Insulate Magazine Issue 15

Insulate Insight
Are you
Bricking it?
John Taylor, Technical Director at Euroform Products
The use of sheathing boards as part of a through-wall construction with timber or steel frame (SFS)
systems is not a new concept. Most will be confident in the competent installation of the sheathing
board in these applications, but given the wide range of sheathing boards available across the
market, John Taylor, Technical Director at Euroform Products, explains why the installation method for this
external finish needs careful attention.
Regardless of the external wall finish
to be used, there is an ever more
demanding requirement for sheathing
materials to not only be quicker
to install, but to also have the
capability to contribute towards the
securing of other elements within
the façade system.
Where a brick façade is concerned,
the challenge comes because not
all sheathing boards have pull-out
capability whilst remaining workable.
Those that do provide adequate
pull-out performance are able to
act as a potential contributor to
the securing back of any thermal
insulation.
Importantly, sheathing materials better
suited to SFS will have a medium
density to help speed of install.
It is this density which enables the
product to be ‘scored and snapped’
as opposed to cutting using sawing
equipment on-site.
While these types of sheathing
board provide general practical onsite
benefits, when using with SFS,
particular attention must be paid to
the expansion gaps required and
the fixing types being used.
Although this might sound like common
sense, what few realise is that
the fixing types specified are not
merely ‘recommended’. Instead, the
sheathing board will have been systematically
tested for factors such
as loading and fire performance –
using the specified fixing type. Any
deviation from the fixing type, or the
profile of fixing methodology, will
mean the installation does not comply
with the specification that was
tested – and therefore performance
cannot be guaranteed.
Unlike façades where the carrier
rail and SFS will generally take the
load of the cladding tiles or panels;
with brick the sheathing board
plays a much more integral role in
the performance of the overall wall
build-up.
As such, it is absolutely essential
that installation guidelines are followed
to the letter – playing particular
attention to the fixing type,
profile, expansion between board
joints and edge fixing distances.
The trend of using SFS with brick
is not expected to decline anytime
soon, which makes it a real
opportunity for contractors. So,
if you’re bricking it… make sure
you’re fixing it right.
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