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External cladding has become a hot choice when it comes to home and architectural project design.
This is for a multitude of reasons… aesthetic appeal, low maintenance qualities, improving energy efficiency and the structural integrity of a building in addition to protecting the property from the elements. This is the focus of this month’s blog.
As new technologies evolve, the materials used for external cladding has changed too. Traditionally, wood and brick were used on the exterior of buildings, but more recently, durable plastic and composite materials are now popular alternatives.
Perhaps you are increasingly being asked to fit external cladding to your client’s properties (and with very good reason!) Cladding provides an additional layer around the external walls of the building helping to keep the weather out, and heat in.
Whether your clients are looking to add charm and character to a new build, update an older building or create a modern, stylish new project, longevity is at the forefront of most people’s minds when it comes to their home. External cladding can be fitted over the existing external walls or as part of a system which would see the external walls built up using an internal liner, a layer of insulation, followed by an outer sheet which the external cladding would then be fitted over, creating a fully-cladded external wall.
With a wide range of external cladding available on the market, Edge Building Protects specialise in providing you with low maintenance building plastics, including PVC cladding options as well as fibre cement cladding. Both are highly durable materials.
Each of our external cladding products provide protection from the elements, but how?
Unlike traditional timber cladding, the very nature of composite cladding makes it resistant to so much more than its wooden predecessor. Each of our PVC cladding options are resistant to warping and rotting, and PVC won’t attract pests who may try to make themselves a home out of (or meal out of) timber options.
Our composite external cladding products:
Shiplap:
These overlapping boards create a tight seal that prevents air and moisture from penetrating the building. These composite boards are typically installed by first nailing them to the underlying wall, with the top edge of each board overlapping the bottom edge of the one above it. This creates a tight fit that helps keep the boards securely in place, even in windy conditions. The boards can be painted or stained to match the existing colour scheme of the building, or to create a new look.
Open V Cladding:
Sometimes referred to as ‘tongue and groove’ cladding, these are a modern cladding system, characterised by distinctive V-shaped grooves or channels along its surface. These grooves are typically open at the top, allowing for effective drainage of water whilst providing an eye-catching design.
Fortex:
Fortex combines an authentic, sought after timber grained look, with the low maintenance benefits of PVC. Available as Weatherboard, Double Plank Shiplap or Pro Double Plank Shiplap Cladding, the Fortex system is made using Freefoam’s environmentally friendly and lead-free cladding formulation which features a UV and discolouration resistant PVC layer.
What about fibre cement?
Fibre cement is also an effective and popular composite material for external cladding. At Edge, we stock James Hardie plank cladding, made from resilient fibre cement which is again resistant to water, warping, rotting and peeling, unlike traditional painted timber cladding systems.
In conclusion, external cladding made from composite materials provides an additional layer of protection to a property.
You will be able to work confidently using any of our stocked cladding products, safe in the knowledge that they will protect your client’s home and your building project from the elements. Whether that is protection from heat, rain, cold, the sun’s UV rays, and even wind, external cladding offers a second skin wrapping and protection.
Click here to view our full range of cladding options.
Posted 14.02.24