Category Archives: exterior cladding panels

Fibre Cement Cladding – Modern Architect’s Ultimate Choice!

exterior cladding panels

While home interiors personify your private world, home exteriors are the connection to the outside world. Your exterior is the first impression to the outsiders and here you would surely not like to fail!

There are multiple material options available for crafting timeless designs for home exteriors but when it comes to striking a balance between perfect architecture, affordability, and functional stability, it’s the Fibre cement exterior cladding panels that take the lead.  They are a durable, low-cost alternative to extravagant cladding options like stone and wood and are excellent for adding a tinge of style to your home.

A Truly Multipurpose Board:

Fibre cement board today is being viewed as one of the best building material that is outperforming other traditional solutions. Hence, it’s widely used for different applications in building and construction and beyond.

  • Shakes and Shingles: Creating an attractive and classy look for facades is easier with fibre cement shakes and shingles. You can easily imitate the stunning wood-like appearance with these shingles and shakes without actually shelling out a hefty amount on original wood, causing stress on the environment. The product is standardly available in individual pieces and panels, and are suitable for small and large facades. Coming in a variety of shapes – straight edge, staggered edge and half-round shaped and more, they offer an opportunity to create striking architecture that’s a sheer delight.
  • Horizontal Lap Siding: Horizontal or lap siding is one of the most popular choices when it comes to residential siding. Most of the lap sidings are bevelled which means the panels are bit thicker at the bottom than at the top. Installed from the bottom-up, each subsequent panel is placed overlapping the previous one. They come in different widths and a variety of edge patterns like straight or beaded that allow you to experiment with interesting looks.
  • Shiplap Siding: Unlike horizontal lap siding, where the panels overlap each other, the shiplap profile is edged-matched for a tight joint appearance. Installed using tongue and groove system in most cases, these sidings create a clean and smooth surface, adding a contemporary flair to your homes.
  • Vertical Siding: If you want to opt for a more traditional or rustic broad and batten style then vertical siding is just the right option to choose. It adds a streamlined, distinctive rustic appeal to your home. You can also be a bit creative and try combining a vertical profile with other siding styles. This innovative idea may result in something really unique and captivating, making your exteriors stand out.
  • Soffit: Fibre Cement soffits found along the eave area do more than just enhancing the visual appeal of your home exterior. Available in vented and non-vented styles, they protect your exteriors from pests and also gives you a way to disguise ventilation for your attic. The vented style allows better air control flow through your building.

Sahyadri Industries Ltd is one of the leading manufacturers of EcoPro fibre cement cladding and is known for its top-notch products. EcoPro products are defined by aesthetics, uncompromised performance, and unrivalled designs. Be it interior cladding, drywall partition, facade etc., the range can help your architect craft the best structure. Accentuate your home interior/exterior with EcoPro and enjoy the element of real architectural beauty!

EcoPro Fibre Cement-The Best Choice for Claddings/Sidings

When you want to create architecturally correct and visually appealing homes, EcoPro fibre cement sheet is the right pick because they meet all the criteria you are looking for. Here are some of the properties that make them every architect’s preferred choice.

  • Owing to their rugged nature, EcoPro fibre cement claddings are impact and abrasion-resistant that ensure high durability and longer life.
  • EcoPro Fibre cement siding is safe from warping and rotting.
  • Unlike other building materials, they are non-hazardous to health.
  • They are easy to install, maintain and repair.
  • Resistant to moisture and high temperatures, they provide protection against external weather conditions.
  • Offers multitudes of patterns and styles open for a creative approach.

EcoPro is committed to offering sustainable building materials solutions that offer beauty, style, and performance. EcoPro fibre cement boards have the GreenPro Ecolabel and one of the premium fibre cement boards to guarantee contribution to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) credits on every project.

Six Reasons Why Fibre Cement Cladding is Becoming Popular

Six Reasons Why Fibre Cement Cladding is Becoming Popular

exterior cladding panels

Right kind of cladding can make your home stand out in your neighbourhood.  Whether limited to specific portions or applied to the entire exterior structure, cladding is the best home enhancing solution that reflects your individual style. While there are ample of cladding materials available like wood, metal, brick, and more, fibre cement sheet is gaining immense popularity among homeowners as well as builders due to its in-built qualities.

Six Benefits of Fibre Cement Cladding

  • Longer Shelf Life:

    Fibre cement claddings are the most durable cladding options available. A composite product of sand, cement, and cellulose fibres, these claddings enjoy better sustainability and resistance to harsh weather, wear and tear, and termites when compared to other materials. These intrinsic qualities make fibre cement cladding ideal for all types of structures including commercial structures like hotels, offices, schools, hospitals, etc.

Fibre Cement Cladding is becoming Popular by EcoPro

  • Versatility in Style:

    With fibre cement cladding you get to explore multiple home exterior styles and finishing. Exterior paint is easily applied with its wide range of colors and patterns adding that extra edge to your home. Fibre cement cladding also offers you with a wide array of finishes, ranging from smooth to highly textured surfaces. You can experiment with these exciting patterns to create an appealing look for your home.

  • Best Way to Emulate the Organic Look:

    For all those who wish to give a traditional, classy wooden or stone-like appearance to their home exterior, fibre cement is the right choice. The versatile texture of fibre cement sheet can be streamlined to mimic a natural wood feel or add a stone-look appearance.

  • Water Resistant:

    Unlike concrete ceilings that are prone to soaking moisture, resulting in the development of mold and ugly patches in room corners, fibre cement cladding offers ideal moisture-proof solutions. EcoPro water-resistant fibre cement cladding are therefore ideally suited to even in damp prone areas like washrooms, kitchens and other areas exposed to water.
    exterior cladding panels manufacturer in India - EcoPro

  • Fire-Proof:

    When it comes to building a safe home, fire resistant material is the top priority. EcoPro is fire-resistant and are ideal for places where exposure to fire hazard are imminent, like the areas near your electrical junction box, switches and electrical fittings.

  • Minimal Maintenance:

    An additional benefit of using fibre cement cladding is that it requires minimal maintenance requirement. Unlike wood, fibre cement material does not require regular treatment or repainting. The finishing doesn’t crack or peel prematurely as fibre cement boards are environmentally stable. Moreover, there is no expensive pressure washing needed like in vinyl and aluminium cladding.

  • Quick and Tidy Installation:

    Fibre cement cladding is quick and easy to install. Its lightweight feature ensures minimal load imposed on the structure to which it is to be attached. This is not all; the cutting and drilling processes do not kick up a lot of dust as other materials do. Its installation comes with minimal mess, fuss, and wastage.

With all these advantages, fibre cement cladding is most likely to become an indispensable part of mainstream construction in days to come! For more information, contact us at +91 20 26444625 / 26 / 27

Why Fibre Cement Cladding is Architect’s Top Choice for Exterior Wall Cladding

exterior cladding panels

Fibre cement panels are composed of sand, cement and cellulose fibres which act as reinforcement. These panels are used as an exterior wall cladding material in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Fibre cement sheet or Fibre Cement boards as it is frequently referred to, normally come in the form of planks and panels along with various texture details. Fibre cement planks are made to mimic longer wooden planks and are frequently used in place of the latter. Panels are larger in size than planks, commonly measuring 4 ft x 8 ft.  They are used to cover a broader surface area per piece and are often employed in place of vertical cladding siding & exterior wall cladding panels.

Properties of fibre cement exterior wall cladding

One of the most sought-after attributes of fibre cement is its dimensional stability. In other words, fibre cement based exterior wall cladding does not contract and expand, unlike exterior wall cladding panels made with traditional materials. This property is favourable, especially for paint. Paint in itself is bad at stretching. Hence, it does not stretch and contract according to the surface it is put on. Instead, it chips and cracks, prompting for the need to repaint after some period of time.  Fibre cement does not shift shape as much, thereby exerting the paint lesser than its counterparts.

Comes in various styles

Fibre cement doesn’t just mimic wood, but also stones and bricks. Sahyadri industries make a variety of fibre cement panels in wood, stone and brick patterns, that are perfect for exterior wall cladding purposes. The brick patterns come in a variety of hues from shades of red to tan. The EcoPro boards are durable, easy to work with and available in a wide range of colours and finishes to suit traditional and modern design schemes. It is versatile and cost-effective enough to be used for large and small projects.

Another great feature of fibre cement sheet is its property of water resistance. The cement binder present does not let it rust or rot. As an exterior wall cladding material, fibre cement boards are the best option to be used in areas of high rainfall and wet humid conditions. Property developers, builders, and contractors are increasingly using fibre cement for cladding purposes for all these benefits.

The maintenance for fibre cement exterior wall cladding is very simple as it involves nothing more than an annual wash with mildly soapy water. Less maintenance means no need to tackle rot or warp due to weathering or water damage. If that wasn’t enough, fibre-cement cladding installed correctly works as an effective termite barrier.

Here’s why fibre cement sheets are the right choice for exterior wall cladding

  • Highly durable, long-lasting and easy to maintain.
  • Possesses acoustic properties, can be used as sound absorbing panels.
  • This type of exterior wall cladding shows high resilience against harsh weather conditions such as heat, fire, and water.
  • It carries a rating of Class 1(A) fire/flame spread which is the highest level of fire protection.
  • With fibre cement, exterior wall cladding panels are completely termite resistant and can be used in place of termite proof plywood.
  • Such exterior wall cladding panels are resistant to cracks, swelling, and warping, thereby displaying dimensional stability. Once installed these panels can be painted, wallpapered or given any other decorative treatment. The Paint holds on very well on the exterior wall cladding
  • Fibre cement panels have a great aesthetic appeal as they can replace components like wood, stone, etc. Also, the boards are lighter to work with, and yet offer high structural stability and strength in exterior wall cladding

For more information, contact us at +91 20 26444625 / 26 / 27

fibre cement board to increase Aesthetic Value of your residence

EcoPro Fire Resistant Panels For Your Rescue

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One of the most critical issues for architects is to ensure that the building designs address the fire safety norms. Unfortunately, there have been several devastating fire occurrences in important locations around the world. A recent prominent fire tragedy took place at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in London on June 14, 2017, shattered the world. Many people lost their lives and several others were injured. Grenfell Tower footage showed the fire spreading up one side of the building externally, before engulfing the entire block. It was touted to be Britain’s deadliest fire in decades.

Similar fire disaster happened at the Address Hotel, Dubai on Jan 1, 2016 where fortunately, no causality was reported. In both the investigations, it was revealed that the external facade was made up of a cheaper aluminium type (ACP) of cladding acting as a fire resistant. Additionally, cladding can create cavities in some cases and can cause a chimney effect, drawing flames up the cavity if there are no firewalls.

What is ACP?

Aluminium Composite Panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. The materials used in the core and skin may vary. The core may be a honeycomb or a solid filling of plastic building materials. ACPs are extensively used on the outer facade of buildings because of two reasons –

  • The outer facade can be furbished in less time.
  • They are low on maintenance as compared to other alternatives.

Initially, ACPs manufactured were non-combustible in nature. With the growing popularity and global demand, mass production kicked off in different parts of the world, consequently compromising on the quality of the product. Building material manufacturers started adding combustible ingredients like plastic in the production of ACP, thus making it available cheap in the market.

Poor Status of Cladding Systems Across the World:

A majority of the external wall cladding systems currently in use all over the world pose a serious threat to life or property in the event of a fire mishap. At any point in time, there will be combustible insulation present, open voids behind cladding and absence of fire stopping at floor levels, compounding the risk. Hence, it is peak time we got rid of the use of ACPs during the construction process.

Conscious Efforts Towards Fire Safety:

Although, it is hard to predict owners voluntarily getting rid of the entire existing aluminium composite panel facades and replacing them with fire resistant panels, as the costs will escalate. Adoption of partial replacement with adequate barrier bands of fire resistant board could prevent the fire from spreading. Moreover, there are some conscious builders who have already started removal of all ACPs used in old buildings in the interest of the safety of the occupants, employees and visitors.

Long-Term Solutions:

“ECOPRO” thinks a step ahead towards sustainability. Eco-friendly fibre cement sheet comes with priceless features like:

  • Quick plus easy installation & removal
  • Unmatched style quotient
  • Reduce labour & subsequent costs
  • Good load-bearing capacity
  • Virtually maintenance-free
  • Durable in all weather
  • Offers infinite design solutions