Fiber cement siding
(ochshornDesign.com)
Fiber cement siding (FCS) is a building material used to cover the exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic applications.
Usage
Fiber cement is a composite material made of sand, cement and cellulose fibers. In appearance FCS most often consists of overlapping horizontal boards, imitating wooden cladding, clapboard and imitation shingles. FCS is also manufactured in a sheet form and is used not only as cladding but is also commonly used as a soffit / eave lining and as a tile underlay on decks and in bathrooms.
"Fiber cement siding" is a North American term, it is called "fiber cement cladding" (FC) in the Asian Pacific area; including Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
FC cladding is not only used as an exterior cladding, it can also be utilised as a substitute for timber fascias and barge boards in high fire areas.
Specifications
Fiber cement sheeting products are manufactured in Australia by CSR, BGC and James Hardie in accordance with Australian Standard 2908.2000, "Cellulose Cement Products".
Sheet sizes vary slightly from manufacture to manufacture but generally they range between 2400 – 3000mm in length and 900 –1200mm in width (600 & 450mm increments). This manufactured size minimises on-site wastage as residential floor, wall and roof structures lay structural members at 450 or 600 centres.
Fiber cement thicknesses vary between 4.5-18mm and also vary in density – the lower density resulting in a fibrous rough edge when cut and the higher density having a cleaner smoother edge when cut.
Thermal resistance and sound transmission vary great between fiber cement products. Fiber cement sheet products rate poorly in thermal resistance and sound transmission and separate wall insulation is highly recommended. Generally the thicker and more dense the product the better resistance it will have to temperature and sound transmission.
Installation
FC sheeting is a very heavy product and requires 2 men to carry the uncut sheets. Thin FC is fragile before installation and must be handled carefully; it is prone to chipping and breakage if improperly handled.
Once the product is cut it may again require 2 men to install – one to hold the sheet flush against studwork and the other to nail the product in place.
Cutting FC sheeting usually requires a mechanized saw or metal hand shears and sheets can be cut to size in three ways:
- Thinner sheets can be scored with a heavy duty cutting blade and snapped
- Purpose made Fibro cutter
- Thicker and more dense sheets require cutting by a mechanical saw
Some caution must be exercised to properly ventilate areas where FCS is being cut; long-term exposure to the silica dust generated during the installation process can cause silicosis.
FC can be painted before or after installation. (For areas of exposure, weatherproof paint must be used.) Once the product is fixed the joins are usually covered with timber battens and the entire wall surface is painted.
History
Fiber cement products came about as a replacement for the widely used ‘Asbestos Cement Sheeting’ product manufactured by ‘James Hardie’ until the late 1980’s.
Durability
The external cladding products require very little maintenance once installed and painted. The thicker/denser fiber cement products have excellent impact resistance but the thinner less dense products need to be protected from impact.
Fire Resistance
FC is a non combustible material which is widely used in high bush fire prone areas throughout Australia . Pictured above is CSRs' Fiber Cement cladding ‘Linea’ board which has been substituted for the traditional timber fascia and barge board materials.
Alternatives
Competitors to FC are imitation clapboard include vinyl, PVC, wood composite products and aluminum siding. Advantages of vinyl include the fact that it has a lower material cost and is easier to transport than FC due to its lighter weight and its pliability. Compared to wooden siding, fiber cement is not susceptible to termites or rot.
Commercial products
Major manufacturers of FCS/FC include:
- Cemplank
- CertainTeed
- James Hardie
- Maxitile
- Nichiha
- Synstone
- CERACLAD
- Cerber
- Prima
Manufacturers of accessories for fibercement products include:
- R.H. Tamlyn & Sons http://www.tamlyn.com/
External links
See also
- Asbestos shingle, of similar composition and sometimes similar appearance.
- Fibro