Performance.
Terracotta has a very long lasting and environmentally friendly qualities. The product basically a combination of clay and water with no chemical additives needed results in a firm and strong end product when dried up effectively. All nature and no necessary need for restructuring. The effectiveness of clay can be easily noted with it being the major construction material used in past times and evidence of its durability can be seen with structures constructed with it still standing the test of time up till now, this can be seen in the less developed country and in some cases even in the developed.
Terracotta products tend to stand the test of time and remain forever renewable, due to their natural qualities.
Life cycle.
In comparing terracotta panels with other cladding products an advantage well worth taking into consideration is its long life cycle.
Terracotta cladding products can last for as much as 100years with little to no maintenance, especially when using the rain screen principle.
Terracotta panels maintain color as opposed to other facades such as fiber cement and so on which tend to fade over time and loose color.
Terracotta is referred to as the perfect building material due to the fact that it can always be recycled after use or ground down and repurposed into utensils and possibly for road constructions as well.
Thermal Performance.
Terracotta because of its inept qualities when used as a rainscreen will provide a building construction with better energy performance as opposed to any precast system.
Maintenance.
Maintenance is of great importance in any wall cladding material and even though terracotta panels have resounding resilience, they also need to be maintained from time to time.
Maintenance of terracotta panels is best carried out every 10 years.
Power washing the terracotta panel is one method of maintenance as that helps wash away dust which may have been stored over time.
Terracotta panels not been washed after 30 plus years also can be maintained through this method thereby resulting into a brand new look.
A major advantage terracotta has over other materials is the cost of low maintenance, in the case of other materials such as plastic or metal, a simple power wash just wouldn’t cut it as maintenance would cover cracks and if possible a complete revamp.
Other claddings include;
- Concrete Cladding.
- Fiber cement Cladding.
- Stone Cladding.
- Vinyl Cladding Systems.
- Timber Cladding.
- External Foam Cladding Systems.
- Metal Cladding.
- Weatherboard cladding
All the above need extra care and maintenance due to the production material used in their creation. For instance, a concrete cladding material overtime would crack and fall apart due to constant contact with water and maintenance could vary depending on the crack experienced by the wall cladding material, if possible a completely new wall cladding may be needed if necessary. Same applies to metal as well due to rust possibilities.
a renowned leading manufacturer and distributor of terracotta panels. Established in 2002, LOPO has an extended Italian production line into terracotta bricks and cultural stone. With main markets in Asia, North America, Africa, and products meeting the need of a customer base of over 60 countries. With customers in various regions and customer service being of utmost priority, LOPO is committed to providing sincere cooperation and a win-win business relationship.