Western Red Cedar Feather Edge Cladding

Western Red Cedar Feather Edge Cladding is provided in two profiles:

• IWC9 - 200mm wide Feather Edge Cedar Cladding - to be overlapped 25mm giving 175mm face cover
• IWC10 - 150mm wide Feather Edge Cedar Cladding - to be overlapped 25mm giving 125mm face cover

These profiles are to be fitted horizontally and overlap each other. If you would like a custom profile, then please send through the drawing for the profile and we will get that quoted for you separately.

As opposed to our other forms of cladding feather edge is a sawn product rather than machined and are more flexible at the time of fitting because you get to choose how much overlap you would like. This is a much more traditional product than our other forms of cladding and is a great cost-effective alternative.

Western Red Cedar is a deep reddish brown and is almost instantly recognisable. The clear and better grade that we supply it in adds to its aesthetically please nature because it contains minimal knots making it a clean and fresh-looking timber.

Western Red Cedar feather edge cladding doesn’t require treatment like other timbers because the boards are subject to minimal movement. You still may want to treat your timber in order to stop from turning silvery grey by coating the wood with a UV protection oil.

We supply Western Red Cedar Feather Edged Cladding in lengths of 2.44m and longer. We usually provide random lengths to cover the area you specify, if you do need exact lengths please contact us on 01889 279 018 or jump on the chat to make sure that the lengths you need are available before ordering. If they are, there is a “Special Instructions” box on our shopping basket page where you can type the lengths you need so that we know when processing your order.

Treatments

Be sure to read through our treatment information by clicking on "Treatment Guidance" above. It talks about sealing, preserving and protecting the timber from the sun's UV rays. Here are quick links to the products we recommend:

• Wood Preserver Basecoat - Barrettine Premier Universal Preserver
• UV Protection to Delay Weathering

Canadian and British Western Red Cedar

Please see below some pictures of planed all round Western Red Cedar slats. Although they aren't pictures of cladding you will be able to see the colour difference between the Canadian and British Western Red Cedar which will help you to make a choice between the two.

Canadian Cedar

British Cedar

Fitting Guidance

Our Feather Edge Cladding is designed to be installed by a professional with previous experience in successfully fitting it. The information here is provided as an overview only and is not a substitute for professional fitting advice.

Be sure to read our treatment guidance as treatment needs to be applied prior to fixing your cladding

Breathable Membrane

Consult a fitter to determine if your scenario would require the fitting of a breathable membrane between your wall and the cladding. This membrane stops rain getting to the wall, but allows moisture to escape, helping to prevent internal condensation and mould that can come with it.

Treated Softwood Battens

Treated softwood battens (available from our cladding accessories pages) are most commonly used to fix to the wall (or on top of the breathable membrane) to then fix your cladding to. Feather Edge Cladding is for horizontal fixing only, so your battens need to be placed vertically, at around every 600mm (60cm).

Fixing the Cladding

** Whether you use nails or screws, it's important that they are stainless steel, or silicone bronze ARS, so that the natural tanins in the timber will not corrode them. Never use iron nails for fixing timber.

There are two common ways to fix feather edge cladding. The first is to nail it, in which case it's best to use two nails across the width of the board (so one vertically above the other), as long as you don't nail through two boards at once with the same nail, so it won't split as it expands or contracts with the seasons. If you use nails, preferably use ring-shanked for extra grip, and again stainless steel so they don't corrode. For lower-density species like cedar, consider using nails with larger heads so the cladding doesn't pull through.

Secondly, you can pre-drill holes wider than the body of the screws you are using, and hold the boards with the head of the screw. This will allow movement without splitting the boards.

Either way, start at the bottom and use an extra batten to space the bottom of the bottom board away from the building. Work your way up the building. Make sure you have the thinnest part of the board at the top.

Layout of the cladding

With each new row of cladding you add, it's preferred that you stagger the joins between each board so you don't create a visible seam.

As already stated, these are just ideas to get you thinking about installation and you should consult a professional installer before fitting your cladding as every scenario is different.

Treating Timber Cladding

All of our timber cladding is provided untreated.

For best results, cladding should be treated before it is installed to ensure application of the treatment on all sides and ends of the boards.

We recommend Wood Finishes Direct for all of your treatments. We have found them to be well priced and their telephone support and advice is second to none. We highly recommend giving them a call.

The following information is from Wood Finishes Direct in relation to treating timber cladding.

When it comes to treating your timber cladding, there are three areas of protection to consider.

1. Sealing against moisture movement - Sealants are used to help prevent moisture entering the wood causing it to expand. Kiln dried timber like European Oak will definitely need to be sealed, and for other timbers it is highly recommended.
2. Wood Preserver - Helps to prevent rot and protects the wood from insect infestation and mould.
3. UV Protection - The ultraviolet rays of the sun slowly bleach external timbers. UV protection oil helps to keep the natural colour of your timber for longer and prevent it from turning silvery grey so quickly. Some people like their timber to weather and prefer the silvery grey look so it’s completely down to you.

The following links will take you straight to the products on Wood Finishes Direct's website:

Product to Seal and Preserve

To address Sealing and Preserving, they recommend applying one or two coats of "Wood Preserver Basecoat - Barrettine Premier Universal Preserver" before installation to seal against moisture movement and protect it from mould and insects.

Product to Protect from UV Rays

Then to optionally delay weathering, two coats of OSMO UV Protection Oil. There are different colours of OSMO UV Protection Oil available, with names like 'Cedar' and 'Oak', but these colours are to make other timber look like the stated species. We recommend the 420 clear version which interferes the least with the natural colour of your timber.