What is fibre cement board?
Fibre cement boards are manufactured from a combination of Portland cement, silica and completely natural fibres for an environmentally-friendly and safe building product.
Fibre cement board is an economical and lightweight board that can easily be used for all interior and exterior building applications due to the fact that it is unaffected by moisture, is resistant to rotting and corrosion and unaffected by UV light, plus the fact that it can be painted or coated with almost limitless combination of colours and textures for internal and exterior applications. The sheets are best painted with a pure acrylic PVA paint. Where it is intended to use oil or alkyd paints it is essential to prime the sheet with an alkali-resistant sealer.
Fibre cement board is almost maintenance free, extremely weather-resistant, and non-combustible and is designed to have good thermal properties when compared with other building materials. The engineered panels will not rot, warp, shrink, melt, and is resistant to insects.
Handling and storing
Although offering sufficient strength once placed in position, care needs to be taken when handling fibre cement boards to ensure that the boards are not dropped or subjected to rough handling. Moving longer panels requires two people to keep the boards stable. If boards need to be stored before use, store under cover on a level surface.
Cut fibre cement boards
The easiest way is to use a circular saw, preferably with a diamond blade and with a circular saw that is equipped with a dust-collection system. Alternatively, cut all the boards outdoors. And be sure to wear safety goggles and a dust mask.
Install fibre cement boards
The most preferred method of installation is to build a steel or timber frame, onto which you fasten the fibre cement boards. Drill pilot holes for all fixings using HSS drill bits. The drill bit must be 2mm larger than the diameter of the fixing bolt or screw.
Buy fibre cement boards at your local Builders Warehouse or Builders Express store.