Avoid the drawbacks of timber cladding

Whilst timber has always been a popular cladding choice, as a material it has several major drawbacks. At the cheaper end of the market there are a range of softwoods that can vary hugely in appearance because of the presence of knots and other natural defects.

These softwoods require regular painting and staining which can prove costly over the life of the cladding, and is always time consuming. More expensive hardwoods such as oak require a little less maintenance, but contain high tannin levels which can leach out during exposure to the elements, resulting in dark streaks.