What are the Different Types of Timber Cladding?

What are the Different Types of Timber Cladding?

Timber cladding is a progressively popular feature on modern homes and properties,

offering a totally different perspective to brick and stone houses. We see a lot of timber

cladding on self build homes, which are another common thing in the modern day, in

which the homeowner essentially designs and creates the home themselves. This can

be done on your own if you are competent in the building process, but is often contracted

to building and architectural firms. Timber cladding will continue to become more popular,

so if you are interested in using timber cladding on your property, we want to guide you

through some of the different types and why they may be most suited to you.

Oak

We are starting this article with oak cladding, possibly the most popular material for timber cladding in the UK. The first thing to note about oak is that it is a hardwood, meaning that it is a durable and long lasting material – making it an obvious choice for cladding which is often subject to extreme weathering. Oak cladding tends to be air or kiln dried to a particular level to ensure that it is as structurally sound as possible.

One of the main benefits of using oak for your timber cladding is its versatility due to the range of available colours. You can get oak in a vast range of browns, honey colours and much more. This is extremely helpful due to the differing preferences of colours that people have, allowing oak to be used by many with different tastes. Oak cladding is naturally durable, meaning that you do not always need to pretreat it, which saves you some money.

There is a certain thing to keep in mind if choosing oak timber cladding and this is that it can get a silver tint over time. This is not always 100% a downfall, however, as many people are quite fond of the way that timber cladding ages and changes in appearance. Due to the durability and versatility of oak cladding and the fact that it is hardwood, it is slightly more expensive than some options. You do, however, pay for good quality.

Accoya

Accoya is slightly different to some of the other members of this article due to the fact that it is modified timber, put through a process called ‘acetylation’. This process of modifying makes Accoya an extremely durable choice for your timber cladding needs. This is a very structurally stable material, meaning that it is much more simple to create the cladding panels in any shape that you would like. This makes Accoya favourable for more unorthodox styles of property that may have different shapes and curves.

Similarly to Oak, there are a multitude of colour options when it comes to Accoya timber cladding, which means this is another versatile option.

The main downfall of Accoya is the price. Accoya is around £40 per m2  compared to around £25 for oak. This is quite a price difference and can become expensive if you need a lot of materials. This can also become more expensive if you need to treat your Accoya before using it, which is often the case, as it is not naturally durable like oak is.

Gallery of Timber Cladding - IronAsh - 2

Larch

We have already spoken about the hardwood favourite in the UK, oak, now we are going to look at the favourite softwood, which is larch. Larch is another material that is typically used on self build properties and home renovations. Larch boards are available in a lot of lighter colours and like oak, will get a silvery colour if they are left untreated – something that many people are happy with. Larch is favoured by many people for it’s more traditional look and feel.

Larch can be customised using paints and stained finishes which is another positive of using this type of cladding. However, one possible downfall is that softwood is not quite as durable as hardwood, but if treated correctly should still last around 30-50 years, so this is still a very viable option. You should expect to pay around £15m2 , so this is a more affordable option, which is a great benefit.

Western Red Cedar

Another one of the United Kingdom’s favourites will round off this article – Western Red Cedar. This is a softwood that is naturally durable, so you can get away without pretreating the timber. Many believe that the natural colour and feel of this type of timber cannot be replicated with engineered alternatives, so for a real traditional style, this is your best choice.

Western Red Cedar is another example of cladding that can last you up to 50 years if looked after correctly, which proves it’s fantastic longevity. This species of timber also isn’t overly expensive – you can expect to pay around £20m2 at the lower end, which is a very reasonable price!

This softwood does not quite have the durability of a hardwood and may take a little more care, but with that lifespan you certainly cannot be disappointed.

Now that we have guided you through some of these fantastic species of timber that you can personalise your home with, we hope you are in a greater position to choose your favourite! It is important to think about how much you will need, what your budget is and how exposed to the weather your cladding will be. When you have taken all of these factors into consideration, you should be comfortable in choosing your favourite material to complete the look on your property!