Articles: Waney Edge Timber

Usually used for cladding, Waney Edge Timber is a valuable cost-effective resource that is used to get a non-uniform look. The boards are overlapped horizontally to cover the wall/side you are cladding by around 25% of the width of the board (It can vary as the width of each board will vary along the wane).

The wane on the edge of the board is the bark from the tree and this is what causes the width along the board to be inconsistent. Our Waney One edge cladding is 250-300mm wide (varying upon the wane) and is square edged on the other side of the board.

We supply Waney edge timber in predominantly British species for example: British Cedar, Oak, Douglas Fir and Larch, with the only foreign timber available being European Oak. The reason for this is our imported timber is brought into the country square edged, so the wane has already been removed.

Where is Waney Edge Timber Used?

Waney Edge cladding is predominantly used for sheds, barns and stables and the ‘olde worlde’ look is perfect for the job. The timber is normally left to weather to a silvery grey to complete the effect of the timber. If you would like you can treat the timber with a UV Protection Oil which will help to keep the colour of wood for longer.

This timber is one of the most traditional resources ever used and is great for restorations of old barns and stables if you want to bring them back to life as they may have been. The timber is fresh sawn and is in no way machined to shape like many of your other cladding profiles.

Is there a modern alternative?

A more modern (yet still rather traditional) form of cladding which is overlapped in a similar way is feather edge cladding. With feather edge you get a lot more choice in timber as the boards are squared edged and then cut into two pieces. Featheredge gives a more uniform look as long as you overlap the boards by the same amount because the widths are fixed.