from the series "Facade and wall materials - trends 2025"
Building insulation system BSO (seamless thermal insulation composite system), ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system) popularly known as the "light-wet" method - using thermal claddings such as polystyrene and mineral wool - is the most common and still - in terms of economy - the most attractive method of insulating external walls of buildings.
BP11 H2RS
© BELLA PLAST
Bella Plast has been a leader in the production of trims and finishing profiles for thermal insulation systems for more than 25 years.
How and what to dilate in ETICS?
Implementation of facades with the "light-wet" method, i.e. with the use of thermal cladding made of Styrofoam or mineral wool reinforced with glass mesh, with an external coating of thin-coat structural plasters requires the implementation of dilatation. This is due to the difference in hardness and elasticity, as well as the difference in thermal expansion of the building materials used.
The element that is the least flexible and therefore the most fragile are thin-layer plasters And in order to effectively protect the surface of the facade from damage, cracks and cracks in the plaster - it is necessary to use system expansion joint profiles BELLA PLAST.
The most common place requiring the installation of expansion joints, found in every building, are the windows. Here it is necessary to use PVC window expansion slats BP13 series. The strips are designed to separate the plaster from the surface of the window or door frame through the use of a special flexible expansion foam in the construction of the strip, which will absorb and offset the stresses and vibrations in this sensitive area. Expansion strips should also be installed when installing external roller shutters. The joint between the plaster and the roller shutter guide must be properly dilated by using an expansion strip for roller shutter guides: BP13 R.
BP13 R color turner oak expansion joint strip for external roller shutter guides in ETICS - miontage
© BELLA PLAST
Another area that requires the installation of expansion joints in ETICS is the surface of the facade when the span of the building exceeds 15m or when the building or set of buildings such as segments - is founded on separate footings. And exactly at the height of such a division should run a vertical expansion line. In this case, use a PVC expansion joint strip called BP15 E, or when the footings form an angular connection - use the BP16 expansion joint strip. Both strips have a special flexible membrane, which should be inserted into the expansion joint.
BP16V expansion joint strip for internal angle
© BELLA PLAST
In the case of an elevation on the surface of which color divisions have been designed, especially when we are dealing with extremely different colors in terms of brightness, i.e., for example, an area in black or dark gray and an area, for example, in white - it is necessary to use flush-mounted expansion joint strips called BP15 EXT at the place of color division. It is important in this case, under the expansion membrane, to leave a break in the continuity of the reinforcing glass mesh.
Another place where expansion joints are used is for sheet metal sills. Here there is a dedicated sub-sill strip called BP20, which is installed under the sill, and BP20SC strip, which is installed at the ends of the tin sill and is connected by glass mesh to the surface of the glyph.
BP20 sill strip Bella Plast - installation
© BELLA PLAST
Drip caps, drips - where and why?
Thin-coat plasters require special protection in terms of moisture. All possible technical measures should be taken to reduce and limit the moisture on the surface of the facade.
So, elements (shapes) protruding outside the facade, such as a balcony, terrace, oriel, or most commonly: the lower end of the facade above the retracted plinth - here it becomes necessary to install a drip strip. The choice of such products is wide and allows you to perform this activity very effectively. The most commonly used are eave strips with mesh, which are de facto an angle with one arm extended outward, along which rainwater can break away from the surface of the facade. In this case, there are eaves strips of the BP14 series, e.g. BP14 LUX N, BP14 LUX, BP14 ECO PLUS, BP14 PLUS N - they all serve the same purpose, and the differences are only in the shape of the bottom plane of the strip: once we are dealing with a so-called flush-mounted eaves strip and once with an eaves strip with a visible eaves element. The BP14 series is available in traditional sections in lengths of L250cm and L300cm.
Particularly noteworthy is a NEW eave strip rolled in a roll of 25 meters called BP14 RF. This is a solution that provides one basic advantage: no joints between consecutive sections of traditional drip mouldings (L250 , L300) and no waste when cutting to size as each time we get one section of the required length at a time, e.g. 17 mb. In addition, the strip in the form of a roll is packed in a compact package with dimensions of 60cm / 60cm / 30cm and reduces the cost of transport and storage. The solution is protected by a patent claim.
BP14 RF - 25 meters ROLKA drip moulding for ETICS rolled up.
© BELLA PLAST
A recommended solution for the issue of water drainage from the facade surface are also adjustable PVC drip starter strips ( BP30S series) allowing the installation of thermal insulation boards up to 22cm thick and drip starter strips NEW: BP30S LUX COK, BP30S PLUS N COK, BP30S LUXN COK, BP30S ECO PLUS COK, which consist of a BP27 carrier element mounted to the wall and an outer element consisting of a horizontal shelf and a drip cap in several shapes - this solution is aimed at facades in passive houses where the thickness of thermal insulation can exceed 25cm, 30cm and more.
BP27 assembly
© BELLA PLAST
DESIGN? Why not?
Making a facade using the "light-wet" method is a purely technical task that requires meeting a number of technical rules and conditions.
However, it is possible, investing the same funds for thermal insulation - to take a step more and design a facade in a completely different quality in terms of design and appearance. We will still provide the necessary thermal insulation qualities, but we will add an even better, more interesting appearance to our facade.
And here we can take advantage of a number of products dedicated precisely to performing decorative treatments on the surface of the facade.The most common means - certainly - here are systemic PVC strips for rustication, thanks to which we will make grooves in the facade, the course of which can be horizontal and/or vertical at the same time. In this way we will obtain divisions on the facade : squares, rectangles, horizontal rustications, and painting the obtained surfaces in different colors - will further increase the scope of our idea of the facade appearance. Available here are PVC strips for square cavity rustication in sizes: 10mm/10mm, 20mm/20mm, 20mm/30mm, 20mm/ 50mm along with accessories such as external and internal angles, cross and "T" shaped connectors : BP11 H1 S, BP11 H2R S, BP11 H3RS, BP11 H5RS.
BP11 HTS triangular PVC skirting board for rustication
© BELLA PLAST
It is also worth considering the use of PVC rustication strips called BP11 MINI MAX with accessories - that is, strips with a trough size of 3mm / 7mm, which allow you to get a delicate "grout" on the surface of the facade, for example, in a system of rectangles imitating stone, such as sandstone or granite - after using decorative plasters - imitating just stone facades.
Another way to implement our design projects are PVC decorative strips called BP19 + plugs BP19 CAP - which is an external groove with the dimensions of a traditional seam used in connecting roofing or facade sheets. BP19 strip allows you to make such an external groove on the surface of the facade in the technique of the "light-wet" method. Slats can be mounted vertically and/or horizontally, in any length and in any position, e.g. a'la "matrix" version, etc. For the BP19 molding there is a dedicated rustication molding called BP11 HTS, which is an identical groove to the BP19 molding, but this time internal as a triangular groove in the facade. The juxtaposition of BP19 and BP11 HTS strips together or separately gives basically endless possibilities for creating the appearance of our facade.
For more information, visit the company's BELLA PLAST Jastrzębski i Wspólnicy Sp. K. page on the PdA portal.
