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Help Choosing Cladding for Your Home

By: John Mills

Apart from basic cladding types, such as wood, stone and brick, there are innumerable variations put out by building supply manufacturers. Homeowners can select the particular qualities and appearance desired. Factors to consider are: (1) resistance to water, wind, mechanical damage, and vermin entry. (2) Cost of material, installation, and maintenance, (3) thermal insulation, (4) durability, and (5) visual appeal, which includes marketability. Select a reputable company to install your cladding, who will provide warranties for both the materials and workmanship.

As wood is commonly used as a cladding material, but often is expensive and as a material is vulnerable to fire there are synthetic claddings that give the appearance of wood that may be a preferable cladding material option. These products are weather-resistant and long lasting, and require a minimum of maintenance. An example is fiber cement, a composite material made of sand, cement and cellulose fiber, which is less costly and easy to install. Another manufactured innovation is high density wood composite cladding.

Metal claddings are made of aluminum, steel, zinc, copper, or various alloys. Permanence and low maintenance are the key features. They also provide excellent protection from weather elements and insulate the home well. The unique appearance of color and texture, even as they age, make metal a popular choice for cladding.

Brick is easier to use, and can come in a variety of forms, textures and colors, making it a flexible material to work with. It is aesthetically appealing, and imparts a look of sturdiness and permanence. It is an effective rain screen and requires minimal maintenance. However, traditional sized bricks are heavy, expensive, and require skilled workers. Innovative alternatives are brick slips, tiles, large format clay blocks, thin joint brickwork, and preassembled panels. There are literally hundreds of brick cladding styles to choose from.

Plastic cladding is most often made of vinyl, usually unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC). Vinyl is a versatile material that is sturdy and long lasting. It provides ease of installment and requires minimal maintenance. Costing less than most other cladding material, it is a frequent choice among home owners and builders everywhere.

Stucco is an exterior cement plastic wall covering, made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Traditional stucco was made of lime, sand and water; modern stucco is made from Portland cement, sand, water and lime, with sometimes the addition of acrylic and glass fibers. This cladding is durable, attractive, and weather resistant.

Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) is a multi-layered wall system consisting of foam plastic insulation under two synthetic coatings. The finished surface has the appearance of stucco. EIFS has suffered in reputation because of widespread discovery of severe water damage due to a lack of vapor barrier in the sheathing, which has been replaced by drainage EIFS which uses a secondary weather barrier.


Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

Apart from basic cladding types, such as wood, stone and brick, there are innumerable variations put out by building supply manufacturers. Homeowners can select the particular qualities and appearance desired. Factors to consider are: (1) resistance to water, wind, mechanical damage, and vermin entry. (2) Cost of material, installation, and maintenance, (3) thermal insulation, (4) durability, and (5) visual appeal, which includes marketability. Select a reputable company to install your cladding, who will provide warranties for both the materials and workmanship.

About the Author:
John Mills is a retired home improvement expert. If you would like more tips about cladding please check out http://www.anglianhome.co.uk/

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