Calcium silicate panels

What the plates calcium silicate are made of

The sheet of calcium silicate is used for the thermal insulation of walls, the basic element that allows you to get this product is quartz powder, mixed with lime, cement and aggregates. Furthermore, its composition includes the addition of aluminum powder, which acts as a porous agent, then this mixture is aged with a bath of high-pressure steam. Depending on the length of time of maturation or aging the characteristics of the calcium silicate plates will change.

These plates can be of varying lengths, they are pretty light and they also constitute a good barrier to the fire. An important feature is that they do not require any special maintenance, in fact, under normal conditions of use, they just follow the life of the building.

If a problem should occur in the course of use, the plates can be easily replaced, this is due precisely to their ease of installation. They are usually used in coating systems, which generally are build along the perimeter walls of the buildings. They can be easily decorated with paint, wallpaper or tiles. Some of them are also suitable to act as outer coating.

One of the companies that in its cladding systems involves the use of panel Calcium silicate is Fassa Bortolo, which put on the market a product called FASSATHERM.

First, the surface of the wall on which it will be applied the panel or slab calcium silicate, must be clean.

Otherwise you will have to remove dust, dirt, any traces left during the disarmament of the wall, and the chalking or inconsistent parts shall be removed.

Before proceeding with the laying of the panel, you must also very the flatness of the support, and possibly only where necessary, you will have to remove the upper ledges to 1 cm.

If the support already exists and is not a new building, if this had parts in concrete strongly deteriorated, they must be rehabilitated with mortar specifications.

Furthermore, always in the case of existing suport if this has partially peeling paint, coatings without adherence, or vitreous enamel surfaces, it must be made completely smooth through the process of sandblasting.

The uses, as we have seen, may be different, such as calcium silicate plates can be used to make indoor insulating coats insulating. In fact, these panels with a thickness of only 3 cm are able to eliminate all thermal bridges ensuring considerable energy savings.

These same panels are also used to perform the reconditioning of damp rooms since their constitution is able to adjust the ambient humidity by absorbing the excess. They also show a high degree of alkalinity, they have in fact a pH of 10.5, which prevents the growth of mold and bacteria and may be used as passive fire protection, since they are able to withstand temperatures exceeding 1000°C.

Laying the calcium silicate panels

The mode of installation generally involves the use of adhesives that are applied along the perimeter and the center of the panel trying to paste at least the 70% of the plate surface.

As an alternative to the adhesive one can opt for a mechanical attachment that is performed by screwing bolts, which are positioned two at a time in the vicinity of the center of the panel in the calcium silicate.

Before performing the installation of the panels calcium silicate, we must make sure that some things, like the temperatures will be between +5°C and +35°C.

In addition, we must avoid the exposure of the panels to the elements, important that these are kept in a covered, dry, well-ventilated area away from light or other sources of heat.

One must remember that these calcium silicate slabs can be applied on all types of masonry, without the need for support structures, using a suitable adhesive skim coat, breathable. If you refer to a surface rough brick surface of the sheets should be washed thoroughly.

The wall on which will have to lay the plates must be properly prepared, on each plate should be applied a quantity of adhesive, and subsequently we will proceed to the laying of the slabs.

The adhesive must be applied directly on the plates using a trowel and then the same plates are juxtaposed. Sometimes to make more stable the wall may be provided to the insertion of a reinforcing mesh of glass fiber as well as designed by the isostyle srl.

When the wall is dry, it can be decorated with breathable paints, applied directly on the panels or you can create a finish with slaked lime or you can lay ceramic tile.


In short, the calcium silicate plates, for all of their features and especially for their simple maintenance, are a great way to cover the walls both aesthetically and technically.