Restoring Your Home

Restoring your home is not an easy task. Ensuring proper home restoration even more challenging, hence good workers, and superior building materials would need to be used to ensure that your home does not return to an even worse state than it was in before.

Annually, millions of dollars go into home construction and restoration. With this increasing need for home restoration, due to damages from fire outbreaks, flooding. Storms, water, and so on. Building constructors are always on the lookout for durable materials that can produce the specific desired effect but at a low cost. Fibre cement is all these and more, hence, birthing the idea of the increased use of fiber cement in the home.  The demand for fiber cement has been steadily climbing over the years and is expected to rise by 5 percent each year. The reason for this is not far-reaching. Homeowners are now more open to educating themselves on building strategies and even immersed in the construction process itself. The free information nature of the internet has made acquiring the necessary knowledge easier.

Fibre cement is a composite building material that is made up of sand, cement, and cellulose fibers. It was first developed as an asbestos-free cement-based construction used in the roofing and façade of a building because of its strength and durability. They have found a wide range of uses in various sectors such as home construction, agriculture, and so on.

The nature of fiber cement helps proffer certain advantages that are helping it make a comeback into the world of construction include:

• Durability- it has been known to stand strong for years while maintaining the aesthetic quality that the particular home possesses. It can withstand harsh weather like direct sunlight, heavy rainfalls, while the likes of wood can crack and fade. It also requires way less maintenance than other regular materials and still looks good for as long as possible.
• Versatility- It has the flexibility to adapt to most kinds of building materials such as brick, wood, stone.
• Resistance to rust, insect, fire, frost, rain, and wind, and chemical attack- This is a huge selling point for the material and adds more strength.
• Excellent thermal and noise insulation properties.
• Vapor permeability, which reduces the risk of condensation.
• Installs fast and firm-  Count on fiber cement to help you complete your home flawlessly. They fit without the hassle and less breakage during the construction.
• Environment-Friendly- Contains low toxicity and low volatile organic compounds, unlike asbestos which is toxic to the health. Fibre cement also produces less dust and is made from natural materials, a blend of cellulose fibers from trees, cement, sand, water. They also contribute to creating a better working environment.
• Low cost- compared with other building materials and the limited purpose they serve, fiber cement is less expensive.
• A large number of uses- The main application areas are roofing and cladding.

Internal cladding

• Fire protection.
• Partition walls.
• Window sills.
• Ceilings and floors.
• Wet room application.

External cladding

• Corrugated sheets.
• Flat sheets.
• Slates.
• Planks.
• Under Roof.

Roofs

• Slates.
• Corrugated sheets.

With these numerous advantages that fiber cement possesses, it is no wonder that they are a contractor favorite. Installing it as varying materials can be relatively easy from the roofs to the slates to the sidings.

Installing fiber cement siding to a home that has suffered some form of damage or the other can either be done by a professional or by self. Although it may be easier than you think, installing it for the first time can be a bit tricky and even harmful to your health. It, therefore, requires the following:

Safety Materials

• Safety goggles when cutting nails on the fiber cement siding.
• Ear protection.
• N95 particulate respirator dust mask (NIOSH approved) because cutting fiber-cement sliding creates a lot of dust which can lead to a lung disease called silicosis after prolonged exposure to such.

Installation materials

• Felt paper.
• Pop Chalk line.
• Circular saw.
• Jigsaw.
• Nails for fastening.
• Fiber cement siding.
• Trim.
• Fibre cement shears.

Method:

1. Inspection and Storage.

• Inspect the siding thoroughly to ensure that it was not damaged on arrival. Return if damaged.
• Store off the ground taking care to support it on a flat and well-supported surface.
• Keep it dry.
• Ready the surface.
• Before installation of the fiber cement siding, make sure the exterior of the house in which the siding is to be placed is prepared by removal of moisture from the surface and covering the felt paper or house wrap. They are effective barriers against moisture and the damaging ultraviolet rays.

2. Cutting the fiber cement.

• Using fiber-cement shears, make clean straight cuts. Always do the shearing outdoors.

3. Nailing the Siding.

• Use a roofing nail. Materials like staples and roofing nails do not work on fiber cement.
• Take care while nailing.
• Blind nail technique most preferred. But do not use both blind nailing and face nailing at the same time.
• Protect the siding while nailing it. Taking care not to scratch it out remove the covering.

4. Painting on the siding.

• As soon as installations are complete, you can choose to paint on the siding. Apply the coat of paint when the siding surface is dry. Reapply another coat after the previous one gets dried.

5. Important tips:

• Get support, work with someone else. It is not easy to install a siding alone.
• If you are experiencing any difficulties, always seek expert advice or even contract the work to professionals.

In conclusion, fiber cement is gradually breaking ground in the construction industry due to its numerous advantages, getting popular among the building contractor crowd because it makes their work less messy, stand the test of time thereby, making a name for the companies.