The Disadvantages of Four Common Types of Flexible Exterior Wall Tiles in the Market

Owing to the lightweight, flexibility and eye pleasing attributes, flexible exterior wall tiles find wide application in the construction industry today. But there is no product that is perfect. In this blog, we’ll discuss the weaknesses of four types of flexible exterior wall tiles, namely: PVC tiles, real stone paint tiles, soft ceramic tiles and PU tiles. Knowing these drawbacks may help you decide which solution to choose for your design project.

1. PVC Exterior Wall Flexible Tiles

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) tiles are popular because they are cheap and easy to put down, however, there are substantial disadvantages to using them: 

• Environmental Problems: PVC is certainly not an environmentally-friendly substance. There are harmful chemicals and toxins that are released both during production and at the time of disposal that add to environmental degradation. 

• Durability Problems: Even though PVC is water resistant and durable, discoloured PVC tiles will crack when exposed to UV light for too long making it ill-suited for spaces that receive direct sunlight for most of the time. 

• Inadequate Fire Resistance: PVC is combustible and when set on fire PVC releases toxic gases that could create danger upon ignition. 

• Effects: PVC tiles have lower qualities than the real. No doubt if you get it off another materials then you will be able to look for different textures that will offer a unique appearance to your surfaces.

2. Real Stone Paint Exterior Wall Flexible Tiles

Paint tiles that incorporate artificial stone have a rough finish and resemble stones, but have certain weaknesses including:

• Fragility: The top coat of such tiles is prone to flaking or scratching more so in places with heavy movement or extreme weather.

• Difficult Maintenance: It can be quite hard to maintain a clean and smooth surface with all the protrusions as dirt and other particles tend to get stuck in small seam lines.

• Fading: As the paint is constantly exposed to sunlight, it may become old and less attractive as years go by.

• High Installation Costs: The process requires highly specialized workers which makes the installation bill high in relation to other alternatives.

3. Soft Ceramic Exterior Wall Flexible Tiles

Soft ceramic tiles provide ease of use due to their lightweight and flexible structures compared to the classical floor ceramic tiles. On the contrary, there are a few major disadvantages that should be considered as well:

• Low Heat Resistance: Soft ceramics are vulnerable to high temperatures, which makes them inappropriate or unfit for such applications.

• Low Impact Resistance: Section 05150 states that this material will deform or be damaged even if subjected to a strong impact further compromising its durability against external aggressive forces.

• High Expense: Other options such as PVC or PU tend to be cheaper and reasonable therefore making this selection hard for construction projects on a budget.

• Instability of the Color: Colors of the soft ceramic tiles often shift because of the weathering present in the natural environment.

4. PU Exterior Wall Flexible Tiles

Polyurethane (PU) tiles come with a lot of benefits especially when discussing the weight and insulation. Still, there are some concerns associated with PU tiles:

• Lifetime Issues: A consistent weather of rain or snow or heat could cause PU affected areas to end up with tiles peeling off.

• Non Fire Retardant: Just like tiles formed with PVC, PU tiles cannot retain high temperature and will emit harmful gases when set on fire.

• Unable To Revert Back: Paving tiles made of PU will, with time and sunlight exposure, lose their shape.

• Eco System Impacts: Another major concern with PU is their lifetime use as they take a very long time to break down which creates a problem later in the waste sourcing.

Conclusion

While flexible exterior wall tiles are convenient to use, they unquestionably have disadvantages as well. On the other hand, cheap PVC tiles are not durable or environmentally friendly. Real stone paint tiles have natural beauty but they are tender and require a lot of maintenance. Lightweight as soft ceramic tiles are quite stunning, it is however, brittle enough to require high cost of replacement after it breaks. Good insulation is provided by PU tiles, however, they tend to be easily deformed and the environment is negatively impacted as well.

If you decide to install exterior wall tiles, there are some aspects that you must always consider. Some of these include the scope of the work required, the target amount to spend, the size of the area to be covered, and the level of care that the tiles will demand. If these are well thought out, then one can find appealing look of the material without any loss on its efficiency.