British Larch Rainshield Cladding

We provide British Larch Rainscreen cladding in our IWC8 profile. Rainshield is a type of cladding where the boards are lined up with a small gap between them of around 12mm (click on 'more information' next to the profile above for a diagram).

Our Fresh Sawn British Larch is supplied in a Merchantable grade and is ideal for external use. British larch contains knots which makes it one of the more characterful timbers we supply.

There is a lot of variation in the colour of British Larch meaning the boards can be anything from pale reddish-brown to brick red.

British timbers are some of our more in demand species as people look to source their wood locally. Not only are British timbers favourable on price they are also high quality and great for a number of outdoor uses. Our Larch is sourced from well managed forests which want to make timber a more sustainable resource which means that supply will continue to be strong and, just as importantly, the environment will be protected.

The lengths of our British Larch Rainscreen cladding are usually supplied 3m and longer to match the coverage you specify. We can provide exact lengths if you require however we will have to check we can get hold of those lengths before we can process your order. In these cases, please call us before ordering so that we can check we can fulfil your order beforehand. You can call us on 01889 279018 or you can talk to us on our online chat.

If we can provide the lengths you want you can enter them in the “Special Instructions” box on the shopping basket page before proceeding to checkout.

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.