Materials for outdoor cladding: Pros and Cons

The latest design trends show how important it is to bring nature into your home. Even so, you should still protect your home from the weather. Even though large windows and indoor plants can bring a natural feel to your home. But your home still needs outdoor cladding to protect it from elements such as rain, wind, and moisture.

Cladding, also known as siding, protects the interior and structural parts of your home from the weather. It is like the “skin” of the house. Most exterior siding is made up of several layers, such as the exterior surface of the wall, a plastic membrane to protect against moisture, insulation, and a moisture barrier. Brick and plastic siding are the two most common ways to cover the exterior of a building. Modern building materials offer a variety of ways to cover the exterior of a building.

Common exterior cladding materials are brick, vinyl, and composite cladding materials. Below, we talk about the advantages, disadvantages, and prices of the different types of exterior cladding to understand the characteristics of each material.

Brick cladding

Brick is one of the most common materials used to build exterior walls. Not only does this material look good and is easy to find, but most contractors are also used to building with it.

What are the advantages of brick cladding?

Brick and mortar are made from natural materials such as clay that is heated in a kiln and then made into bricks. The outside of the bricks does not need any paint and can last forever. The thermal mass of the bricks can be used to heat a passive solar home. More importantly, the space between the wall sheathing and the brick cladding on the exterior of the home gives the home more insulation.

Several creative companies are now making bricks from recycled materials such as fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. A recent World Bank study found that these bricks could reduce the carbon emissions of the construction industry by a significant amount.

What are the disadvantages of brick cladding?

The biggest problem with brick walls is that it takes a lot of energy to make the bricks. Since kilns are used to heat the bricks, a lot of energy is needed to make the bricks. Cement is used to make the mortar that holds the bricks together. The cement industry is responsible for 5% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

Vinyl Cladding

Vinyl siding is a durable plastic used to cover the exterior of a home to make it look good and protect it from the weather. Vinyl siding is made primarily of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and is a useful addition to your home because it doesn’t need to be painted or otherwise cared for every few years.

What are the advantages of vinyl cladding?

Almost all cladding materials, except vinyl, have a layer of paint on top. The color is baked into the vinyl cladding, which makes it unique. All the way around, the color of the vinyl siding is the same as the color on top. If you don’t like painting the outside of your house, vinyl siding is a great option. Painting vinyl siding is never necessary.

Vinyl siding is one of the cheapest ways to cover a house. Fiber cement siding costs two to four times as much as vinyl siding, just for the cost of the material. Vinyl siding is almost always the cheapest way to cover your house. And, the smooth surface of vinyl siding makes it easy to clean with a garden hose. Dirt, cobwebs, and other debris will slide off.

What are the disadvantages of vinyl cladding?

The biggest problem with vinyl siding is that it is made of something that cannot be remanufactured. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is what vinyl siding is made of, is known to cause cancer in people. People can have serious health problems if they are exposed to dioxins in the manufacture of PVC material and if it ever catches fire.

Composite Wall Cladding

WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) cladding is usually a mixture of wood fibers, recycled plastic, and about 5-10% binder that is then heated and pushed through a mold. As a result, outdoor plastic wall panels work and look like wood and plastic.

Composite cladding combines the natural beauty of wood with the durability and low maintenance of plastic. This means that WPC cladding will not require much care for many years and will retain the same shape as when it was installed.

The exterior of the composite wall cladding does not need to be painted. Therefore, exterior wall cladding made of plastic is a green and long-lasting option. They are 100% safe and will not harm you in any way.

What are the advantages of Composite Cladding?

There are many reasons why composite cladding is a good choice for your home, and all of them are worth the money you spend on them. Here we will give you a few of those reasons.

Durability

Composite cladding is made and designed to last a long time. This material makes a hard shell for the outside of your home’s walls and protects the interior walls and insulation as a whole, keeping it completely waterproof. Composite cladding is not easily damaged or corroded like wood, nor does it rot like wood.

Eco-friendly

Composite cladding is also good for the environment because it has a much smaller carbon and environmental footprint. High-quality composite cladding is mostly made from recycled wood fibers and plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills. Also, reusing them reduces the number of new resources that need to be used.

Pleasing to the eye

Composites come in many colors and textures, so it’s easy for homeowners to find the right product for their homes. There is no doubt that making your home look better from the outside can increase its value.

What are the disadvantages of Composite Cladding?

Composite cladding can be more expensive to install than wood, which can make you a little hesitant when you consider the cost. But in the long run, this is usually offset by better resistance to weathering, erosion, and damage, lower maintenance costs, and a longer cladding life.