Exterior cladding protects and transforms the outside of a building, covering timber, render or blockwork with a durable skin that keeps out rain and frost. We fit timber featheredge, uPVC and composite boards to homes and commercial buildings across Cambridge. Whether you are renewing tired cladding or adding it for the first time, the work needs careful preparation to last.
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Exterior cladding is a layer of material fixed to the outside face of a building to protect the structure beneath from rain, wind and frost, while also improving its appearance. It is used on new builds, home extensions, garden studios, commercial units and older properties where the original render or brickwork has deteriorated. If you are in Cambridge or the surrounding towns and villages, there is a wide range of cladding types available, and choosing the right one for your building, your budget and your maintenance expectations is worth thinking through before any boards are ordered.
Cladding is a non-load-bearing outer skin fixed to a building's frame or wall. It does not hold the building up, but it does hold the weather out. Boards, panels or planks are fixed to a batten framework that sits proud of the wall surface, creating a ventilated cavity behind. That cavity is important: it lets moisture escape rather than become trapped, which is the most common cause of rot in poorly installed cladding.
The material you choose determines how long the cladding lasts, how much maintenance it needs and how it looks. Timber is a popular choice for many domestic properties. uPVC and composite boards are also fitted widely, particularly where low maintenance is a priority.
Timber cladding is widely fitted on houses, extensions and outbuildings. Featheredge boarding is the most common profile: each board is thicker at one edge and tapers to a thin edge, overlapping the board below so rain runs off cleanly. Other popular profiles include shiplap, tongue-and-groove and square-edged boards used in a hit-and-miss pattern for ventilated fencing panels or screens.
Softwood species such as Scots pine and larch are used most often because they are affordable and readily available. Larch in particular holds up well outdoors and is often left to silver naturally without any treatment. Western red cedar is a premium option that weathers beautifully and resists decay without pressure treatment. Hardwoods such as oak are sometimes specified for a more architectural finish.
The wood's grade and moisture content at the point of installation matters. Boards fitted too wet will shrink and warp as they dry, opening gaps that let water in. Boards should be checked before fitting and ideally acclimatised on site for a few days before fixing.
Cladding is fitted in a wide variety of situations around Cambridge and its neighbouring towns:
Older properties often have a mix of brick and render. Where render has reached the end of its life, cladding can be a practical alternative to the cycle of repainting every few years.
Adding cladding on its own does not dramatically improve a wall's thermal performance, but the installation process creates the opportunity to fit insulation at the same time. A layer of rigid insulation board fixed to the wall before the battens go on can meaningfully reduce heat loss through the wall, particularly on older properties with solid brick or block walls that have no cavity. If insulation is part of your reason for cladding the building, discuss the specification before work starts so the batten depth, fixings and board detailing can all be designed around it.
A proper cladding installation follows a clear sequence. The wall is inspected first for any damp, rot or structural issues that need sorting before anything is fixed on top. A breathable membrane is typically fixed over the wall to act as a secondary weather barrier. Treated timber battens are then fixed through the membrane into the wall at regular centres, creating the ventilated cavity. The cladding boards are fixed to the battens, starting from the bottom and working upward so each board overlaps the one below.
Junctions around windows, doors and roof overhangs need careful detailing with flashings or cover trims to prevent water tracking behind the boards at those points. These junctions are where poorly fitted cladding most often fails.
For timber boards, fixings should be stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised. Standard bright steel nails will rust and bleed brown stains down the face of the boards within a couple of seasons.
Untreated softwood boards should be primed on all four faces before fixing, not just on the visible face. The back face and end grain absorb moisture most readily, and boards that are only painted on the front will eventually delaminate or rot from behind. End grain in particular should be sealed every time a board is cut on site.
Stains and microporous paints allow timber to breathe and are generally preferred over solid gloss paint, which can trap moisture if the film is breached. Most timber finishes need refreshing every three to seven years depending on the exposure of the elevation.
uPVC cladding boards are fitted in a similar way to timber but need no painting and will not rot. They are a practical choice for areas that are difficult to access for maintenance. The surface finish has improved significantly in recent years, with wood-effect profiles that read convincingly from the street. Composite boards use a mix of wood fibre and polymer and sit between timber and uPVC in terms of appearance and cost.
Timber featheredge cladding typically costs in the region of £80 to £130 per square metre installed, depending on the timber species, access requirements and the complexity of detailing around openings. uPVC profiles can be slightly less expensive on materials but labour costs are broadly similar. Composite boards sit at the higher end of that range. These figures are for supply and fit including battening and membrane; scaffolding or access equipment is costed separately if required.
Exterior cladding in Cambridge typically costs £80 to £130 per square metre installed for timber systems, with composite and specialist profiles priced higher.
Cladding a building often goes hand in hand with renewing the soffits, fascias and bargeboards at the same time. These timber or uPVC boards run along the eaves and gable edges and take a great deal of weather exposure. If scaffolding is already up for a cladding project, having these boards inspected and replaced where necessary avoids the cost of a second scaffold lift later. Rotten fascias allow water to track into the roof structure, so they are worth attending to.
Projects in Cambridge and the towns and villages nearby, including Ely, Newmarket, St Ives, Royston, Saffron Walden and Over, each have their own specification needs. If you have a project in mind, call us to discuss the specification and we can advise on materials, detailing and the sequence of work.
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