When it comes to constructing and maintaining barns and other agricultural buildings, substance is much more important than style, and farmers are always on the lookout for the toughest, most practical materials for their construction projects. Building cladding is no exception to this rule, and installing suitable cladding materials on the exterior walls of your buildings can do a great deal to protect them from the elements and the ravages of time.
Fibre cement is a relatively new addition to the field of cladding materials, but its remarkable properties have already made it extremely popular for agricultural building cladding. Here are just some of the advantages of installing James Hardie products made of fibre cement:
Durability
Fibre cement is similar to conventional cement, but is reinforced with extremely strong cellulose fibres woven into its makeup. As you can imagine, fibre cement is therefore extremely durable, and its particularly good at weathering incremental damage caused by long term exposure to wind, rain and intense sunlight. This reinforcement also makes fibre cement less brittle than conventional cements, so fibre cement cladding can also shrug off the occasional falling branch, badly parked vehicle or particularly angry cow.
Ventilation
Unlike many other cladding material options, such as vinyl or coated steel, fibre cement's porous structure allows air to pass freely through it, even as the cladding works effectively to keep out rain and noticeable draughts. This quality is particularly desirable when it comes to agricultural building cladding, as controlling ventilation and humidity levels within a building that houses animals, compost or other organic products can be very challenging.
By installing fibre cement cladding on your barn or building, you reduce the likelihood of condensation building up within the building, which can cause problems with damp and do significant damage to timber wall joists and roof trusses. The excellent ventilation offered by fibre cement also ensures that air circulates properly through your building, preventing unpleasant and dangerous buildups of methane and other gases caused by compost and manure fermentation.
Insect resistance
Fibre cement is far too tough and unappealing to attract the attentions of wood-boring insects, and even tenacious termites cannot chew through fibre cement cladding to reach wooden walls and structural timbers. This makes fibre cement cladding an excellent choice for protecting your buildings against insect attack, a particular boon for farms located in hotter, dryer areas.
Fire retardant
If the worst should come to past and one of your buildings catches fire, you can be sure that fibre cement cladding will not add to the ferocity of the blaze. This kind of cladding is almost totally non-flammable, and will only catch fire when subjected to temperatures considerably higher than those seen in building fires.
Low maintenance
There's never a shortage of work to do on a farm or any other kind of agricultrual operation, and if you choose fibre cement cladding, maintaining your cladding won't be one of them. Fibre cement cladding does not require maintenance beyond the occasional clean with a power washer, and does not require inspections to check for rust or mould, letting you fit your cladding and forget about it.