Types of materials for exterior finishing of aerated concrete blocks

Finishing a house made of aerated concrete from the outside does not require the application of protective coatings. Contact of unprotected aerated concrete with the atmospheric environment leads to a change in the properties of aerated concrete and seriously deteriorates the appearance, so I advise you to protect aerated concrete:

facing brick;
textured, vapor-permeable paints;
siding, ventilated facades;
special vapor-permeable plaster mixtures that preserve the ability of aerated concrete to “breathe” and protect it from moisture.

When choosing the type of finish, you need to know that aerated concrete is perfectly permeable to steam and air. If the finish is not air-vapor tight, this will lead to moisture accumulation between the aerated concrete and the finish. This moisture will intensively destroy the material and the structure itself.

I do not recommend protecting aerated concrete with cement-sand mixtures, polystyrene foam boards, film-forming paints or dense adhesives.

Finishing a façade made of aerated concrete with textured special paints and vapor-permeable putty is a simple and inexpensive way. The cheapest is the “Prospectors” paint.

The paint is diluted with water, mixed thoroughly and applied with a roller to the gas block. It is convenient to change the color of the paint by adding pigments. I don't recommend saving on paint.
Preparation consists of processing the protruding irregularities with a jointer and grouting the seams.
I recommend starting painting a month after preparing the base, so that the chemical reactions in the materials are completed.
If the aerated concrete is of poor quality, there are a lot of chips and unevenness, you can apply thin-layer vapor-permeable plaster.

IMPORTANT

Paint consumption is about 0.4-0.6 kg/m2

External aerated concrete wall finishing sheet materials reliable way protect the building. The house can be sheathed with vinyl siding, clapboard or ceramic, metal sheets, vertical or horizontal installation method.

I recommend attaching the sheathing sheets to the sheathing.
Install the sheathing on nails or expansion anchors. The lathing creates a ventilated space of 2...4 cm, which is extremely useful for removing condensation and additional insulation.
Vinyl siding is often the most the best way protection of aerated concrete. Available in sizes 385x25.5 cm, thickness 1 mm.

Calculation of quantity of material

Divide the total surface area by the area of one panel to get the number of panels required
Don't forget to add 7% to the resulting number, which will be spent on processing corners and difficult places

Facade thermal panels are a composite of foam plastic, glass wool on extruded polystyrene foam and marble chips on the outer surface.

Thermal panels are lightweight - they do not load the foundation, are attached to aerated concrete using construction adhesive, and are made of high quality material.

Today thermal panels are the most easy way protection of aerated concrete and additional insulation. The sheathing is not installed on the wall; you can glue the thermal panels yourself.

Facing brick finishing

Protection of aerated concrete with facing bricks should be carried out with a gap of 30...40...50 mm. Brick and aerated concrete walls must be connected with flexible connections. This is usually fiberglass or perforated steel.

In new masonry, connections are inserted into the seam between the masonry during the masonry process itself.

“Clinker tile” panels are a two-layer composite of polyurethane and German high-quality clinker tiles Stroеher, Feldhaus Klinker. Attached directly to the facade with dowels without preparatory work on aerated concrete. After installation, the seams are unstitched.

Tile consumption

Divide the surface area by the area of one tile and multiply by 1.07

Preparation of the base, regardless of the type of finish

I advise you to start exterior finishing of aerated concrete walls by preparing the working surface of the wall. First, repair defects in joints, chips, and seams. This is more of an event to insulate the building. It is useful to use a “warm seam” and seal the voids and seams with polyurethane foam. Putty the seam.

It will be very good if the primer is covered with a waterproofing compound deep penetration, then the fungus is guaranteed not to appear.

Useful information

conclusions

The leaders at the lowest cost with a clear advantage are vinyl siding and thermal panels. Using them to protect an aerated concrete wall is half the cost of painting or building a brick wall.

German clinker tiles for aerated concrete cladding cost twice as much as a brick wall. The manufacturability of siding and thermal panels allows you to do the work yourself.

This is the most optimal material for protecting aerated concrete on walls.

The first question that arises before every owner of a newly built house is the decoration of its facades. This process largely depends on the design of the building and the materials used for its construction.
Exterior decoration for a house made of aerated concrete has important, greater than, for example, for brick building- due to the structure of aerated concrete.

Features of aerated concrete walls

This type of concrete belongs to the category of lightweight cellular concrete. If we compare it with foam concrete, then, unlike it, aerated concrete has open pores.
Initially, both of these materials were created as insulation materials, and later began to be used for masonry walls. Their production technologies are different, so the properties and characteristics of these concretes differ.

Aluminum powder is added to the composition of aerated concrete as a gas-forming substance during production. It is to her that concrete owes its porous structure. This fact also determines its high vapor permeability, which exceeds this criterion in all others. structural materials. The finishing of the facade of a house made of aerated concrete blocks must be carried out strictly according to technology that takes into account, first of all, this factor.

It should also be noted that if violations were made during the construction of the walls themselves, this may affect their appearance even after proper finishing. Such violations include neglecting the process of reinforcing the masonry or using the wrong masonry mortar. Therefore, if you are building a house with your own hands from aerated blocks, then first of all you will need the manufacturer’s instructions.

Many customers, in order to save money, mistakenly prefer to do without a project during construction. Moreover, any error made during the production process construction work, can significantly increase your expenses: if not immediately, then after the house shrinks for sure. And exterior decoration gas silicate walls– is no exception. For example, literate thermotechnical calculation may show that the thickness of the walls of your house is such that additional insulation is not required. It will be enough to simply plaster the walls - that's the savings.

And if insulation is necessary, what materials are best used for this? Let's say you want to use facing bricks. It is necessary to calculate whether the foundation will support its weight, because the brickwork will rest on the base. In general, there are many nuances.

You must take into account that the external finishing of a house made of aerated concrete should be carried out only after finishing the internal finishing. In any case, after all the wet processes - floor screeds, plastering, tile laying.
In this case, the vapors generated during this work will be able to escape through the thickness of the walls. And it’s better to do all this in the summer.

Plastering the facade

The question often arises: how to cover the outside of a house made of aerated concrete? Which option for cladding the façade of a house made of aerated concrete is better? The cladding can be made with a variety of materials. Some of them are specifically designed to work with cellular concrete. Take plaster, for example.

Conventional solutions for cement based are not suitable for this purpose. Aerated concrete instantly takes moisture out of them, and no primer will help here.
As soon as such plaster dries, its surface will be covered with a web of cracks. Therefore, mixtures with special additives that prevent moisture absorption have been developed for aerated blocks. There are no differences from similar work on brick walls; the sequence of work remains the same. First, the surface is prepared, which includes removing excess solution and dust. Afterwards, the walls are primed with a composition designed specifically for aerated concrete.

The next step will be the installation of the plaster mesh. To do this, use either metal version with small cells, or fiberglass mesh.
It is fixed to the wall with ordinary self-tapping screws.

The presence of a mesh during the plastering process guarantees good adhesion to the surface. Those who neglect to use reinforcing mesh usually have to redo the work due to the fact that the plaster layer can completely move away from the wall.

Next, the solution is mixed by adding water to the dry plaster mixture and plastering is carried out. If you have not encountered such work before, watch the video first or read materials on this topic.

When the process of applying plaster is completed, it's time to start designing the facade decoration. You can get by with simply painting the surfaces, but use two or three shades as in the photo above. IN different color you can paint individual elements, or use a stencil to apply lines or patterns.

Upon completion finishing cladding It is advisable to treat the surface with a special hydrophobic impregnation that has moisture-repellent properties. It’s called “hydrophobizer”. As you understand, aerated concrete also has its own composition. Those water repellents that are used for ordinary concrete and brick, in in this case, will be useless.

The water repellent is applied in a thin layer - this is enough to protect decorative surface from exposure to precipitation and dust accumulation. This impregnation allows the house to “breathe” while simultaneously improving thermal insulation properties the material on which it is applied.

You may prefer not to paint the walls, but to use decorative plaster. In this case, pigments or marble chip filler are added to the last batch of the solution.

The plastered surface can be decorated in another way. For example, finish it in half-timbered style. To do this, a contrastingly colored wooden or polyurethane board is mounted on them.

Smooth and monochromatic surfaces combine well with other types of finishes. These can be fragments of the facade, tiled or decorative stone. Most often, the basement, window and corner areas, pediment or porch are decorated in this way.

Exterior decoration in an aerated concrete house will look great if, along with plastering, panels are used for finishing the house. They can be used to decorate partitions and balcony parapets, if any.
And the base, lined in this way, will look simply wonderful.

Plaster finishing of the facade is carried out if the building is located in climatic zone, allowing you to do without insulation. Or when insulation needs to be done, but frame wall cladding is chosen as the interior decoration: panels, clapboard, plasterboard.
In this case, you can insulate the walls from the inside. If the facade needs to be insulated from the outside, then it is better to choose another method for its cladding.

Brick and tile cladding

Exterior decoration aerated concrete houses facing bricks is probably one of the the best options. Thanks to its hollow structure, it provides a favorable microclimate and has good appearance. The brick surface is durable and weather resistant.

The price of such finishing is much higher than plastering. The work of facing walls with bricks is quite labor-intensive and requires certain professional skills. After all, the brick must not only be beautifully laid on the mortar, but also the brickwork must be properly fastened to the wall.

Professionals know many ways to process brick and options for laying it. Thanks to this, the lined surface can have a unique relief. In addition to the façade cladding, the same style can be landscape design and fencing of the local area.

This cladding is used only in low-rise construction. If the building is higher than two floors, you can imitate brickwork using metal or fiber cement facade panels, mounted on the frame.

If you don’t like the proposed options for cladding a house with aerated concrete on the outside, then pay attention to a more profitable method - finishing with tiles: clinker or porcelain stoneware. The surface of the tile is better resistant to precipitation and aggressive substances. Its weight is significantly lower, which reduces the load on the foundation.

The dimensions of clinker tiles are small, approximately the size of the side part clay brick. Therefore, it is labor-intensive to carry out continuous cladding with such small elements. More often, only fragments of the facade are decorated with clinker, combining them with plaster.

For cladding large houses, thermal panels are often used, which simultaneously insulate and decorate the facade. The front side of such panels is factory lined with clinker or stone tiles. Moreover, the tiles are natural, not imitation.

Porcelain tiles are larger in size than clinker tiles, which greatly simplifies the implementation of continuous cladding. Moreover, it can be mounted not only on glue, but also on a wooden sheathing, thereby ensuring good ventilation facade.

If it is necessary to insulate the walls, porcelain tiles can be mounted on an aluminum profile, placing insulation in the cells of the frame. Anyone interested in this issue should look for materials on the construction of ventilated facades.

Preparing the surface for facing with bricks or tiles must be done very carefully. This stage includes not only surface cleaning. For example, sealing seams, potholes and visible voids with polyurethane foam, gluing them with insulating tape and then sealing them with putty. Afterwards, the walls are primed with the composition we mentioned above.

This is not full list materials that can be used for exterior finishing of a house built from aerated blocks. For finishing they use plastic, various types of siding and linings for exterior decoration, wood panels.
So choose your option, combine materials, use decorative overlays. Take finishing seriously, strictly follow the technology - and you will get high-quality decorative coating facade.

The process of finishing the building outside begins immediately after finishing work inside the premises. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the technology of work. Facing is performed using one of the following methods:

painting using special paint for facade work;
plastering with compositions for lightweight concrete;
ventilated facade using various facing materials (for example, siding or block house);
device multilayer wall with an external verst made of face brick.

Options exterior finishing

Plastering and painting

When choosing compositions for facade finishing, it is necessary to take into account the vapor permeability of materials. The hygroscopicity of block walls is at a fairly high level. They are able to accumulate moisture, which comes from the room in the form of steam. If the cladding has low vapor permeability and does not allow steam to escape, the walls will be damp. Water in the wall pie will ultimately lead to a decrease in its thermal conductivity, the formation of mold and mildew, and a violation of the load-bearing capacity.

The following are NOT suitable as compositions for façade finishing:

sand-concrete plaster;
covering film-forming paint.

Finishing a house made of aerated concrete can be done using the following types of plasters:

silicate;
silicone;
mineral.

The last option requires additional work for painting the façade from the outside. The advantage of the material is maintainability.

Work on painting or plastering block walls is carried out only after a set of preparatory work. It is required to provide next lineup events:

cleaning the surface from dust and various contaminants;
eliminating minor masonry defects using aerated concrete adhesive;
surface leveling with special compounds;
priming the walls with a layer of 2-3 mm (it is better to choose compounds with strengthening functions and protection from atmospheric moisture).

The smoother the surface becomes as a base for painting or plastering, the less mortar will be required to line the outside of the block walls. Materials for finishing aerated concrete facades are relatively expensive, so it is necessary to try to reduce their consumption as much as possible.

When finishing walls with plaster, it is sometimes necessary to use a special reinforcing mesh. You need to choose one that is resistant to alkalis. The cell dimensions are assumed to be approximately 3 mm. The following recommendations can be made regarding reinforcement:

if the total thickness of the plaster layer does not exceed 10 mm, additional reinforcement is not required;
when the plaster thickness is 10 mm, fiberglass is used for reinforcement;
the thickness of the finishing layer is 15-20 mm, requiring the use of a metal painting mesh as a reinforcing metal mesh.

Applying plaster in a layer of more than 20 mm to aerated concrete is not rational.

The reinforcing mesh is applied to the primer layer before it hardens. Use a spatula or grater to press it into the solution. The surface is leveled and left to dry. After drying, begin applying the required thickness of plaster. It depends on the levelness of the base.

Ventilated facade

Finishing a house from aerated concrete using ventilated facade technology allows you to simultaneously perform cladding and insulation. Such options are especially relevant for buildings located in server regions, where even blocks with good thermal insulation performance do not pass the heat engineering standards.

Mineral wool is used as insulation. It does not interfere with the removal of moisture from the walls. But the heat insulator itself needs protection from moisture. To remove condensate, an air layer ventilated with outside air is used. Its thickness is usually 40 mm. In the cornice area there is ventilation holes for the release of moist air.

The basis for fixing the insulation and material for finishing the walls made of blocks is the frame. It is made from wooden blocks or light metal profiles. Wood must be treated with antiseptic compounds. They prevent the appearance of mold and mildew and rotting of the material.

The external sheathing to the aerated concrete facade is attached to:

long-length self-tapping screws (use black ones as they are more durable);
dowels with plastic stopper length not less than 30 mm;
special dowels for aerated concrete.

The latter option is preferable because it provides reliable fastening without cold bridges. The most undesirable method of fastening would be self-tapping screws, but if there are no other options, they are used.

It is recommended to use 40 or 60 cm for installation of frame racks for aerated concrete. But the exact dimensions depend on the width of the insulation. In order not to cut the material lengthwise, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions when assigning the distance between the frame elements.

After the base (guides and sheathing) under the cladding is secured to special dowels, the installation of insulation begins. It is mandatory to provide waterproofing on top mineral wool.

The waterproofing material must not allow atmospheric moisture, but have high vapor permeability. To finish walls made of aerated concrete blocks, it is reasonable to use special vapor diffusion membranes. They do not interfere with the removal of moisture into the ventilated layer from the insulation side. Waterproofing membranes also provide wind protection.

Option for finishing the ventilation façade with fiber cement panels

After securing the insulation and insulation, they begin to hang finishing materials. The following can be used as facade cladding:

block house;
lining;
siding;
fiberboard;
ready-made facade systems.

Fastening of materials to the insulation frame is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and for different types may vary.

Brick facade finishing

For reliable protection For block wall materials, it is better to use facing bricks to protect against external atmospheric influences. Typically, ceramic material is used. In general, a two-layer wall is made with a ventilated layer inside.

The width of the gap for air circulation is taken to be at least 30 mm, optimal thickness the size will become 40 mm. At the bottom of the wall there are special openings for air intake (vents), which are protected ventilation grilles from blockages. In the area of the building's eaves (or parapet when using flat roof) provision is made for the release of moist air.

Brick is a fairly heavy material for making facade walls. This type of finishing must be taken into account when designing foundations. When used for an existing building, it is better to first strengthen the supporting part of the house from blocks. Also, the width of the foundations is determined taking into account the thickness of the wall with brick cladding. Brick overhang of more than 30 mm is not allowed.

For joint operation of external and internal versts, special flexible connections are used. They are laid in aerated concrete at the construction stage. Instead of flexible connections, thin metal plates can also be used. It is important that the elements are made of steel with an anti-corrosion coating; the most common option is stainless steel. Galvanized bonds in an alkaline environment are destroyed quite quickly.

The connections are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The horizontal distance is taken to be 600 mm. It is allowed to place vertically connecting parts at a maximum distance of 500 mm from each other.

Properly executed finishing of the façade walls will reliably protect aerated concrete from external influences. It is necessary to strictly comply with the requirements for materials and the technology of their use.

Upon completion of the construction of a private house or cottage, the question arises of how and with what to decorate the facade and other external walls, what finishing material to choose based on its artistic, design and performance qualities. After all, the external decoration of the walls of a house is not only about beauty, it is also about protection from moisture, temperature, wind and sunlight. If we are talking about a house made of aerated concrete, then its decoration is noticeably different from the decoration of the facades of houses made of concrete, wood or brick.

Exterior decoration of a house made of aerated concrete is desirable, and in most cases mandatory, since over time the blocks become covered with dust, dirt, microcracks from exposure to the sun, frost and wind, which makes the facade and side walls unattractive, and moreover, reduces their service life without repairs . And if exterior decoration can be postponed due to lack of funds, then only for a very short time - for a year or two, if you want to extend the life of your home.

Aerated concrete is a type of cellular lightweight concrete, the surface of which has open pores and a porous internal structure. This material was developed as insulation, but the resulting properties made it possible to use it as the main material for construction load-bearing walls and partitions in low-rise construction. Porosity is achieved by involving aluminum powder and lime in the foaming reaction. Cured foam provides high vapor permeability - higher than that of other traditional and innovative building materials.

Parameter	Aerated concrete	Foam concrete
Thermal conductivity coefficient, W/(m °C)	0.10-0.14	0.09-0.38
Volumetric weight (density), kg/m³	400-800	400-1200
Brand by density	D350, D400…700	D400…800, D1000…1200
Concrete compressive strength class	class B2.5 at D500	class B2.5 at D750
Vapor permeability, mg/mchPa	0.2	0.2
Water absorption,% by weight	20-25	10-16
Frost resistance no less	50 cycles	25 cycles
Masonry... / masonry joint thickness, mm	only for glue / 2-3 mm	for glue, solution / 10 mm
Average shrinkage of finished masonry, mm/m	0.3 mm/m	2-3 mm/m
Possibility of masonry reinforcement	There is	No
Average thickness of a single-layer wall, m	0.4	0.63
Soundproofing	worse	better
Pore structure	closed	open
Appearance	better	worse
Average cost, (pickup), rub./m³	3 100.00	2 500.00

Therefore, the exterior finishing of a house made of aerated concrete is carried out without deviating from the developed technology in order to prevent the appearance and accumulation of condensation, “cold bridges” and microcracks in the wall panel. Thus, when laying walls, it is imperative to carry out inter-row reinforcement, and instead of special glue, it is strictly not recommended to use cement mortar. And if you choose the right wall thickness in a specific climatic region, you can do without thermal insulation by only decorative cladding or finishing the façade of a house made of aerated concrete.

But there are materials that combine both the properties of insulation and the qualities of a decorative material. For example, finishing a wall made of aerated concrete with clinker tiles or facing bricks means savings on the size of aerated concrete blocks, additional insulation, and beautiful facade Houses. But the use of these materials will require strengthening the foundation - brick or tile will greatly increase the weight of the building.

Another prerequisite for external finishing work is that you first need to complete all internal operations wet finishing and decorating the surfaces of walls, floors and ceilings. This includes screeding, plastering, laying tiles on aerated concrete walls, wallpapering, etc. Dry interior spaces will prevent moisture from entering the aerated concrete.

Finishing with curtain facades

When finishing with hanging materials, it is best to cover the facade with siding or clapboard. These structures are mounted on a pre-prepared frame made of a metal profile - wood is not recommended. There should be a gap of 5-7 cm between the frame and the wall, which is called ventilation - it serves for air circulation and exhaust excess moisture, which accumulates during the operation of the house.

When finishing a house from gas silicate blocks with a ventilated space, air gaps should be left at the top and bottom of the sheathing so that air can move not only along the walls, but also up and down. When attaching metal frame“quick installation” dowels are used on a wall made of aerated concrete blocks, which do not contribute to the appearance of “cold bridges”. It is better not to use self-tapping screws, as they promote the formation of condensation when temperatures change, and under wind loads, the vibration of the screws destroys the wall material. The standard size of dowels is 6 x 40 mm.

But on profile frame siding or lining is fastened with self-tapping screws, and this is a separate and complex process. The space between the siding and the wall can be additionally insulated with rolls of mineral wool, placing them in a checkerboard pattern so that air continues to circulate between the insulation.

How to plaster an aerated concrete facade

Ordinary cement-sand mortar Gas silicate cannot be used for plastering facades - only gypsum or alabaster plaster will adhere firmly to the surface interspersed with aluminum, but only after preliminary priming in 2-3 layers. Gypsum sets very quickly, and aerated concrete does not have time to draw out all the moisture from it, so the gypsum plaster will be solid. The cement sets slowly, and there will be enough time for dehydration, so after the plaster layer hardens, the entire surface will be covered with microcracks.

Before finishing a house made of aerated concrete with plaster, the surface of the wall should be prepared - cleaned of excess mortar and dirt, primed several times and let the walls dry. Then, a metal or fiberglass reinforcing mesh is attached to the surface of the aerated concrete walls with short (10 mm) self-tapping screws, which increases the adhesion of the gypsum to the aerated concrete.

The solution can be applied to the mesh almost immediately, and it can also be applied in several stages. Complete drying of the plaster layer depends on the ventilation of the premises, and lasts from 3 to 7 days, after which the cladding of the house with suitable material begins. It is recommended to choose how to decorate a country house based not on the cost of materials, but on their performance characteristics.

The cheapest, but not the highest quality, exterior finishing is painting or whitewashing the facade and side walls. like this decorative finishing It is advisable to open the top with a special water repellent so that moisture does not linger on the walls and is not absorbed into them. However, it is recommended to use hydrophobic compounds to open both facing bricks and clinker tiles.

The water-repellent composition must be applied once in a thin layer so that the finished clinker or ceramic tiles, the tiled or painted house continued to “breathe.” If you work with decorative plaster, you can add various coloring segments or marble chips to it.

Often homeowners use a combination of finishing options: for example, painting is combined with plaster, siding is combined with lining or wood panels, polyurethane panels - with facing bricks, etc. The basement of the house, corners and window (door) openings, porch and roof gable are also decorated.

For a house made of aerated concrete, the finishing of external surfaces will visually combine well if, together with a layer decorative plaster use special finishing panels made of polyurethane, plastic or fiberglass. Such panels can be used to decorate balconies, partitions, window slopes, base

Plaster as the main type of exterior finishing is used if the house is located in a warm climatic region, and the walls do not need to be insulated additionally. This option is designed for the walls to be insulated from the inside.

Facing aerated concrete with tiles and bricks - advantages and disadvantages

Facing brick is the optimal material for finishing the outside of a house, as it is also an insulator. And its hollow structure helps maintain a comfortable microclimate in the house with optimal humidity. The cladding can withstand any adverse weather conditions well and is resistant to cracks due to temperature changes.

The obvious disadvantages are the high cost of the work and the material itself, as well as the high labor intensity of masonry, which is expressed in the duration of the process and the presence of professional skills. Many installation options for beautifully clad facades with facing bricks are the result of professional developments. A single architectural ensemble using brick can be created by continuing the cladding of the fence or plinths of neighboring outbuildings.

But like a brick facing material can only be used for low-rise construction. When decorating high-rise buildings, overlay panels made of metal or fiber cement should be used.

It looks financially more profitable to cladding with clinker or ceramic tiles with the same operational parameters as brick. But an additional advantage of tiles is their low weight compared to brick, so the load on the foundation is noticeably reduced. The disadvantages are the small size of the products, which slow down the laying of tiles, so most often they are laid on the plinth or facade parts in combination with decorative plaster.

Before finishing your house with such expensive materials, consider the option of thermal panels that decorate and insulate the facade at the same time.

Porcelain tiles are produced in larger sizes than clinker and brick, so covering a façade with them will take much less time. Such tiles can be attached not only to glue, but also to a wooden or aluminum frame, which will cost the developer less and will create conditions for ventilating the walls (ventilated façade).

Preparatory work before decorating walls with bricks or tiles comes down to cleaning the surface from mortar, dust and dirt, sealing deep seams, voids and irregularities using polyurethane foam or mortar, as well as gluing narrow microcracks with special electrical tape and their putty.

Tiles, bricks, ventilated facades, plastering - this is a small part of the list of materials and methods for finishing the external walls of a house made of aerated concrete blocks. Subject to certain operating conditions, you can use wooden and plastic panels, mosaics, glass blocks, and much more. Therefore, the choice of finishing options and materials depends only on the homeowner’s capabilities and desire to decorate and protect his home.

How to decorate the outside of a house made of aerated concrete updated: April 28, 2018 by: Artyom

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Finishing aerated concrete - simple ways to use it inside and outside your home

Today you will learn about the features of interior and exterior decoration of walls made of aerated concrete blocks. I am sure that the topic of the article will be interesting, since aerated concrete is increasingly used in private construction. I will talk about the requirements for choosing finishes and finishing methods.

Basic information about building materials

Aerated concrete is cellular concrete autoclave hardening, which is made from cement, quartz sand, lime and gas-forming components. To reduce the cost of the finished material, a certain amount of industrial waste, such as metallurgical slag and ash, is added to the mixture during production.

Blocks made from such a mixture are lightweight and have low thermal conductivity compared to traditional ceramic bricks and reinforced concrete products. Well, as already mentioned, the finished material is distinguished by its affordable price, which has a positive effect on the cost of the construction project.

Continuing the theme of performance characteristics building material, I will note the accuracy of standard sizes and accuracy of configuration. That is, all blocks in the purchased batch will have the same shape, perfectly straight sides and right angles. As a result, walls built from aerated concrete blocks are smooth and require virtually no additional leveling.

This advantage, again, allows you to reduce the cost of a construction project due to the smaller amount of finishing materials used and due to less time spent on finishing.

Now I'll tell you about it distinctive property aerated concrete blocks, which complicates finishing work. We are talking about the porosity of the material.

Even though the pores are closed and isolated from each other, the material is different high degree moisture absorption. This is precisely the property that needs to be taken into account when choosing finishing methods.

Why is the degree of moisture absorption of the material so important? In the room, especially if it is a bathroom or kitchen, the air has a high moisture content, which sooner or later will penetrate into the thickness of the wall. What happens next with this moisture depends entirely on what the house is lined with on the outside.

Aerated concrete blocks on the outside of the house are finished with one or another airtight materials to prevent moisture from entering from outside. And this is correct, but on the other hand, the moisture from inside must also go somewhere.

There are the following solutions to the problem:

Installation of ventilated facades;
Selection of interior finishes aerated concrete walls with a low degree of moisture absorption;
Operation of an effective supply and exhaust ventilation system.

The best results can be achieved if the listed points are implemented not individually, but in combination.

Interior finishing work

To ensure that the finishing of aerated concrete walls indoors is of high quality and durable, I can recommend the following methods for its implementation:

Plastering with cement-based mixtures;
Sheathing with wooden clapboard or plastic panels with preliminary laying of vapor barrier or insulation;
Sheathing moisture-resistant plasterboard with preliminary laying of vapor barrier;
Cladding with tiles, imitation brick and others decorative materials with a low degree of moisture absorption.

Let's take a closer look at some of the listed finishing options. Ultimately, you can decide which method suits you best.

Plastering walls with cement-sand mixtures

It doesn’t matter what mixtures are used to plaster indoors, the quality of the finished result depends on the preliminary preparation of aerated concrete blocks.

Aerated concrete quickly absorbs water; as a result, the gypsum putty on its surface will crack due to rapid drying, and cement plaster will be loose. Therefore on preparatory stage We cover the wall with a primer, and only then plaster it.

The main stages of interior finishing are as follows:

We pass along the surface with a wide spatula to remove unevenness of the masonry mortar;
Sweep the surface with a brush to remove dust;
Apply a layer of penetrating primer such as concrete contact to the surface;
After the penetrating primer has completely dried, apply a second layer of film-forming primer;

After such preparation, it can be applied to building surfaces. various plaster, since the absorbency of the walls will be significantly lower than before priming. I recommend using not gypsum putty, but ready-made plaster cement-sand mixtures (CPS) with the addition of lime.

Mix the cement-sand mixture (CSM) and apply it with a trowel to the surface to be finished to a thickness of 5-10 mm;

Fiberglass mesh - effective protection plaster against cracks

Place on top of the mixture layer plaster mesh and pass along its surface with a plaster spatula, pressing it into the solution;

We pass over the applied layer, mesh reinforced, with a comb - a notched spatula and apply the relief;

We leave the wall to dry during the day, regularly spraying the surface with water to prevent cracks from appearing;

Plaster beacons are installed on the wall;
The solution is poured into the gap between the beacons and then pulled out with a rule;

As the starting plaster is leveled, there will be holes - we fill them with mortar using a spatula and pull them out again using the rule;
We leave the starting plaster to dry and at this time we prepare a new cement-sand mixture with the addition of lime;

Since the second layer will be the final layer, sift the mixture mixed with water through a mesh with a mesh size of 2 mm;

Apply a second leveling layer, also tightening with the rule;
After the wall is plastered, but not yet dry, we rub the surface with a foam float in the light of a spotlight;

By applying a long rule to the wall vertically and horizontally, we determine the presence of relief and, if there is none, plastering can be considered completed.

A wall plastered with TsPS can subsequently be primed and puttied for painting or wallpapering. The degree of moisture absorption of aerated concrete through a thick layer of CPS will be negligible, and therefore there will be no problems with the operation of the wall.

If it is expected interior decoration baths made of aerated concrete with ceramic tiles, there is no need to apply putty.

In the photo you can see machine application plaster. But since this method allows you to apply the plaster mixture only in a thin layer, only special moisture-resistant mixtures that will not let moisture into the blocks can be used to finish aerated concrete walls.

Sheathing with plastic panels and lining

Why am I talking about these finishing materials how about one finishing method? The reason is that both of these materials are attached to walls in the same way. However, the cross-section configuration plastic panel And wooden lining almost identical.

Thanks to the tongue-and-groove connection, the walls form an almost airtight surface. However, you can insure yourself before performing installation work Cover the wall with a vapor barrier film.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the use of plastic wall panels in rooms with high humidity levels requires the installation of effective supply and exhaust ventilation.

The installation of wall panels, as well as the installation of lining, begins with the installation of the sheathing of the supporting frame. The traditional solution is to assemble a frame from wooden beam more modern version is the assembly of lathing from a metal profile.

If you decide to install wall panels or lining, I strongly recommend assembling metal sheathing, since it is lighter than its wooden counterparts, and the price of the profile is more affordable than the cost of wooden beams.

Fastening panels and lining, depending on the type of sheathing, can be done using nails, self-tapping screws or clamps. The use of lathing allows you to make wall decoration perfectly smooth on imperfectly smooth walls. The difference in levels in this case is compensated by placing small liners under the profile in place of the depressions.

The technology for installing the panels consists of attaching the first strip to the protruding tenon on one side and to the edge of the groove on the other side. Next panel the tenon is pushed into the groove of the previous panel, while the edge of the groove is again attached to the sheathing. Subsequent panels are attached in the same way.

Special corner panels are installed along the top, bottom and sides of the wall, which, when installed correctly, form an aesthetically attractive frame.

Wall covering with plasterboard sheets

Sheathing with plasterboard is done in two ways:

Glue mounting– is carried out if the building surface is perfectly flat and there is no need to install hidden communications;
Installation on load-bearing frame – is carried out if the wall is not perfectly flat and if there is a need for hidden installation of communications or the need for laying thermal insulation materials.

Installation of drywall with glue is carried out after careful strengthening of the surface with deep penetration primers. Minor level differences mounting surface can be compensated by increasing the thickness of the adhesive layer, but these differences should not exceed 5 mm.

Installation on a supporting frame is more common, but it has significant drawback— due to the thickness of the frame, free space is consumed, which is unacceptable for cramped spaces. The gap between the wall and the sheathing can be filled with thermal insulation, communications and a vapor barrier film.

In both the first and second cases, the finished wall cladding is puttied with obligatory gluing of the joints between the slabs.

External wall finishing made of aerated concrete

If the interior decoration of the house must be sealed so that moisture does not penetrate into the wall from the inside, then other requirements are imposed on the external device. Thus, the exterior finishing of a house made of aerated concrete is either sealed or by installing ventilated facades.

Which façade finishing options are preferable? To decide which method is better for finishing load-bearing walls with your own hands, I suggest you familiarize yourself with examples of insulation wet method and ventilated façade installations.

Finishing the facade of low-rise buildings using the wet method

Exterior finishing houses made of aerated concrete using the wet method with installation of thermal insulation is carried out as follows:

The surface of the wall is impregnated with a deep penetration primer;

A layer of adhesive is applied to the mineral wool slabs with a surface coverage of at least 60%;

Adhesive is applied to the wall, covering the surface by at least 40%;

According to statistics, machine application of an adhesive solution can halve glue consumption, reduce labor costs and significantly speed up finishing work. In addition, better adhesion of the material is ensured due to the fact that the adhesive is applied under pressure and penetrates into the pores of the surfaces being joined.

The prepared slabs are applied to the prepared wall surface, leveled and pressed;

As necessary, the slabs are cut along the contour of the window or doorways sharp segment knife;
As we cover the wall with thermal insulation slabs, we regularly check the verticality of the façade plane, using the rule with a built-in spirit level for this;

We reinforce the window openings with fiberglass mesh, install a corner around the perimeter and plaster it with a cement-sand mixture with the addition of lime;

After the facade of the house is covered with slabs, we additionally attach the insulation with dowels and nails with a plastic umbrella cap, as shown in the photo;
Windows are covered with protective film;

A layer of glue is applied to the surface of the insulation by machine;
The applied glue is leveled and a strip of fiberglass mesh is laid on top of it;

The alkali-resistant mesh is pressed with a spatula into the surface of the still wet plaster;

After complete drying, the facade is treated with a film-forming primer, after which it can be finished painted with water-based paints.

Installation of ventilated facades

As an example, I’ll tell you about Scanrock ventilated facades made of fiber cement siding imitating brick. The principle of operation of the facade can be seen in the proposed diagram.

Moisture from the walls is effectively removed outside, while moist air from outside cannot enter the thickness of the wall. Besides this, between outer skin and you can place a slab on the wall thermal insulation material, which will reduce the likelihood of blocks freezing.

The method demonstrated in general outline identical to the technology for installing metal siding.

The installation instructions consist of the following steps:

Markings are carried out for the installation of metal holders;

According to the markings, holes are drilled for anchor bolts on which the holders are installed;

When installing the holders, do not forget to check their horizontal position using a spirit level.

Horizontally located profiles are fixed on the holders;

Between the horizontal profiles, insulation boards are attached to the wall using dowel-nails with an “umbrella” head;

After thermal insulation boards took their place in the sheathing, vertical guide profiles with protrusions for fastening the siding are attached;

On vertical profiles Fiber cement siding is being installed.

All structural elements in the required quantity are already included in the ventilated facade kit. Therefore, all you have to do is calculate the area of the surface to be covered and, in accordance with these measurements, buy a set of siding.

Conclusion

From the article you learned how to decorate the outside and inside of walls. country house, built from aerated concrete. From the instructions listed, you can choose best option for independent implementation. As usual, I recommend watching the video in this article.

December 7, 2016

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