How do I choose a suitable finish, or keep the natural colour of the timber?
Whilst most external quality pigmented paints or stains are generally suitable for cladding, clear finishes are unsuitable as they can break down quickly with exposure to ultra-violet (UV) light and with the effects of the weather. At present there are some clear finishes that manufacturers claim to be UV resistant, but these commonly tend to discolour, embrittle and flake after a relatively short time, and therefore only provide limited protection. If the cladding is fully exposed, clear finishes should not be expected to provide a service life greater than eighteen months, this can make it impractical to try to retain the colour of the timber, and a pigmented finish to the manufactures recommendations should be considered as an alternative.
For more detailed information about timber cladding, take a look at our book External Timber Cladding, a comprehensive guide to the design and specification of timber cladding.
We also provides a range of services for building designers and product manufacturers to assist with timber cladding queries, as well as training and cpd.
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