The construction of any home ends with an external finish, but despite the fact that this is the last stage of work, it needs to be carefully planned even until the procurement of materials. Depending on the desired result, various materials can be used, each of which has its own weight, appearance, operational characteristics and cost. We suggest talking about what options outdoor finish at home can be realized with your own hands.

The importance of the outer decoration

The design stage of the future house is very important. It must take into account every trifle, ranging from the inner decoration and the location of the sockets, finishing the outdoor finish of the house. If you go to a large construction store, you will see that the materials for finishing facades are incredibly much, and they are all so different that they have to admit - to solve this issue it is absolutely necessary to obtain at least superficial theoretical knowledge. To properly pick up the facade finish, it is necessary to take into account the mass of factors: the material of the walls, they are insulated or not, the service life of the coating, the climatic conditions of the region, aesthetics and compliance with architectural style, and whether you can independently make a finish or for this will have to hire workers.

The main tasks of the outdoor finish of the house:

1. Protect the material of walls from atmospheric influences (hail, rain, wind, mechanical damage, ultraviolet). If you built a brick house and left the wall "naked", very soon it will answer and starts to collapse.
2. Raising fire resistance - mostly it concerns the outer decoration of a wooden house.
3. Strengthening thermal insulation - some finishing materials complement the main thermal insulation layer over the wall or replace it at all.
4. Noise isolation - some finishing facade materials are designed specifically to suppress sound waves, which is very useful if the house is located near the busy track.
5. Enhance the aestheticism and the creation of the original architectural image - any owner wants to have a beautiful house with a unique style. Properly selected finish is able to transform even the most prosaic architectural form to unrecognizable.

Useful advice: Bring out the outer decoration is best after the shrinkage of the house. Otherwise, movements can lead to the destruction of the applied layer. The exception is only elastic materials that we will tell a little lower. You can proceed to the outer decoration of a wooden house, not earlier than one year after construction, when wood is dry.

Types of outdoor decoration

As we said, the materials for the outer finish of the house are incredibly much that on the one hand introduces into a stupor, on the other, it allows you to choose an option for every taste and wallet. It is important to take into account not only the aesthetics of the future finish, but also its weight. For example, the facade of natural stone looks great and serves as centuries, but its impressive weight has an additional burden on the foundation and walls. In addition to the bearing capacity of the foundation, it is also necessary to take into account the differences in the linear expansion of the material of the finishing and walls - if the indicators are too different, the temperature and humidity differences will lead to cracking and detachments.

A natural stone

From a long time, natural stone served to build residential buildings. This is an incredibly durable material capable of extending the life of the walls by century. Today, stone houses are almost not built, but the finishing of natural stone is very popular.

For facing facades, pieces of treated or "raw" natural stone are used. Breeds can be different, but the most popular is granite (the most durable and with a beautiful texture). Marble also boasts rich decorative properties and an interesting color palette, but he has a more convenient alternative - lime tuff. The second name of Mineral - Travertine. It is much easier than marble, easy to process (sawing, grinding) and has higher rates of heat and noise insulation.

Before choosing such a finish for your home, it should be noted that work with natural stone is quite time-consuming. In the next chapter you will find a description of the technology of finishing the outer walls at home with natural stone.

Fake diamond

An inexperienced person will never be able to distinguish the facade finish with artificial and natural stone, if it does not get closer and does not touch the wall. This unusual material completely repeats the texture of natural minerals, but the rest of the similarity ends. At the same time, it is the same durable and durable, but it is easier to work with an artificial stone and faster. It is worth saying that such a finish will be cheaper at times, and the effect can be much more visible. You can fade the facade imitation of the most noble marble, turning your house into the work of art.

Artificial stone is perfectly combined with other materials: wood, ceramics, metal. They can cover the entire facade, lower part or individual elements. Working with artificial stone is very easy, especially since you can buy ready-made details with recesses for windows and doors (do not cut). And one more pleasant moment - you do not need to prepare the surface of the wall before finishing. The exception is only wooden walls that should be protected from rotting, moisture and fire.

Siding

The popularity of siding is due to the relative cheap and suitable performance indicators. So, it is quite easy to install, it is easy to care for it (the contaminated facade can only be obtained with water from the hose). High-quality panels for the outer finish of the house do not burn out under the sun and retain their painting for many years. Siding is the most different: monochrome, color, with drawings or imitation of stone, brick, wood.

Polymer siding (vinyl), metal, wooden, cement (termination of the base) or from extruded polystyrene foam. Any of these species does not rot and not rust, since processed by special compositions forming a solid protective film on the surface. The advantages of siding can also be attributed to the inability to delay dust and dirt, durability (the service life of high-quality finishing is 40-50 years), non-combustibility, stability to minor mechanical impacts, vapor permeability, low weight. The last factor will like the owners of houses on a bar, unfolotable or fragile foundations.

Installation of facade panels for outdoor finishing at home is simple not only due to their low weight. Each element has a special lock-latch, which firmly joins one panel on the other, forming a waterproof seam. To mount the siding, you should pre-create a carrier frame (cable), under which to put the insulation and vapor barrier membrane - so you protect the walls of the house from premature wear and reduce heat loss.

Facing brick

The first thing to be taken into account is to make the trim of the facade brick, is the presence of sufficient space on the foundation for support for the masonry. Such a method of facing reliably protects the walls from moisture and mechanical impacts, make the exterior cozy and beautiful.

The material has high aesthetics and makes it possible to implement almost any designer idea, thanks to a wide color palette, a variety of forms and textures. Bricks are of different sizes, rectangular, with round or moon angles. The finish is perfectly combined with other materials, even with facade plaster and paint.

Of the disadvantages of the facade brick, you can select the need to install the crate for mounting and the impressive weight of the material. As in the case of natural stone, if you want such a finish, the foundation of the house should be very durable and stable. The cost of bricks may also unpleasantly surprise economical owners, but it is fully justified by the beauty, environmental friendliness and durability of the finish.

Stone crumb

Stone crumb for facades are made from the remnants of marble, the border and other minerals crushed into small pieces and combined by astrase and adhesive substances. As a result, something resembling a coarse-grained putty, which finished sticks to the wall and is characterized by high resistance to external influences. Shades of crumb can be very much - exactly as much as natural colors of minerals.

One of the main advantages of the mineral facade crumb is its ability to carefully disguise the defects of the walls (irregularities, cracks, chips, etc.), so if you have a restoration of the old house, the baby will become an excellent helper. The durability of such a coating can be compared with the durability of stone facade panels for outdoor finish at home. At the same time, care for the walls is very simple - it is only necessary to wipe the surface with a damp cloth or pour out of the hose.

You can apply a stone crumb on the surface of any materials, including plastered, concrete, brick and drywall. After the mixture is frozen, you get a monolithic coating, which means the absence of seams and cracks, which means the exclusion of the risk of leaks. You can remove such a coating only with the wall, but if you want to change the color of the facade or simply update the finish, you can simply apply a new mixture over the old layer.

Thermopanels

Thermopanels for the outer decoration of the house are one of the new products in this area and are gradually gaining popularity. Their special design allows to reduce heat loss several times, thereby saving on heating and cooling.

Thermopanels combine the properties of high-quality thermal insulation and decorative decoration. This is one of the most optimal ways to achieve a better result with minimal financial and labor investments. Thermopanel decoration gives you a smooth beautiful wall that reliably retains heat inside the house and does not disturb the microcirculation of air.

The term of the thermopanels, depending on the manufacturer and quality of installation, is 50-100 years. This indicator also affects the operating conditions and climatic features of the region. In addition to high thermal insulation properties, the facade thermopanels significantly reduce the noise level.

Thermopanels retain heat in winter and cool in summer due to the presence of rigid polyurethane foam. The outdoor label has decorative qualities and its texture can imitate natural stone, tiles, brick. It is usually made from the molded cement or clinker tiles. The inner layer is represented by the OSB slab or other material. The mounting of the wall panels is carried out by means of a spike groove, which allows the risk of leaks to a minimum.

Fibro cement panels

Fibro-cement panels for outdoor finishing houses are produced by special technology. The product is based on cement with cellulose fibers. The molding method is obtained or plates or siding panels. The latter are mainly manufactured (with wood imitation), and the plates can be smooth or mimic a stone masonry. All sides of the panel are covered with coloring polymer composition, protecting against destruction, wetting and premature wear.

The advantages of fibrotent panels:

• low weight (do not give substantial load on the foundation, therefore suitable for any types of bases);
• high refractory qualities (do not burn and do not support combustion, so they are often used for the exterior decoration of wooden houses);
• resistance to atmospheric influences (not fade by direct sunlight, withstand temperature and humidity differences);
• resistance to mechanical impacts;
• durability;
• aesthetics;
• high noise insulating indicators;
• simple installation;
• environmentally friendly material.

Plaster

Facade plaster is the easiest way to apply and inexpensive way of finishing outdoor walls at home. In some cases, it can act as a preparatory basis before painting, but also as an independent stucco material is able to create a beautiful protective coating.

There are several types of facade plaster:

1. Mineral - based on the material undergoes cement. This is the most economical plaster with high strength and with time only stronger. To increase resistance to moisture effects, special components add to cement plaster. The most important drawback of this type of materials is a poor color palette. For this reason, mineral plaster is more often used as the basis before painting. The compositions are sold in the form of dry mixes that need to be dissolved with cold water and mix until the formation of a thick homogeneous substance.
   
2. Acrylic - based on the material is acrylic resins. Special components add to it to give stuccoing the stewing ability. As a result, it not only allows the walls to "breathe", but also persistently perceives the temperature fluctuations and an elevated level of humidity. An important feature of such plaster is its ability to neutralize the impact of malicious fungi, mold and parasites. Supplements of another variety allow you to receive interesting decorative effects. A visual example is the popular facade plaster "Coroed". It contains mineral granules of various fractions, which, when applied, shrink chaotic or parallel grooves in the solution, creating the effect of the activity of the beetle-boring. What is noteworthy, acrylic plasters are sold ready (it is not necessary to breed water), packaged in plastic buckets. Before use, it is quite thorough mixing the mixture.
   
3. Silicone - the most expensive variety of facade plasters. Polymer compounds are based on, which makes the material universal in use and very high quality. The silicone mixture is capable of protecting the facade of the house from any atmospheric effects and retains its original appearance throughout the life.
   After soaring, silicone plaster is polymerized and is covered with a solid film. This film pushes dirt and water, but does not disturb the microcirculation of air through the walls. The compositions are presented in the widest color palette, so with their help you can create original exteriors. The only stopping factor is the high cost of such a finish.
   
4. Silicate - based on the material lying liquid glass. Such plasters are distinguished by high vapor permeability, so water and condensate are not delayed on the walls of the walls, and immediately outward and evaporate. For this reason, silicate compounds are recommended for the external decoration of buildings erected from porous materials, such as foam concrete, aerated concrete or brick. The composition is characterized by good plasticity, and therefore it is easy to operate with it (the mixture covers all irregularities and fills fine cracks). Silicate plaster also has dirt-repellent properties.
   

Useful advice: choose the facade plaster, pushing out from the characteristics of the material from which the walls are made. Usually on packaging manufacturers write, for which materials the composition is suitable.

Outdoor finish at home: photo