Orange and grey SVK fibre cement facade panels on a residential building

How are SVK fibre cement facade panels installed?

Raising standards of quality and performance need not necessarily require raising budgets. SVK fibre cement cladding is proof of that, bringing a world of colour, texture and enduring aesthetics to a facade, while remaining a decidedly cost-effective solution.

Although aesthetic appeal is key when considering cladding panels for new build and renovation projects, finding an easy-to-install solution is essential when budgets and time schedules need to be met. SVK fibre cement rainscreen panels are precision engineered to meet the needs of the modern construction industry.

This choice of external cladding material brings with it many technical and performance related benefits, making it the perfect option for everything from high rise buildings to small scale projects. Lightweight but strong, these facade panels can be installed quickly, efficiently and safely onto a wide range of substrates as an outer skin, minimising labour costs and disruption to public facilities.

How do SVK panels form part of a facade scheme?

SVK cladding boards are fixed onto a timber or aluminium sub-frame using rivets, screws or concealed fixings. Generally, insulation is present between the panel and the substrate wall, with a ventilated cavity required in between the insulation and panels. 

When installing SVK fibre cement facade panels, it is important to choose a ventilated facade system. This way, the building is given the necessary breathing space and the exterior cladding panel offers some protection to the insulation and the facade structure underneath. 

Across the SVK rainscreen cladding range, panels can be pre-cut to bespoke measurements to limit expensive waste or delivered to a project in full sheets to be cut and drilled on site. This offers the flexibility to play with shape and size in the facade design, whilst also limiting the amount of manpower, wastage and storage required on site. 

SVK wall cladding panels can also be easily installed alongside other facade products, such as our Corium brick tile cladding system, or more traditional building materials like brick for a mixed material aesthetic.

 

What are the principles of ventilated rainscreen cladding?

SVK panels should be installed as part of a ventilated rainscreen facade construction with a well-ventilated cavity and with open horizontal joints. For an effective ventilated system, SVK fibre cement cladding requires a minimum 50mm cavity behind the panel and open horizontal joints of at least 10mm. 

A rainscreen system like this uses a ventilated cavity to provide a two-stage protective envelope to the building. The facade panels form an ‘umbrella’ protecting the underlying insulation and construction against water and other weather conditions: heat, wind etc.

The outer leaf of an SVK fibre cement facade panel provides the major barrier to rain penetration. The joints between the panels hinder the passage of wind driven rain, although some moisture may penetrate. The ventilated cavity allows any water that does penetrate the panel joints to be removed partly by evaporation and evacuation through stack effect, and partly by running down the rear face of the decorative panels and out at the base of the wall. 

Although they do offer some weather resistance, SVK cladding products are designed to be used as a decorative outer layer rather than a completely water and wind-proof shell, so inner cavity walls should be made watertight.

One of the advantages of a ventilated facade structure is that the risk of internal condensation is minimised as moisture that migrates from inside the building into the cavity is easily evacuated thanks to ventilation. Condensation usually appears on the cold insulation surface and when the cavity is adequately ventilated, this moisture is easily removed, and further condensation is avoided.  

 

What size joint should I use to allow for movement?

When installed according to manufacturer’s instructions, open-joint facade systems allow the building to breathe and thermo-regulate by providing a well-ventilated cavity between the back of the panels and surface of the insulation, which can be installed either behind or between wooden battens or aluminium profiles. 

Although SVK fibre cement panels are less sensitive to hygro-thermal movement than many other cladding materials, a joint of at least 10mm between panels allows for hygro-thermal movement and any execution tolerances. 

Another advantage of a ventilated system is that the basic building structure is not exposed to high temperatures in warmer weather. A dark coloured facade panel will absorb heat from the sun and can reach temperatures as high 60° C, but this heat is not further absorbed into the building thanks to sufficient cavity ventilation.

 

What fixing methods are used for SVK cladding?

There are a variety of methods for fixing SVK facade panels available, with each technique offering a durable, high-quality result. Furthermore, visible as well as hidden attachments are possible for all types of panels. Each panel is fixed with at least 4 fasteners of the same type.

SVK cladding is a self-supporting facade finishing system: the panels transfer their own weight and the wind load through the sub-frame onto the supporting internal skin. The panels can support no other loads than these, so do not fix any objects directly on SVK facade panels.

Screws

SVK cladding boards can be fixed with colour matching, round head screws to a timber frame supporting structure. The screws are inserted perpendicularly through pre-drilled screw holes.

Rivets

Rivets matched to the same colour as the chosen SVK panel can be used to secure it to an aluminium sub-frame.

Invisible Mechanical Fixing

Undercut anchors are attached to the rear side of predrilled SVK panels for attaching onto an aluminium supporting structure. There are no visible fixings on the front of the panel.

Read the SVK Technical Guide

For a deeper dive into how SVK panels should be handled on site, installed and maintained as part of a building envelope solution, take a look at our SVK Technical Guide

SVK is BBA certified

Wienerberger has undergone 3 years of rigorous testing and has had the privilege of working alongside the BBA to deliver a fully certified product in SVK.

Modern house with SVK facade

Contact our team

Are you interested in finding out more about SVK fibre cement facade panels for your current or future projects? 

Contact us now to order samples, ask a question, enquire about CPDs or request a call back from a member of our team to discuss your requirements.

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