Understanding different cladding styles
When looking for external cladding to improve the aesthetic appearance of a r property, it’s important to research the different types of cladding products available.
What is cladding?
External house cladding refers to the external layer of a property, often coming in prefabricated panels that are then attached to the structure of the building. Cladding is generally used on the exterior of buildings to add an attractive, decorative feature, but it can also be used as a layer of protection against the elements such as weathering from rainfall.
Cladding Materials
There are a number of different cladding materials you can choose from for your home improvement project.
PVC
Developed as a low maintenance, long lasting, cost effective alternative to timber, PVC cladding is a great material to use as external cladding for your home or project. The durability of the material and the ease of maintenance are major benefits, and will ensure your cladding always looks good. PVC cladding can also come in a range of styles and colours to suit your latest venture.
Timber
Timber cladding is a traditional material that has been used on building exteriors for many years. Timber wall cladding offers the natural finish of the wood and is available in softwood and hardwood options. Soft wood, like spruce and pine, need regular maintenance with preservative treatments and re-painting. Hardwood cladding such as larch, cedar and spruse is often unstained and will weather over time and change colour.
Stone
Natural stone cladding is a thin layer of stone that can be used as a decorative feature for the interior or exterior of a building. This is often used by those looking to create a specific aesthetic for their home or project, for example, if they live in a rural area that is surrounded by stone buildings.
Cement Fibre Board
Fibre-cement cladding is another man made product created by mixing cellulose, fillers and fibres with water – before cement is added to form wet sheets. Fibre-cement cladding can be long-lasting and is also resistant to rotting and warping. This type of external cladding can come in a variety of colours to match your current project.
Cladding styles
Shiplap
Shiplap is one of the most popular cladding styles for a variety of projects and comes in single or double panels. The profile of each board partially overlaps the adjacent board, creating attractive shadow lines and also assisting with effective water run-off.
Weatherboard
Weatherboard cladding, sometimes known as featheredge cladding, features a tapered board that is layered thick end over narrow end, meaning that at points on the wall there are two layers of cladding. Weatherboard cladding is normally fixed horizontally.
Our cladding ranges
Standard Single Shiplap
Our range of standard single shiplap cladding is available in white and a variety of woodgrain colours and is a great external cladding option for those looking to create an interesting façade on their buildings exterior. This external wall cladding is available in both Shiplap and Open V cladding styles, easy to fit, light to handle and available in a choice of woodgrain finishes.
Fortex
We also offer our own brand of cladding called Fortex, featuring boards with an embossed surface, which is one of the best ways to bring together a traditional style with the benefits of modern materials. Finished with a textured wood appearance, our embossed cladding comes as part of our Weatherboard and Double Shiplap ranges, available in various colours to match your project.
As well as Fortex embossed cladding, we also offer the new, innovative Fortex-Clic cladding that clicks together for ease of installation. Clever interlocking tongue and groove junctions on each board enable them to click together creating a neat and uniform finish with no unsightly joining strips.
X-Wood
X-Wood is a luxurious, premium grade external cladding that is finished with a smooth woodgrain surface and is available in a number of different colours. With each panel being a composite of three different layers, each with its own high performance credentials, the X-Wood range of cladding is highly durable and provides a long-lasting finish.
Our Cladding
Here at Freefoam, we offer a range of highly durable PVC cladding that it perfect for any style of home or building project you may be working on. Get in touch with our team of specialists via our online contact form or alternatively, find a local Freefoam cladding supplier here.