Cedar Cladding

M/Joy Landrover

Im fixing tgv Cedar cladding to gable wall and rear of building facing north(gable) north east (rear) and south (side)... First quest...To oil or not to oil...and any tips from anyone who has fit this before....

cork2

Ive fitted this in a few places, oil it!! and give it 2 or 3 coats. Give it at least one coat before it goes up to seal it inside the t and g. Secondly what are you fixing to? you need to vent the space behind it if your fitting onto battens

A fella called fish

Timber cladding almost always ends up looking crap because it never appears to be maintained.

Check out that circular building where the long mile road/drimnagh road/walkinstown road meet if you want to see some timber cladding...

M/Joy Landrover

Thks Fish I will have a look..Cork 2 re the oiling does it fare better over time if oiled as i was led to believe that cedar contains natural oils and if left un oiled will silver or grey... I think my main concern is that if i oil it i have to continue to oil it re its aesthetics....

A fella called fish

Some interesting reading here:

http://thehelpfulengineer.com/index.php/2010/11/the-problem-with-cedar-cladding/

I wouldn't rely on Cedar's natural oils for protection. Personally, I just don't think external cedar cladding is right for our climate, however it's all down to personal taste.

Incidentally, you'll see the corcular building I referred to on the above link...looks even worse now though.

AnarchistKen

Used OSMO UV treatment oil.

€56 for 20l can - two good coats would be sufficient

M468

Where can I buy that oil?

Markcheese

I kind of like that silvery grey look , but in fairness it does kind of depend where you have the cladding and how much ...seen whole apartment buildings (3rd and 4th floors) in cork that looked tired and rundown cause of the cladding

Rock12

Hi, would cedar on a soffit require treatment or would the fact it gets no light mean the natural colour would remain even without a coat of the clear oil?

tinca

imo it depends on the detailing of the cladding and the exposure to the elements. I am also using cedar at the moment but do not plan to treat it at all

PROJECT K

me too, tinca. and youre right, correct detailing is crucial but also the expectations of the client should be realistic - timber is a natural material and therefore it has to be expected that it will change and ultimately degrade over a period of time (if properly detailed this can be in excess of 30 years). This ageing process imo is what makes timber cladding so attractive - grow old gracefully!!! (horses for courses i spose!)

the only difficulty i am having however is sourcing a supplier who can guarantee 100% Grade 1 Cedar (heartwood) as, being a softwood, lesser or less consistent spec can seriously impact on weathering performance. Seems easier to source in the UK but transport costs are making it quite prohibitive