British Larch Feather Edge Cladding

British Larch feather edge cladding is supplied in two default profiles:

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

Feather edge is one of the more traditional forms of cladding and is instantly recognisable from its overlapping style.

The fresh sawn merchantable British larch cladding we supply is a great feather edge product which is full of character and contains knots. It’s ideal for outdoor use because of its natural resistance to rot.

The colour of British Larch can vary from pale reddish-brown to a brick red which means that you will never get two boards the same which adds to the allure. You can leave your timber untreated if you want the silvery grey finish on your cladding as the wood weathers or you can protect the colour by applying a UV protection oil.

The popularity for British timber is on the rise as more people look towards using home grown materials for their builds, and so they should be cause not only British timbers great for an all manner of uses they can also be cheaper. The supply of British timber is becoming sustainable as carefully managed forests look towards maintaining this natural grown resource.

We supply British Larch feather edge cladding in random lengths 3m and longer. If you have any special length requirements please call us on 01889 597281 or talk to us on our online chat to make sure we can fulfil your requirements. If we can then all you need to do is enter those lengths into the “Special Instructions” box on the shopping basket page.

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

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.

All our claddings are provided untreated. Fresh sawn timber claddings are best left untreated and to go silver grey. There are a wide range of optional treatments available for different species of timber and we recommend talking to the excellent team at www.wood-finishes-direct.com, who know the most up-to-date information on all the newest treatment products.