Nowadays the comprehension of the facade function has changed from the past. Modern facades significantly contribute to human comfort inside the building. Insulation layer obstructs heat convection through the wall structure, from the inside to the outside of the building. The resistant final layer resists all the mechanical influences and with an adequate waterproof design it protects the inside space from humidity. Also the facade is the building element which is the most exposed to a view and because of this reason we have nowadays very high aesthetic requirements for it. All these requirements must be achieved in a case of facades with render finish as well as in a case of facades with stone cladding.
Insulated facade with stone cladding:
Because of all needed requirements the classic facade with render finish has to be produced according to European technical standard ETAG 004. Every facade system product with a render finish has to obtain European technical assessment according to ETAG 004, which assures the user that the system had been properly tested. At this point it is necessary to state that insulated facade system with stone cladding does not have a proper technical standard for obtaining a technical assessment, and because of this reason the costumers do not have a whole guarantied system and they are left in hands of dealers, masons, neighbours' laic knowledge of the proper performance. Our purpose is to warn you against the problem and furthermore we want to be different with offering the whole system of the insulated facade with our stone claddings.
Insulate facade system with stone cladding is composed of:
- Thermal insulation glue fastened.
- Reinforced sub-layer with flexible mortar.
- Steel facade anchors.
- Flexible cement based glue.
- Stone cladding.
We have to know the problem in order to find a solution. In the facades designs following requests must be fulfilled:
- Stability - system design must bear all load influences considering the movement limits.
- Water resistance - sub-layer must be water resistant.
- Vapour permeability - stone cladding is a vapour impermeable material, therefore moisture permeability should be alternatively ensured.
- Frost resistance - mortars used in the system should be frost resistance, otherwise frost can lead to a damage of the facade.
- Surface stability - stone cladding surface is exposed to weather influences, and without a proper maintenance a stone surface can change in life time.
Insulated facade systems from our offer are stably designed for load influences (wind, dead load). Sub-layer thickness, its reinforcement and number of anchors are selected to prevent damage, instability or development of not allowed vertical movements. The reinforced sub-layer is made of flexible mortar, which is water resistant and vapour permeable. Used mortar in the system is produced on cement bases enriched with polymers. This contributes to ductile properties of the sub-layer, which adapts to its surfaces and to the movements of the cladding caused by the temperature changes and plastic creeping. Proper cladding attachment to the sub-layer is done with frost resistant glue to prevent water leakages on the cladding back side, which could be harmful for the system in case of temperature drops. At this point it is necessary to state that natural stone surfaces installed in the facade system are subjected to weather influences (sun , rain), which can lead to the changes of the surface colour on the exposed areas. Some stones are more subjected to these phenomena than the others, and in these cases the surfaces should be properly protected with relevant impregnation.