Plinth Finish With Stone Panels: Selection Criteria And Installation Steps

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Plinth Finish With Stone Panels: Selection Criteria And Installation Steps
Plinth Finish With Stone Panels: Selection Criteria And Installation Steps

Video: Plinth Finish With Stone Panels: Selection Criteria And Installation Steps

Video: Plinth Finish With Stone Panels: Selection Criteria And Installation Steps
Video: Installing the BEST Looking (FAKE) Faux Stone: Versetta Stone by BORAL 2024, March
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Facing the basement with panels imitating stone improves the appearance of the structure, insulates the house and protects it from destruction. This technology originated in the USA and Canada, and has now spread throughout the world. Such a facade material not only has a whole list of advantages, but also allows you to finish the basement yourself in two stages.

plinth finish with stone panels
plinth finish with stone panels

What is a plinth?

The basement is the aboveground part of the foundation, which is the most important component of any structure. The plinth serves several purposes. Firstly, it bears the entire load, keeping the structure of the pillars. Secondly, it protects the house from moisture ingress. Thirdly, it provides thermoregulation, keeping heat in the underground room and blocking the outside cold. Modern panels imitating stone will help to protect the basement and give the house an attractive look.

Advantages and disadvantages of stone-like plinth panels

pros

  1. Low weight. Basement siding does not create additional stress on the base of the building.
  2. Long service life. As a rule, manufacturers of artificial facade panels guarantee up to 30 years of service life of their material.
  3. Strength. Stone panels do not lose their protective properties from the effects of certain weather phenomena on them. They do not deform, do not react to temperature changes. When choosing such a material, you should pay attention to the thickness of the panel: the thicker it is, the longer it will last.
  4. Easy to clean. Contamination from artificial stone panels can be easily washed off with water. If necessary, with the addition of detergents.
  5. Easy to install. To decorate the basement with artificial facade material in the form of "stone" panels, special equipment is not required at all, so that the cladding can be done independently.
  6. Decorativeness. The appearance of the plastic panels makes it possible to simulate different masonry and rocks.
  7. Acceptable prices. This facade material will be affordable for the average citizen of the country.

Minuses

  1. Flammability. Facade panels imitating stone are made of plastic, therefore they are not fire resistant. High temperatures cause them to melt.
  2. Fragility of some species. It all depends on the company that produces this facade material. Some types of panels produced, for example, in China, do not withstand mechanical stress and may crack from impacts.

Selection criteria and types of basement panels for stone

As a rule, basement siding is selected taking into account the texture, shape, quality, fastening method and color. If there is no experience in this, you can run into a low-quality product, the shortcomings of which will be revealed during installation. Therefore, you should buy front panels from trusted sellers, and on occasion, make sure that you have the appropriate documentation.

When buying basement panels for a stone, you can save money without harm to the material. The fact is that domestic manufacturers produce facade material that practically does not differ in quality from their foreign counterparts. In any case, when purchasing artificial panels, they should be carefully inspected and checked according to the criteria described below.

  1. First, you need to carefully consider the joints. They shouldn't have any defects. When joining two panels, the joints must match perfectly without creating gaps and distortions.
  2. Secondly, you should pay attention to the locks. Quality locks snap into place easily.
  3. Third, the material has density. If we are talking about PVC panels, then also the rigidity. Special attention should be paid to this.
  4. Fourthly, you need to inspect the facade material as a whole: a quality product has no chips, no scratches, no cracks, and the surface is evenly painted over.
  5. Fifth, it is necessary, if possible, to choose panels from the same batch of release so that they do not differ in color.

To purchase the required amount of basement siding, it is necessary to measure each side of the basement part of the building. Don't forget about 10% for trimming, scrap, trimming, correction. As a rule, there are no problems in the choice of plinth panels, since on the market of materials for outdoor decoration, their choice abounds in variety.

The entire available assortment of facade material is divided according to the composition of the raw materials from which the panels are made, and according to the technology of their production. Popular artificial panels for building basement cladding are the following:

  • vinyl panels;
  • acrylic panels;
  • fiber cement panels;
  • thermal panels.

Do-it-yourself plinth decoration with stone panels

Step # 1. Preparing the base

To begin with, the surface on which the basement siding should be mounted must be well prepared. If the basement wall is flat, and the plane differences do not deviate by more than 1 cm, you can do without the lathing. In this case, you need to knock down all the existing irregularities, clean the surface of dirt and proceed with the installation of panels that will sit on the tile adhesive.

Unfortunately, perfectly flat walls are a rare case, therefore, a crate is created for the facade material. It is made both from a bar and from a metal (or aluminum) profile. The lathing can be mounted both vertically and horizontally, depending on the type of siding and specific purposes.

For the simultaneous facing of the walls and the basement, the vertical version of the lathing is suitable. It should be borne in mind that the lathing for a high basement facade must be combined from horizontal and vertical guides. If the lathing is made of wood, there should be no distortions when attaching the panels to it.

Before installation, wooden blocks are treated with protective agents that preserve the wood structure. The spacing between wooden or metal guides is determined by the dimensions of the cladding panels themselves. It should be borne in mind that if the foundation extends beyond the wall projection, an ebb is installed above it.

Step # 2. Installation of basement panels

The starting bar is set first. This is a horizontal guide, which is leveled and attached to the crate with self-tapping screws. The bottom row of panels will fit over it, creating a straight line. Please note: if the base is uneven, you do not need to install the starter bar. In this case, the panels are mounted along a stretched cord.

The installation of the facade material on the plinth should be started from the left corner. For this, corner elements are used. The first element is placed on the starting bar, then it is pushed into the left groove of the corner, after which it is checked for a perfectly even horizontal position and fixed. The rest of the panels are mounted according to the same principle, and the finishing strip is placed on the crate at the end of the row, fixing the outer panel.

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