6 Perfect Materials for Beautiful Compound Wall Designs

FT NEWS

Compound walls or boundary walls are not just elements that offer security and privacy, but present an exterior face to a home. To state the obvious, a distinctive compound wall design can add to the style quotient and set your home apart from those of your neighbours.

If you are bored of the basic concrete compound wall and want to be creative with new materials to develop a unique compound wall design, look no further. To spark off new ideas, familiarise yourself with these six exterior-grade materials best suited to make modish compound walls.

1. Stone tiles
Regardless of the structural frame and material used in the making of a compound wall, its face can be clad with thin stone slabs or ledges with the help of cement plaster and other binding agents. Stone, a very tactile and rustic material, comes in endless colours and textures. You can customise dynamic compositions with geometrically-cut shapes or mosaic patterns. This lets it complement most design styles, both modern and traditional. When it comes to choosing a natural and sturdy treatment for the exterior compound walls, stone tile wins hands down for me (extra points if it is available locally).

2. PVC boards
Installing machine-made boards made of fibre or PVC is an easier alternative to creating 3D patterns or weaves on the compound wall. Available in a number of designs and colours, these sheets can be fixed to the wall base using screws. You can put up the sheets linearly for a seamless look or cut them into shapes and screw them in a random fashion over the wall.

PVC boards have a smooth surface finish and, hence, are easy to maintain. Good-quality PVC boards are chemically and physically stable; this increases their resistance to wear and tear caused by exterior agents.

3. Cement plaster
Owing to its bodily properties, wet cement plaster can be carved to develop motifs, graphical patterns, figurines and murals. You can also hire an artist to create custom, personalised designs on your compound wall directly. Or else, if you wish to skip the hassle of making it at the site, you can buy the readymade ones available in the market. Something like this could definitely be a head-turner for your visitors.

A properly stabilised cement plaster wall treatment keeps looking the same for ages, even without regular upkeep. Dust stuck into crevices can be washed out with water, and it is good to go.

4. Wood planks
Wood is increasingly being used on urban home facades in India today. Seasoned wood can be affixed to an existing compound wall as a cladding or it can replace the complete wall as a structural unit, too. Readymade treated wood planks, available in a number of shades and grains, can be directly put to exterior use.

Good-quality wood products can stand the test of time with timely polishing and upkeep routines.

5. Metal
Metal sheets can be cut into jali patterns of the desired designs to create interesting vignettes along the length of the compound wall. Readymade metal jalis are available in the market for easy installation at the site. Other than that, metal can be used as grilles and slats too.

 

You can also experiment with different sizes and alignment of metal sheets over any wall base. The wall treatment in the picture shows long perforated Corten sheets fitted on the wall to create a distinctive pattern.

Although steel is much more stable, iron installations need to be coated with paint or a sealer to avoid rusting or wearing due to exposure to the weather.
 
6. Bricks
Even with so many alternatives available, bricks are still a preferred material for compound wall designs. While exposed bricks can uplift any basic compound wall design, it is an even more practical and compatible choice for brick-clad home exteriors.

Bricks can be laid in many different angles and bonding patterns, in solid and jali styles. Exposed bricks can be sealed with a weather-protective sealant to keep it as it is for years together.

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