“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth,” as international advertising guru, William (Bill) Bernbach once said. Reinstating a true view of the efficacy, climate change benefits, and construction advantages of timber cladding and flame-retardant treatments in an atmosphere of misunderstanding and apprehension is no mean feat. Yet this is the motivation behind the formation of the Timber Trade Federation’s Cladding Working Group, which met for the first time in April.
Species, durability, treatments and installation are all on the Cladding Working Group’s radar, and participants include the Timber Decking & Cladding Association and Wood Protection Association.
“Buyers and specifiers need clarity and guidance,” said TTF managing director David Hopkins. “The Group brings together all interested parties to define and promote a single set of guidance and technical information to educate potential purchasers.”
How do suppliers and merchants view the market and the priorities for the Working Group?
“As part of the TTF’s Cladding Working Group, and from an industry perspective, we can see there’s much work to be done lobbying government with the correct information about the benefits of timber cladding,” said Terry McDermott, sales director at Champion Timber. “Yet while there may be some cooling of interest for large-scale cladding on bigger buildings, the use of timber cladding for domestic buildings is increasing.
“Cedar and larch are the most popular cladding species: we import and machine our own material so we can readily fulfil customer demand,” added Mr McDermott. “Treated redwood in T&G and shiplap is also still popular, especially with the growth of garden buildings. We market cladding through our mouldings brochure, which has a claddings section explaining our machining facilities and featuring a guide to the achievable coverage per size and species.”
“Cladding for domestic projects is very popular,” agreed Robert Bennett, director at Bennetts Timber. “We are more often being asked for painted cladding, which we can provide in RAL colours, but black seems particularly in fashion. Whether it’s softwood, ThermoWood, Accoya, or oak, there has been no decrease in demand,” he said.
Peter Winter, sales executive at importer CP Timber, is additionally seeing a market open to variation: “As cedar has become more expensive other species are coming to the fore,” he said. “Siberian larch has particularly benefitted, as have some of the thermally-treated species. We have had a number of requests for European oak for cladding. Supplied ‘green’ it weathers nicely and looks good. Sycamore and other lesser-used European species are also being considered. There is a general desire for clear timbers for cladding, and also for longer lengths. People are now more willing to consider techniques such as finger-jointing to achieve these aims.”
Robert Morgan, director of Morgan Timber in Kent, has also seen a willingness to try alternative species and approaches.
“In addition to oak, chestnut has been used for weatherboarding, though its disadvantage is the lengths available,” he said. “However, it can be produced as a finger-jointed product. Waney-edged British-grown Douglas fir is also used, alongside other species from around the world. We supplied modified American tulipwood for the award-winning Maggie’s Centre not long ago. Tulipwood is a plentiful species with a good sustainability profile and when modified is great for exterior cladding. Another American species being tested with thermal modification is maple. Ash can also be used and its grain pattern is attractively accentuated by the thermal modification process.”
Whatever the species, it’s the promotion that counts, added Mr Morgan. “Marketing is a key component of keeping timber cladding relevant in the marketplace, so we are pleased to see the TTF specifically focusing on the category. Architects usually have a good idea of what they want to achieve and it’s up to the timber sector to facilitate this by inputting knowledge where necessary.”
CP Timber’s Peter Winter also feels that marketing is vital. “Competing products are working hard,” he said. “We can’t ignore, for example, what composites may achieve in the market.
“Marketing timber cladding offers an opportunity to re-emphasise wood’s carbon sequestration credentials and its sustainability,” continued Mr Winter, who is a former chair of the TTF’s Forests Forever campaign. “Even now there are still people out there who need to hear and recognise that message. The TTF’s Cladding Working Group will help to create a positive focal point for the sector.”
Alistair Brown, managing director of NORClad also sees the environmental message as central to marketing.
“Timber cladding is popular not simply for its aesthetics,” he said. “Using softwood timber cladding on a typical three-bedroom house can reduce the carbon footprint of the house by 2.4 tonnes. The natural cellular structure of wood provides good thermal insulation: wood is 15 times better at insulating a building than concrete of the same thickness, based on information from leading research establishments. With the range of timber species, environmental benefits from growing to recycling, plus today’s manufacturing efficiency, it’s no wonder that timber cladding is still a favoured choice,” he said.
“Some specifiers understand that additional flameretardant treatments for cladding are available and that companies like NORClad can provide both cladding products and treatments,” continued Mr Brown. “Yet more needs to be done to raise awareness still further, and that’s why we’ve come on board with the TTF’s Cladding Working Group.”
“We are also receiving more requests for FR-treated cladding, which is a service we offer via a third party,” added Robert Bennett from Bennetts Timber. “We are asked to provide evidence of FR treatment, such as a treatment certificate, so the fire rating of timber cladding is definitely higher on customers’ radar today.”
Durability is another area needing concentrated effort, in Peter Winter’s view.
“The Working Group needs to circulate information about fit-for-purpose wood cladding,” he said. “Durability is often not well understood. Yet people’s view of what’s possible is changing, with specifiers becoming a little more open to trying different timbers.”
The enhancement of durability through ancient Japanese charring-based techniques is demonstrating architects’ willingness to experiment, said David Chapman, sales director for IRO Timber at BSW.
“Historically, the Japanese used the ‘yakisugi’ process to protect wood from fungal decay in their humid climate – something not lost on architects here. Enhancing our IRO Timber with heat alters the cell structure on the timber’s surface, ensuring a longer-lasting product. We’ve noted a distinct move towards architects seeking out sustainable and environmentally friendly products. Not everyone wants to use hardwoods or wood-plastic composites, so IRO Timber fills a gap in the market.”
BSW launched the IRO range of heat-enhanced cladding earlier this year. “IRO chimes with the ‘healthy buildings’ agenda,” said Mr Chapman. “It is HVOC-free, contains no hazardous substances, and its waxed, water-repellent surface is essentially self-cleaning. We are developing a maintenance kit for ongoing protection and a fire-retardant version of the product, for launch next year.”
With the need to promote cladding species, durability, service life, treatments and installation, TTF’s Cladding Working Group has a long ‘to do’ list. Yet, as David Hopkins concluded: “Ultimately we are marketing the truth about a sustainable, practical and aesthetically pleasing category of products. The Buyers’ Guide we intend to produce will bring suppliers and customers together, motivating the market to continue buying ‘cladding you can trust’.”
