British Western Red Cedar Tongue and Groove Cladding

The following five profiles are all available for British Western Red Cedar Tongue and Groove Cladding:

• IWC1 - 19mm x 145mm overall, with a 135mm face - For horizontal or vertical fitting
• IWC2 - 19mm x 95mm overall, with an 88mm face - For horizontal or vertical fitting
• IWC3 - 19mm x 142mm overall, with a 125mm face - For horizontal or vertical fitting
• IWC4 - 19mm x 145mm overall, with a 125mm face - For horizontal or vertical fitting
• IWC5 - 19mm x 145mm overall, with a 125mm face - For vertical fitting only

Most of our T&G profiles are designed to be fitted either horizontally or vertically, only IWC5 is vertical fit only. This makes Tongue and Groove one of our more appealing profiles because you can choose to fit your cladding whichever way you want.

There is a growing trend for home grown timbers and they are becoming more sought after than their foreign counterparts. There are management processes in place within British forests which help the conservation of trees which in the long run will help the supply of timber and the environment.

British Western Red Cedar isn’t as vibrantly coloured as its Canadian counterpart and it contains more knots. The timber is provided in the Fresh Sawn Merchantable grade and even though it is fresh sawn the wood is stable enough to be machined into profile.

When looking to treat your timber you can use a UV protection oil to stop it from weathering to a silvery grey. This will help to keep the colour of the timber for longer. See our "Treatment Guidance" section above.

We usually supply cladding in random lengths of over 3m. We can provide exact lengths however we do ask that you call us on 01889 597281 or talk to us on the online chat before ordering. This is so that we can check the availability of the lengths you need. If we can give you the lengths you need then please enter them into the Special Instructions box on the shopping basket page before checking out.

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

These fitting guidelines are only a rough idea on how to fix your tongue and groove cladding. We do recommend you employ a professional who has experience fitting tongue and groove cladding.

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. If you are fixing your cladding horizontally, your battens need to be placed vertically, at around every 600mm (60cm), and vice versa.

Fixing

** 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.

To help stop the wood from splitting we recommend pre-drilling the timber and then holding it with the screw or nail head when you fit the board to the batten. Look to leave a 3mm gap between the boards, rather than butting them up tight like flooring, to account for any moisture movement and make sure that the tongue is facing upwards otherwise moisture will start gathering in the groove of the profile.

You can also use nails, preferably 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.

You can fit IWC 1,2,3 and 4 vertically or horizontally depending on the look you want from your timber. Whilst technically you can fit IWC5 horizontally, water can sit in the square channel, which is not recommended.

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.