Due to its appealing characteristics, natural lifespan, flexibility, weight-to-strength ratio, and ease of installation, architectural timber cladding has long been valued. It has gained popularity as a more ecologically friendly alternative to conventional materials for cladding and building.
But how do you choose the kind of timber cladding that best matches your wants when so many possibilities are available? This comprehensive guide to architectural timber cladding is ideal for you if you’re one of the many homeowners out there who want to know how!
Choosing A Timber
There are several types of trees to choose from, regardless of appearance, ecological ideas, durability, and price. Softwoods like pine, durable woods like oak, tropical hardwoods like iroko, and engineered woods like Accoya are a few of them.
Typically, you should choose a wood that will last at least 15 years. Using wood in these circumstances, it is either:
Preservative treated – lumber is treated with a wood preservative in a factory-controlled process to achieve a maximum Usage Class 3 level.
Modified– timber that has undergone appropriate physical modification to increase durability.
Naturally long-lasting – a wood variety with the requisite natural durability for its intended use.
Choosing A Profile Option
Standard profiles and board lengths come in various sizes and styles, with variations in measurements and styles across suppliers. Some producers may also offer unique patterns, such as planks seen one at a time to make a specific pattern when installed and bespoke profiles.
Moreover, a space that has been ventilated and drained is often covered with wood siding. But a lot depends on the design of your walls. A breathable layer separates the dry and damp areas of masonry construction with cavity walls, so a breather barrier is unnecessary.
Additionally, it’s essential to remember that timber contracts and expands in response to the weather. The manufacturer must include suggestions for widening gaps, fasteners, and frequency types.
Timber Cladding on Feature Walls
A feature timber cladding wall may significantly enhance your living area by experimenting with different colours, textures, and patterns. Simple coloured accent walls might have a significant impact.
Choice of Colors
When it comes to timber, there are many different colours available. Before making a choice, consider whether a featured wall in a light or dark colour will enhance your space more effectively.
Light-coloured timber might be preferable unless your location gets a lot of natural light since timber absorbs a lot of light. If you want to relax in a gloomy and cosy bedroom, you may also think about combining dark wood with even darker colours, such as granite or concrete, painted grey or black walls, and dark furniture.
Textures
An additional benefit of a textured accent wall is that it stands out more. Wooden boards may easily have textures because of the nature of timber. Surfaces may be created intentionally or only by showing the wood’s grain.
Vertical Timber Cladding
Below are a few examples of some of the most popular vertical timber cladding:
Tongue and Groove
T&G provides a strong barrier against rain blown by the wind, much like the horizontal setting. This may be applied diagonally, vertically, or both.
Shiplap
The boards have an overlapped connection, similar to the horizontal configuration, which prolongs the life of the cladding and helps keep water out of the vented cavity.
Board on Board
“Board” refers to a vertical arrangement of boards that overlap above and below. By changing the board widths or the space between the two panels, you may create shadow gaps that are larger or smaller using this configuration.
Shingles
A modular cladding type not installed vertically and horizontally is timber shingles. They do, but to enable ventilation and moisture drainage, they should have a similar foundation of battens and counter battens.
Horizontal Timber Cladding
Below are some examples of some of the most common horizontal timber cladding:
Open Gap
Open gap boards have some space between them even though the fasteners are apparent due to the design, architects like them for their clean lines.
Feather Edge
The feather edge cladding is installed in a triangle shape with minimal overlap. Its form helps the water drain from each board. Contrasting the light and shade also gives the facade dimension.
Shiplap
Shiplap boards resemble open gap boards, but they contain an overlapping connection that prevents water from entering the vented chamber and prolongs the life of the cladding.
Groove And Tongue
Shiplap and T&G boards are similar, but T&G boards feature a stronger board-to-board connection. T&G may also be used vertically and diagonally because of this.
The fact that the finished product is attractive is the main advantage of using architectural timber cladding. A space’s appearance is immediately improved by using timber in the architectural framework because it creates a cosy and encouraging atmosphere.
