Introduction: What does an External Wall Cladding mean?
External cladding is said to be a protective layer of materials which separates the building’s structure and the interior from the external elements, like sound and weather. The external wall cladding is mostly not made up of one material, but it is an assembly of many materials, and each of the materials has their own importance in preventing the external conditions. For instance, a contemporary house would have an external veneer made up from siding or brick, a moisture repellant plastic wrap, an insulation as well as a vapour barrier to protect the interior of the property.
The protection offered by the External Wall Cladding
The external wall cladding protects a building’s structure from a variety of exterior elements. Some of the major elements that are blocked by an external wall cladding are as follows:
- Water
The water is most often considered as one of the toughest elements to depend on any given structure. The moisture is repelled making the use of siding, weeps, sealant, waterproof membranes, weather stripping as well as flashing. The siding is the first layer of defence and it is generally the most important and durable elements of the external wall cladding. The membrane, flashing, sealant, etc., safeguard a structure from any moisture which penetrates the siding of the structure.
- Temperature
The external wall cladding safeguards a structure from the temperature extremes and the variations by means of insulating the interior of the structure from its external. Rigid insulation, made-up by the layers of material, and double-glazing safeguards the interior from the external temperatures by creating a thermal gap which does not let the temperature to be conducted via cladding, thus bridging the external temperatures to the interior temperatures.
- Wind
A building’s structure and the interior is protected from the wind by the external wall cladding. To avoid the damage to the wall cladding, the materials are redundantly and safely tightened to the structure, while allowing minimum movement to be created by the wind. The technique of attaching the cladding to the structure is especially very important in the areas that face problems of hurricanes, tornadoes as well as heavy thunderstorms, that produces high-velocity winds.
- Solar Damage
The external wall cladding deters the damage and the deterioration from the sun and the ultraviolet waves. The structure’s external elements should be able to resist all the major harmful effects caused by the sun. Else, the failing material would provide easy access to the interior walls for the moisture and the temperature. Many of the plastic and the wood products are not correct for external cladding since they can easily degrade quickly when it is exposed to the sun.
Innovative Systems of Cladding
Many of the contemporary cladding systems are unique and give protection from the external elements with just a thin skin. The modern systems such as the aluminium and the glass architectural glazing can help to insulate and to shade a building as well as the traditional masonry and the wood systems. The other external cladding systems are very similar to the screens, that can filter out any wind or the sun by allowing the air to flow across the structure’s skin.
Conclusion
Thus, the external wall cladding is a very useful thing in today’s modern-day environment. The walls are well protected and the strength of the interior, as well as the external walls, remains intact. There are a large variety of materials available for cladding. One can choose based on their need and budget.
