The use of fiberglass for walls, its types and properties, the use of fiber materials for reinforcement, insulation and decoration. Fiberglass is a filament made from molten glass or glass derivatives. In a complex technological process, the fibers are converted into a material that has unique properties uncharacteristic of traditional glass. It does not shatter from impacts, bends easily and has many varieties. These are glass wool, fiberglass, fiberglass, fiberglass and glass mesh. Possessing all the characteristics of fiberglass, they are always in demand in construction and are often used in the decoration and repair of walls.
The main varieties of fiberglass
Fiberglass is a semi-finished product for the production of acoustic, thermal insulation and finishing materials. The raw material for the manufacture of fiberglass for walls is glass breakage or a mixture containing limestone (dolomite), quartz sand and soda (sodium sulfate). All this is melted in special furnaces, and then the finest threads are drawn from the mass in a semi-liquid state.
The resulting fiber can be divided into two types according to the production method:
- Long strands … The threads drawn thousands of meters are produced in a continuous way. The molten mass, flowing out in streams through special holes in the die, is wound on a rotating drum. The streams are pulled into fibers and cool down. The fibers are very thin and resemble silk thread. After drawing, they pass through a sizing apparatus, where they are moistened with solidifying emulsions containing adhesives (gelatin, dextrin or starch) and plasticizers in the base. They give the fiber flexibility for further processing.
- Thin and short threads … Threads 30-50 mm long, similar to wool, are made in a staple way. It involves blowing molten glass mass with air or steam.
Continuous fibers are formed into twisted strands. After textile processing, mesh, cords and fiberglass are obtained from them. Staple fibers are used to make nonwovens such as glass wool.
Fiberglass differs in the diameter of the filaments: thick fiber has a diameter of more than 25 microns, respectively, thickened - 12-25 microns, thin - 4-12 microns, super-thin - 1-3 microns, ultra-thin - less than 1 micron.
Fabrics made from extra fine fibers serve as filters for chemical production. Overalls necessary for workers in the chemical industry and hot workshops are made of thin fiberglass.
Fibers of any kind are used in the production of fiberglass, which often serves as a protective coating for wall panels or is used to make more complex shapes.
Fiber in the form of fiberglass or mesh is used as a reinforcing material, which gives additional strength to the surface of building structures and prevents the development of cracks.
Slabs made from short staple fibers are used to insulate walls, ceilings and roofs of houses. In addition, this material has sound insulating properties.
On the basis of fiberglass, moisture-resistant wallpaper for walls is made - an excellent finishing material.
Advantages of fiberglass
Fiberglass has a lot of useful properties, among which the following advantages can be distinguished:
- The thermal insulation properties of fiber-based materials are excellent. Insulation particles trap air, which in itself is an excellent insulator in an enclosed space. Therefore, glass wool, located in the wall structure, reliably protects the room from summer heat and winter cold.
- Protection of premises from noise. The materials have sound-absorbing properties that depend on the thickness of the slabs.
- The elasticity of the material. Fiberglass products do not cake and can be safely transported in rolls or slabs over long distances.
- Ecological cleanliness. Fiber does not emit substances harmful to health, and therefore it is absolutely safe.
- The material is not flammable, it does not emit toxic substances from exposure to fire.
- Mold does not appear on the surface of the insulation.
- Fiberglass materials do not deform and withstand aging well.
Features of using fiberglass for walls
All these properties make it possible to successfully use fiber in the form of various products created on its basis for insulation, reinforcement and wall decoration in ways that we will consider below.
Painting net for walls
Painting net is a roll material made of fiberglass and having rectangular cells of various sizes from 2 mm or more. It is used to reinforce the putty coating of walls and ceilings. When plastering walls, fiberglass can be added to the finished mortar as fiber.
At the first stage of work, the surface is cleaned from the old finish, stains and dust are removed. Surface irregularities of more than 20 mm are leveled with plaster mortar. After it dries, the walls must be primed to reduce their moisture absorption.
The next stage is the application of a layer of putty to the surface and the installation of a paint net. On the freshly applied putty, mesh sheets are laid with an overlap of about 10-15 cm. Then, using a spatula or grater, it is sunk into the gypsum mixture to 2/3 of the depth and the putty is allowed to dry.
At the third stage of work, a finishing layer of putty is applied over the mesh, which should also dry within 12-24 hours. After that, the surface of the wall is sanded with sandpaper. The resulting reinforced coating does not crack, therefore it is quite suitable for further decoration with wallpaper or paints and varnishes.
Painting fiberglass for walls
Fiberglass is a homogeneous non-woven fabric made of randomly glued fibers. It has a very high tensile strength. Organic resins are used here as an adhesive. Due to its soft and pleasant to the touch texture, the material is called "spider web".
Smooth fiberglass is widely used on walls prone to cracking and prevents cracks in the finish by reinforcing the surface and strengthening the base.
Fiberglass can be used instead of wallpaper. For its installation, a special glue is used, which is sold ready-made. The walls must be prepared in advance: cleaned, leveled and primed. It is not necessary to putty the glued surface, you can treat it with liquid glue, and paint it after it dries. You can renew fiberglass for painting walls up to twenty times, changing its color and giving the desired texture to the finishing layer.
Despite its small thickness, the fiberglass is not afraid of heat, water and chemicals. At the same time, it freely passes air, ensuring the absence of mold on the walls. The benefits of using this material are obvious: it is half the price of fiberglass, while being an absolutely environmentally friendly product.
In addition, fiberglass has another advantage: the cost of its sticker is two times less than the use of a masking net in combination with a putty. Moreover, the thickness of the coatings varies significantly. The thickness of the fiberglass layer is slightly more than 0.2 mm, and the putty with a mesh is 4 mm.
When cutting glass fleece, small glass fibers can injure hands. Therefore, work with this material should be done with gloves. To exclude the contact of such "fragments" on the skin of the body, in the eyes and in the respiratory system, it is necessary to use thick overalls and goggles.
There are 25 or 50 m in one roll 1 m wide2 material. The cost of fiberglass is 500-800 rubles / roll.
Glass wool for walls
Glass wool is an insulating mineral material made from staple fibers. Compared to stone wool, it has increased strength and elasticity due to the larger size of the threads. The insulation has a fairly large volume, since it is all permeated with air. Pressing glass wool saves space during storage and transportation - European standards provide for sixfold compression. The elasticity of the material allows you to completely restore the original dimensions after opening the package.
Glass wool is used for thermal insulation of external walls of buildings and soundproofing of internal partitions. Heaters made of staple fiber are non-hygroscopic and chemically resistant. Due to the absence of smell and special anti-rotting treatment of the material, pests, fungus and mold do not appear on the insulated walls.
Glass wool does not burn, and when exposed to fire does not emit toxins. Its thin and long (up to 150 mm) fibers successfully absorb sound waves and provide effective protection of premises from noise.
Sound absorbing fiberglass insulation is available in rolls or slabs. Mats have some advantage in installation. They allow you to insulate walls in wider areas with fewer joints than with thermal insulation with slabs.
During the production process, glass wool is often equipped with a layer of additional coating, which gives the insulation useful properties. Fiberglass, foil and others are used as such coatings. For example, a foil layer of insulation perfectly reflects heat from the walls to the interior of the room, not letting the cold outside. Therefore, this material is often used to insulate steam rooms and saunas.
When building houses, glass wool is used:
- As a layer of insulation for hinged ventilated facades;
- In systems of internal insulation of enclosing structures;
- In systems with insulation located inside the walls: three-layer reinforced concrete panels, "sandwich" - panels with metal cladding or laminated masonry.
The main way to insulate walls from the outside is to create a ventilated facade. Its hinged structure must always be supported by very strong walls, since the cladding has a lot of weight. The insulation itself does not have a large mass.
Fasteners of the panels are pre-installed on the walls according to the project. Insulation plates can be located regardless of the marking of the brackets, since they can be passed through the fasteners by making a cross-shaped cut in the insulation.
After mounting the brackets, the insulation slabs are applied to the wall and fixed on it with plastic dowels "fungus", five pieces each. The insulation creates an almost seamless coating on the wall due to the elastic spacing of the products, which is achieved by pressing them against each other with the effort of the hand. The thickness of the insulation is chosen depending on the climatic zone and averages 10-20 cm.
To insulate the walls from the inside of the room, a wooden or metal lathing from a bar or an aluminum profile is preliminarily made. A heat insulator in the form of fiberglass plates is placed in its cells. Then it is covered with a vapor barrier membrane and cladding of the selected type, which is attached to the crate. It can be chipboard, plywood, lining, drywall sheets and other materials.
Fiberglass for walls
Fiberglass is a composite material made of chopped fiberglass and a thermoplastic polymer that acts as a binder. Its production is carried out in two ways.
In the first case, the fiberglass, which is continuously unwound from the roll, enters the impregnating bath, after which the excess adhesive is removed on the squeeze rollers. The polymer-impregnated sheets are pressed and held in a compressed state until the composition hardens. After that, the sheets are cut with special knives.
In another case, the molding of products is carried out by the method of spraying. At the same time, polyester resin and chopped glass fibers are simultaneously applied to the prepared form using a spray gun. In this way, fiberglass can be sprayed onto walls and ceilings to improve the acoustics of rooms: recording studios or concert halls.
Fiberglass has a low specific gravity, low thermal conductivity, moisture resistance and strength of steel. It can be produced in any shape, thickness and color, and the use of special resins makes the material non-combustible and environmentally friendly. By weight, finished products consist of 60% resin and 40% fiberglass filler.
Fiberglass sheets are used as decorative and facing materials. The length of the sheets is 1000-6000 mm, the width is up to 1500 mm, and the thickness is from 1-2, 5 mm. Opaque GRP forms the outer face of the curtain wall panels. When using pigments, it can be given the necessary decorative properties.
Fiberglass can be painted, covered with natural veneer, PVC foil. It lends itself well to mechanical processing: sawn, drilled, etc. However, this process is accompanied by the appearance of carcinogenic dust that eats into the skin. Therefore, protective equipment should be used when working with this material.
Fiberglass Wallpaper
Fiberglass wallpaper is a wall covering woven from glass fibers in a textile manner. In the process of "knitting" the material is given various patterns and textures. It is particularly durable and wear resistant. Fiberglass wallpaper glued to the wall is difficult to damage. Woven fabric withstands impacts and will not puncture. The coating can be easily cleaned from dirt without any harm to itself using a stiff brush and household detergents and disinfectants.
In addition, wallpaper has other remarkable properties:
- This is an absolutely natural product, the wallpaper does not contain any "chemistry".
- Maintain a clean indoor climate, allowing the walls to "breathe".
- They resist the appearance of mold and do not accumulate electricity, and therefore dust.
- High cost-effectiveness of wallpaper: given its thirty-year service life, the coating can be repainted up to 20 times in various fashionable colors.
- The fire-retardant properties of fiberglass wallpaper are unique: it is the only material of all types of similar coverings that does not burn when it is applied to the walls.
- The ability to apply paint to such wallpapers provides designers with a wide field of activity, ranging from simple stencil techniques to painting on the wall.
According to the sanitary and epidemiological conclusions and confirmed certificates, the performance properties of glass cloth wallpaper allow them to be used for decorating the walls of buildings of all categories. Wherever you need durable, fireproof and easy-care wall surfaces, you can see glass wallpaper: in the Tretyakov Gallery and Louvre, McDonalds restaurant chains, Hilton and Intourist hotels, car dealerships, banks, medical clinics and child care facilities. Every year more and more people trust fiberglass wallpaper for the walls of their apartments and houses.
The material can be glued to brickwork, concrete, chipboard, plasterboard surfaces, as well as metal and wood. When preparing the walls, it is imperative to seal the cracks on them, and then prime them with a liquid solution of wallpaper glue. For leveling and reinforcing walls, you can use the "gossamer".
For pasting walls with fiberglass in the form of wallpaper, a special glue is used that is compatible with the base material, for example, Wellton or Oscar. The glue is applied only to the wall, and the canvases are glued end-to-end. After installing the wallpaper, before painting it, you must wait for the coating to dry.
Glass cloth wallpaper should be painted twice with a break of more than 12 hours. For coloring, it is better to choose glossy latex paints.
Fiberglass Wall Panels
Wall panels made of fiberglass are used for exterior and interior wall decoration. Facades of buildings are decorated with siding. These plates are resistant to bad weather and temperature changes from -50 to +60 C. During operation, they do not rot, do not delaminate and show increased resistance to water, snow and salt.
The outer surface of the panels is painted in various colors during the manufacturing process and can be textured to look like wood. Siding provides ventilation to the facade, preventing dampness on the walls and the appearance of mold. Insulation can be placed between the profiles of the cladding frame. The width of the panels is 280 mm, their length depends on the conditions of installation and transportation.
The installation of the fiberglass wall panel is carried out on the lathing or directly on the surface if it is flat. The lathing is made of wooden slats with a section of 25x80 mm. For horizontal siding, the slats are attached to the walls vertically. The step between them is 50-60 cm. The free space can be filled with insulation. Fastening of panels to each other is carried out using special locking joints provided for by the design of the products. On the crate, the panels are fixed with nails or screws.
Fiberglass panels for interior wall cladding are 20mm thick. For the convenience of wet cleaning, their front part is covered with PVC film, and the back side is covered with felt. Products are used in swimming pools, kitchens, bathrooms. For slabs covered with fiberglass, moisture resistance, impact strength and sound absorption are increased. These properties ensure their use in gyms, corridors and offices. Wall panels with a facing layer made of fiberglass are used in cinemas, restaurants and lecture halls.
Fiberglass translucent panels of the Kalwall type have recently become very popular. Structures made of such panels can easily withstand extreme weather conditions and strong wind loads. Therefore, this material can be used in construction in any climatic region.
The main advantage of such panels is the ability to transmit light, so that they can successfully replace traditional fragile glass. Unbreakable and lightweight panels are often curved and are used to fill walls, doors and panoramic windows.
How to use fiberglass for walls - watch the video:
All of the above is not the whole list of places where fiberglass products are used. Its wide distribution became possible due to high technologies and quality requirements for finished products.
