Douglas Fir Rainshield Cladding

Our Douglas Fir rainscreen cladding profile is called IWC8. IWC8 can only be fitted horizontally.

The colour of Douglas Fir is a light reddish brown. The Clear and better grade Douglas Fir we supply is almost knot free which will give your timber a contemporary look. This clean-cut timber is a popular choice and is ideal for external cladding.

You will need to treat your timber in order to seal it. By sealing your Douglas Fir Rainscreen cladding you will prevent water movement in and out of the timber which will help to prevent the boards from expanding and contracting as the moisture content increases and decreases with the seasons.

As with all timbers Douglas Fir is also subject to weathering when in direct contact with sunlight, this means that over time the wood will turn silvery grey.

If you would like a different profile to our IWC8 or need exact lengths (usually supplied in random lengths of 3m and longer) please call us on 01889 279 018 or talk to us on our online chat. For a different profile we would need the drawing and then we can quote separately for it, however if we can supply exact lengths, please enter the lengths into the “Special Instructions” box on the shopping basket page.

Treatments

Most people leave their timber to go the traditional silver-grey in the sun. We recommend talking to www.wood-finishes-direct.com if you would like to treat your timber. If you do decide to treat your timber, it needs to be treated all the way round including the ends to prevent moisture getting in at all.

Fitting Guidance

Our fitting guidelines are designed to give you a starting point on how to fit your rainshield cladding and we recommend that you consult an expert fitter to advise on your actual scenario.

Please note: One of the edges of our rainscreen profile has a steeper angle than the other. The profile is designed to be fitted with the steepest angle at the top, so the gap between the boards is widest at the front exposed side, and smallest at the back.

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

Breathable Membrane

Rainshield cladding should be fitted on top of a breathable membrane, because it is designed to be fixed with gaps around it. 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. For rainshield cladding, which is fitted horizontally, your battens need to be placed vertically, at around every 600mm (60cm).

Fixing

When fitting your timber to the battens we recommend pre-drilling the holes to avoid splitting the wood and then hold the board with screws. Rainshield cladding boards are designed to sit on top of each other and we recommend leaving a 12mm gap in between them on the front face.

Unlike other profiles of cladding, many people line up the joins on each row of cladding to create bold lines for a modern look.

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.