.
We have presented some of these and other solutions to you here: Clinker bricks, facing bricks, plastic and wood as cladding for the facade.
And in another article you will find information on the special form of the more quickly applicable facade panels. At this point, a brief note that, with the exception of wood, most materials are very easy to care for and require little or no maintenance.
But even if wood needs to be maintained more often, it can be used just as individually in colour as plaster.
Plaster and facade cladding in comparison
| Plaster as facade | Cladding on the facade | |
| Advantages | Great freedom of design | Simple concealment of the old facade |
| Inexpensive solution | Acts like a second shell | |
| Keeps moisture, cold and heat away | Does not accumulate moisture when ventilated | |
| Modern plasters strengthen the thermal insulation | High material variety and choice for homeowners | |
| Ideal in combination with thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) | Almost all materials are weather resistant, durable and easy to clean | |
| Disadvantages | Must be repainted after 5 years at the latest | More expensive than just a plaster facade |
| After at least 25 years a new plaster facade is necessary | Not cheaper than curtain walling |
Combination: Combine both possibilities at the house
You can create a very special look if you use both possibilities of house wall design simultaneously.
For example, it has advantages to cover the weather side of the house, which is more often affected by rain, wind and weather, with a facade cladding. Especially if a weather-resistant material such as stone, slate or plastic is used for this.
Protected walls (e.g. on a weather-calmed side or behind a tree) can be finished with plaster.
Modern colour combinations can also be achieved by combining the two facade design options shown above. In addition to the practical benefits and cost savings compared to complete shuttering, there is also a creative, positive aspect.
Insulation measures: Building facade protects indoor climate and wallet
In recent years there has been much criticism of building insulation, the materials used and the general benefits of insulation / thermal insulation.
Those voices that write off thermal insulation on buildings as useless have not dealt with it sufficiently. It is therefore important to pay attention to current studies that deal with the points of criticism in detail.
A corresponding study by the German Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development from 2017 shows the following in its conclusion:
Building without insulation materials is unimaginable in the future. For the German climate in particular, building shells made of a combination of insulation and heat-storing mass are particularly efficient. Deficiencies in insulation must therefore be eliminated from the point of view of sustainable construction, and more use must be made of the positive aspects.
Better painting with facade paint from proPERLA
In addition to good insulation for a good indoor climate and energy savings, there are other measures that can be taken to make the facade of the house thermally efficient.
With our facade paint, for example, you ensure that house facades become water-repellent and self-cleaning. We offer the right solutions for plaster as well as for masonry and wood. If you are a service provider and would like to use our paints and solutions, please contact us.
If you are a private homeowner or property owner and would like to enjoy the advantages of our proPERLA paints, we will be happy to refer you to one of our partners in your area.
