Design ideas with topcoat render, clinker brick slips and glass elements
The outer shell of a house has not only an important task, but also an extraordinary appeal. With it, every building owner can add a personal touch to his building by using a wide range of materials.
Discreet or eye-catching? With a classic render, preferably in brick look or a creative mix of both? The possibilities to design a facade are almost unlimited. We give you an overview of different facade claddings and which design possibilities result from them.
Render facades are widely used in Germany, but what is a classic render facade? If you look at the structure of a facade (from the inside to the outside), the first layer - the so-called substrate - often consists of masonry or concrete. This material is stable and ensures the necessary static requirements of the house. Facade insulation makes the house a home by making you feel comfortable even in winter. Facade insulation keeps the heat in the house in winter and the air pleasantly cool in summer. Over this insulation, which often consists of mineral wool insulation boards, a system build-up with a reinforcement layer (with bonding and reinforcing mortar), a woven mesh and a topcoat render is then installed.
Render mortar consists of a mixture of gravel, sand, rock flour, and a binder. Mixed with water, the finished material is obtained. Depending on the composition of this basic recipe, various thick-layer or thin-layer render mortars are produced. They are very multi-faceted both in terms of colour and texture. In addition to a large selection of colors, there are different render finish patterns that create varied facade surfaces. Everything can be realised individually, from smooth render to fine-grained and coarser textures. The weather alone can leave traces on render facades over time. Therefore, a render repair or a new paint is usually required every 20 to 25 years.
Thanks to the ecologically aware AquaBalance technology, render facades remain nice for a long time. This removes nutrients from annoying facade vegetation (such as algae and fungi) by withdrawing the moisture from the facade. This video shows exactly how this works.
The rough and rather rainy north has been built with clinker bricks for centuries. Clinker brick slips are a slim variation of the robust stone. Both versions are made of high-quality clay and are a particularly robust, ceramic facade cladding. They are available in natural shades of grey, red, white and ochre, as well as in strong colours, and are available in a wide range of colours. The fire-fired elements are extremely resistant, fire and frost resistant and reliably protect the buildings from the weather effects. Due to their natural origin, clinker brick slips are recyclable.
At first glance, there is hardly any difference between clinker stones and clinker brick slips. However, the brick slips are much thinner in profile and are glued directly onto the insulated facade. Craftsmen fasten the straps in the so-called buttering-floating method. The adhesive mortar is applied on both the reinforcement layer and the back of the ceramic cladding. In the damp mortar bed, the clinker brick slips can then be positioned in parallel rows.
What about a material mix? More and more building owners are opting for a mixed facade due to the excellent properties and in favor of a lightened appearance. They combine different materials such as render, clinker brick slips or glass elements. This allows accents to be set and architectural features of the building to be highlighted. Thanks to modern thermal insulation composite systems, the design of different materials on partial surfaces is no problem. Due to the bonding of both clinker brick slips and glass panels, no visible fasteners (screws or frames) are necessary. Systems such as weber.therm style invite you to play with large areas.
The basement of a multi-storey building is often clad with clinker brick slips while the facade of the upper floor is rendered.
The mixed facade with clinker surfaces and scratch render ones make the building ensemble an eye-catcher. Clinker brick slips in beige and light grey were placed on the full-mineral ETICS of Weber, resulting in a harmonious overall picture.
Clinker facades in strong colours and unusual shapes are particularly expressive, and the joint colour also contributes to the overall effect. A strong contrast between brick slips and joints emphasizes the brick slips pattern on the facade. A grout that is more tone-in-tone brings out the clinker brick slips in the overall surface.
Render facades with glass elements or whole sections with glass panels provide unique light and colour effects.
In the historic settlement "Onkel Toms Hütte" in Berlin, all three facade elements are located on one building. The clinker brick slips of the facade socket part give a grounding to the multi-storey residential and commercial building. Render surfaces and glass surfaces alternate playfully above the socket part.