The exterior of a home has much more than an aesthetic function. Although its impact on the appearance of a property and its façade is considerable, other factors come into play when replacing it. Indeed, it is essential to choose a siding that also has soundproofing and insulating properties.

While brick, vinyl and wood continue to be among the most popular sidings, others are appearing on the market! Some of them, such as Suretouch, are very resourceful and are helping to renew the range of products available for exterior sidings.

Everything you need to know about the Suretouch system

The Suretouch system in a nutshell

To explain briefly how it works, let's start by saying that the stones or bricks selected as a coating are placed on polystyrene panels, which are attached to the house with fasteners (these will slightly exceed the thickness of the polystyrene panel and will be covered with mortar) and stainless steel screws.

Stones or bricks hold in place with mortar, which is injected into the joints. It should be noted that the panels have cells inside which the bricks/stones are inserted. Once the mortar is dried, it holds securely and becomes the new exterior coating of the property. Note that the thickness of the coating is 3 3/4 inches.

Installing a Suretouch system

The Suretouch system must be placed directly on the air barrier, as well as on a wall free of any bulge. When installing, it is essential to stick the air-trimmed around all the openings using a sticky elastomer membrane.

Another very important recommendation is to avoid installing the Suretouch system on paved fibre cardboard panels, as OSB panels are more suitable for this type of project. Why is that? Simply because of the presence of a larger nailing surface, which facilitates the installation of starting bases as well as electrical devices.

Similarly, the presence of a starting base is not always essential. If you have a minimum of 3 and 1/4 inches, you can do without it. Moreover, the system does not need to be placed on a concrete foundation. 

Let us continue by stressing that all hooks, anchors and roofs must be attached to the structure of the house before proceeding with the installation, otherwise the damage caused to the cladding will not be covered by the warranty. Finally, the wires should not be passed on the outside of the wall where they will be fixed.

The benefits of Suretouch siding

The Suretouch system has a very large number of advantages, which explains the interest that is currently being given to it. First of all, we must point out that this allows us to reach a level of insulation of up to 13.5, which ensures the realization of valuable heating savings. As an indication, these can reach between 30% and 42%.

Let us go on to point out that this coating also provides excellent soundproofing, which is explained by the various layers of materials used in its manufacture (polystyrene, mortar and stone or concrete).

Interestingly, this unique material has grooves at the back of the panels to drain water. Also, the presence of weep holes helps to evacuate the condensation, thus helping to avoid any problems related to humidity. Finally, it is relevant to mention that free space is left between polystyrene and stone or brick.

As for the mortar used, note that the mortar has a very good compression resistance and that due to the greater presence of lime inside it, the micro-cracks in the joints can resolve.

Let's close by pointing out that this product can be used in residential renovation or construction projects, which is a testament to its versatility.

What products are available?

The Suretouch system offers a variety of products, the latter being divided into four collections: concrete bricks, clay bricks and two others of natural-looking concrete stones. It should be noted that the stone layouts have 10 different sizes, which ensures a natural-looking result.

You need to replace your exterior cladding and need more information before attacking this project? Check out our article Exterior Siding Renovation Guide: A Checklist of the Steps to Follow.