FIBER CEMENT FAÇADE BOARDS – WHY ARE THEY WORTH USING?

FIBER CEMENT BOARDS AS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO A WOODEN FACADE

Many people like a wooden facade, but choose against it because of its high price and regular maintenance. A great alternative to wood is the Cedral facade board, which imitates natural wood in appearance, but is much heavier and more resistant to various weather conditions. Cedral facade board is an ecological product that is installed similarly to a wooden facade board.

WOODEN FACADE

Undoubtedly, wood has its own unique beauty and has been used as a building material for centuries. With proper maintenance more and more beautiful rings appear over time, shimmering in all their glory and transforming the space around the house.

However, this solution is not completely flawless. The biggest of the disadvantages being the aforementioned maintenance. From time to time, such a wooden facade should be impregnated or oiled to protect it against external factors. With only slight negligence, the wooden facade begins to be covered with greenery and other imperfections, which cause additional work related to keeping the boards clean.

FIBER CEMENT FACADE BOARDS

An alternative solution are fiber cement boards, which are extremely resistant to dirt. Even if they become dirty, cleaning them is extremely easy – all you need is a simple high-pressure cleaner. There is no need to use any detergents.

An additional benefit is the fact that fiber cement facade boards do not require periodic maintenance, which is a significant time saver. Especially when you live in a tall house. The biggest disadvantage of these boards is the fact that although they perfectly imitate the texture of wood, they are still a synthetic material. A careful observer will notice that the facade is not made of real wood.

WHAT ARE FIBER CEMENT FACADE BOARDS?

For the production of fiber cement boards, cement is combined with plasticizers, water and cellulose fibers. All ingredients are combined until a uniform mass is obtained, from which strips with a rectangular cut are produced.

This material is elastic, so you can easily form boards with it. Facade boards made of fiber cement are steam cured. However, in order for the board to perfectly imitate natural wood, a pattern deceptively similar to the structure of cedar wood is imprinted on it.

The facade board is covered with acrylic paint on the outside. This helps it to resist the weather conditions. A hydrophobic agent is applied to the inner side of the board, which protects it against moisture.

Advantages of facade boards made of fiber cement:

• the structure of the wood and a large palette of colors makes such a board a great alternative to wooden boards;
• resistance to changing weather conditions and insects;
• optimal thermal insulation;
• no need for preservative treatments, therefore the cost of maintenance is very low;
• the Cedral board does not change its dimensions under the influence of weather conditions;
• fiber cement board is an ecological product and completely safe for the environment. It does not emit any harmful gases;
• the facade board is made of safe and non-combustible material, therefore it can be used on all types of buildings;
• quick and easy installation.

WHERE CAN FIBER CEMENT FACADE BOARDS BE USED?

Fiber cement facade boards can be used as an element of outer building finish, regardless of the method of its construction. They are also great for building fences because they imitate wooden boards.

INSTALLATION OF FIBER CEMENT FACADE BOARD

Cedral boards can be mounted in two ways:

• traditionally folded/overlapped (cedral lap),
• creating a smooth surface from the boards (cedral click).

Depending on the chosen method, a different type of facade boards should be purchased. Fiber cement boards can be combined with other materials, e.g. stone, wood, etc. You can install the facade boards yourself.

STEP BY STEP INSTALLING THE FACADE BOARDS YOURSELF

The walls on which the boards will be installed should be cleaned and prepared by removing unnecessary elements, e.g. gutters, lamps and other decorations.

External window sills should be cut evenly with the wall.

Installation of the substructure of the Cedral system. There are two substructure systems:

• wooden – screws for invisible fixing are used for fastening,
• aluminum – rivets are used for fastening.

Fiber cement boards are mounted to the profiles with screws for visible fixing and nails, which are painted in the color of the board.

If the boards are to be laid horizontally, start from the bottom corner of the building, gradually laying them in rows upwards. If the boards will be laid vertically, the first board should be placed in the corner of the building.

Once the boards are laid on the entire facade of the building, the window frames and other details should be finished.

Fiber cement facade boards are very easy to install. Thanks to this, you can lay them yourself, saving time and money on workforce.