Cladding
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Feather Edge Board/Cladding
Feather edge board or cladding is machined from a single long rectangular strip of wood which is cut at an angle to make two accurately tapered lengths. The benefit of feather edge is that you need less wood to cover the same area as non-feather edged cladding and it sits tighter to the building. The down side to feather edge is that you will have less wood in your covering, and therefore even though it will last a very long time, it won’t last as long as square edged timber as the thinner tapered edge will naturally become more weathered.
Feather edged boards are laid horizontally with a 25mm overlap for smaller 150mm wide boards, or 40mm overlap for wider 250mm boards. Board thickness varies from 18mm to more than 25mm depending on your requirements. We can supply feather edge in green oak, larch, douglas fir or western red cedar.
(see below for information on wood choices, fixing and seasoning).
Waney Edge Cladding
Waney edge cladding brings a stunning natural look to any building as each piece of cladding is made by cutting straight through the tree. One edge retains the outside shape of the tree (the waney edge) and the other is square cut for ease of alignment. Boards need to overlap by 40 to 50mm and are typically around 250mm wide. You have a choice of thickness from 18mm to more than 25mm and also a choice of wood (see below for information on wood choices, fixing and seasoning).
We can also provide ‘back weathered’ waney edge cladding if required. This is simply waney edge on one side and a slight taper cut into the straight edge on the other side. Back weathered board will lie slightly flatter on overlap. It is worth noting that green oak and wet cut softwood may shrink by about 10% over the first two to three years, so please see notes below on fixings and expectations.
Straight Edge Cladding
Straight edge cladding comes in similar sizes, thicknesses and lengths to waney edge, but has the waney edge machined off straight. This cladding is suited to buildings that do not require the more rustic look. We can supply straight edge back weathered or square and lengths vary, but tend to be around three to three and a half meters. We can also supply straight edge cladding planed smooth rather than freshly sawn.
Similar to other cladding, straight edged boards are laid horizontally with a 25mm overlap for smaller 150mm wide boards, or 40mm overlap for wider 250mm boards. Board thickness varies from 18mm to more than 25mm depending on your requirements. We can supply straight edge in green oak, larch, douglas fir or western red cedar.
(see below for information on wood choices, fixing and seasoning)
Oak Cladding
European Oak hardwood has been used for centuries as a reliable construction and cladding timber. Over time it weathers and takes on a silvery grey colour. Green oak freshly cut can be stained to a large variety of shades, but any treatment will need re-applying over time to maintain the colour. You don’t need to treat oak. Like all natural products it will become bleached by the sun and effected by the British weather through the changing seasons. Don’t worry, weathered oak is as beautiful as newly sawn oak. Like all old things it takes on a countenance that is pleasing to the eye and will most certainly outlive its owners!
Larch Cladding
British Larch is classified as a durable softwood. The high resin content of the wood makes it an excellent and more economical alternative to hardwoods for cladding. It has been tested to be twice as hard as common pine and so lends itself as a more durable alternative to other softwoods too. Larch ranges in colour from a pinky-brown heartwood to a creamy-white in the sap band. Larch has frequent brown knots which can losen when weathered and can ooze small amounts of sap during the first year and later during hot summers. With a high resin content, Larch is best left untreated to naturally weather.
Douglas Fir Cladding
Cladding in Douglas Fir is an exexpensive softwood altenative that is locally sourced from fast growing managed forests. It is best used rough sawn (not planed) and looks especially good in waney edge given its grain and which has a light cream colour with red-brown heart wood. Like all timbers, over time it will turn a silvery grey colour but if colour treatment is required is best left to dry over at least one summer season so the level of surface moisture can decline enough to tolerate treatment. Once sawn, Douglas Fir will air dry by about 25-30% in the first 4 weeks.
Western Red Cedar Cladding
British grown Western Red Cedar is the most stable of all the softwoods. It also has no resin and can take on colour treatments even when freshly cut. Despite its name this wood has an amber colouring with frequent dark knots. Red Cedar has is a relatively stable softwood and has a low tendency to warp, crack, twist and shrink making it perfect for cladding.
Fixing and Seasoning
In all cases, try to use galvanised or stainless steel fixings to avoid corrosion and possible staining. Try to fix at least 5-6cm from the edge of the board to avoid splitting. Oak cladding may require holes that are 5mm larger than their fixings so it is advisable to use screws or bolts with overlapping washers. This allows the wood to change shape and season without fixings failing. Oak changes shape as it dries and has immense strength. In most cases (except oak) ring shank nails can also be used to fix cladding. These are better than straight nails as they don’t tend to pull out. Wood is a natural product and may slightly shrink, split or warp depending on its location, application and fixing.