English Oak Feather Edge Cladding

There are two different profiles of English Oak Feather Edge Cladding that we supply:

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

The difference between the two profiles is that IWC9 has a 175mm face and IWC10 has a 125mm face.

Feather Edge is a fresh sawn product and we supply English Oak in the Fresh Sawn Character Grade. The character grade Oak will have some small knots in but there will be no large dead knots. The oak is sourced from regulated forests throughout Britain which means that the timber comes from renewable sources.

British Oak is becoming more and more popular and some projects are starting to specify the use of English timbers over the use of their foreign counterparts.

We recommend that you treat your timber to stop the colour from turning silvery grey by applying a UV protection oil. This will keep the light brown colour of the oak for longer. If you would prefer the colour changes to a silvery grey you can leave it untreated.

Usually we supply cladding in random lengths, however, we can supply exact lengths when required. If you do require exact lengths then please contact us, by calling 01889 597281 or by talking to us on the online chat, before ordering so that we can check whether we can supply those lengths or not. If we can supply the lengths you can enter them in 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.