Complete Guide to Successfully Install Weatherboards
What Is Weatherboard Cladding?
Weatherboard cladding protects the exterior walls of your property against potential damage caused weather conditions. It also has insulative properties, helping to keep the warmth in and your heating bills down. While weatherboard cladding is traditionally made from timber, in more recent years cheaper higher performance alternatives have become more popular such as PVCu and fibre cement cladding.
Types Of Weatherboard Cladding
There are three main types of weatherboard cladding – PVCu, fibre cement, and timber. In recent years timber weatherboard cladding has become rare, due to high levels of maintenance and exposure to weather damage.
Fibre Cement Cladding
Fibre cementweatherboard cladding is versatile and easy to maintain. Installed with an overlap effect, it can also imitate traditional wooden cladding, and can be installed horizontally and vertically. Another benefit being the various colour schemes available perfect for every home design. Fibre cement cladding is known for its superior properties that ensure its resistance to fire, moisture, and pests.
PVCu Cladding
PVCu is ideal for fire performance and is just as durable and resistant to adverse weather as other types of claddings mentioned. It is 100% recyclable and is also a great option for those looking for a sustainable option. PVCu’s are great against discolouration, warping, and cracking.
Weatherboard cladding benefits
The benefits of installing weatherboard cladding include:
Low maintenance
Weatherboard cladding is an extremely low maintenance option, offering the perfect appearance throughout all seasons and weathers with minimal effort.
Durable
Thanks to the high-quality materials used to create weatherboard cladding, it is a very durable option and offers the ideal protection to the exterior of your home.
Protects against all weather conditions
Weatherboard cladding, due to its extreme durability is a great option for those looking to protect their home from severe weather conditions. Unlike standard brickwork or rendering, cladding is unlikely to become damaged or stained over time due to rain and other weather conditions.
Do you need planning permission to install cladding?
Before you plan your project, it is advisable to check with your local planning office to see if you need planning permission to install cladding onto your property. This is usually needed if you live in a Conservation Area, a National Park or if the materials are not of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the house. It’s ideal to check before hand to avoid issues in the future.
Handling
Whilst vigorous once installed, weatherboard cladding needs careful handling to avoid chipping the boards or scratching the paint during the installation period.
When unloading a pallet & restacking for storage, you should ensure that there is plastic sheeting between each paint finished side to ensure the boards do not rub against each other which can cause scratches on the painted surface. Making sure your weather board cladding is kept dry when stored before installation is essential. If you cannot store your weatherboard inside or undercover, you should ensure sufficient sheeting is available to cover the whole pack to protect it from getting wet. Never install wet weatherboards.
Planning your layout
For an easy and quick installation your cladding boards would line up to utilise a full width board above window and door heads instead of having to cut boards into the frame. The best way to ensure this, is to measure and mark out first and potentially cut down your 1st board horizontally to a narrower width to ensure easier install above doors/windows.
Tools needed
Using the appropriate tools for cutting and drilling weatherboards.is important as inadequate tools can create faults and an unsuccessful installation. The tools needed are as follows.
Circular saw: saw blade with carbide teeth Bosch T141 HM type
Hand-held circular saw: diamond saw blade with Leitz fibre-cement tab
In all cases, sawing and drilling must be done in a dry place and the board must be supported. Get rid of sawing and drilling dust straightaway. Remove minor dirt gently using a cloth with detergent and rinse with water.
