Cladding refers to applying a material to the external surface of the building. There are many materials that are used for cladding like brick, glass, vinyl, timber, aluminum, steel, et cetera. These are available in many colors and can be used in a variety of different ways. Cladding can either be wrapped around the whole building or may be used only to cover a part of the building.
What is the purpose of cladding?
Cladding can be made with a wide variety of materials like wood, brick, vinyl, metal, and composite materials like wood, aluminium, wheat, or rice straw fibers, a blend of cement and recycled polystyrene, et cetera. Depending on what is used to prepare the cladding, it will have an effect on the building’s vulnerability to fire.
The rain screen cladding
Rain screen cladding is when cladding is designed to protect the building against the weather elements like heavy and torrential rains, but also offers thermal installation at the same time. The cladding is not itself waterproof, but it works to direct the wind or water away from the building and control run-off. The basic purpose of the cladding is to prevent water infiltration into the structure of the building.
Weather protection
Apart from rainfall, there are other factors of the weather that can affect a building, like intense heat, wind, etc. Metal or vinyl cladding is used to provide protection to the building from weather conditions. If the building that you are working on has a flat roof, it will receive additional benefits from cladding, like the prevention of water gathering in the roof.
Thermal insulation
If timber cladding is used on the walls, it will help increase the thermal insulation of the interior of the building. This type of cladding works great on the exterior of the bathroom since the tiles are not good heat absorbers. Therefore, having the cladding on the exterior of the bathroom provides a warmer bathroom.
Boosting the aesthetics
Aside from all the functional properties of cladding, it also helps boost the aesthetics and look of the building. Depending on the cladding material that you choose, your aesthetics would differ. For example, if you go for timber cladding, you will bring out the natural tones and color of the building. Alternatively, if you go for metal cladding, it will give the building a sleek and professional look.
Noise reduction
A good cladding will prevent noise infiltration. However, this ability of the cladding to reduce noise will depend on the mass of the cladding. If you go for a cladding board, it may not be able to reduce the sound significantly.
The type of cladding that you select for your building will not only depend on how your building will look by the use of that cladding; it will also depend on a variety of other factors like your budget and the purpose that the cladding will serve. For more information on cladding and which cladding would be best suited to your needs, click here – https://litcore.ie/.
