What Cladding Material Would You Build With?

[Baldy]

Hi PT People,

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for sharing your knowledge and goodwill.

We are looking for advice on what materials to clad a new build home with. Its 125sq/mtrs in size, on piles a meter off the ground, in a 'sea-spray zone'. So far the options we have been given are...

1. Generic Pine Boards 20mm thick.
2. Hardie Plank Boards either the narrow or broad types.
3. Linea Narrow Boards.
4. Palliside Plastic Boards.

Apparently all options would require a wash every year and all (except for Palliside) would require painting every five or seven years.

Have I missed any other viable options?

Pros and Cons? Final dollar values to buy and build apparently all work out the same after balancing costs to buy the material against time/cost to construct using that material.

Thanks for your input.

[rolla]

Personally I prefer timber its tried and proven installed right
and if your in sea spray zone wash more than once a year your get more life out of it

http://www.branz.co.nz/cms_show_download.php?id=d123da9720ceabdc6f4942b3e83d2abe656ec5e7

[Baldy]

Personally I prefer timber its tried and proven installed right
and if your in sea spray zone wash more than once a year your get more life out of it

Thanks Rolla

Have you built with the product? How long ago?

Appreciate the details of the page you have linked to.

Thanks
Baldy

[rolla]

yes built with timber alot both new and extentions/repairs
also used linea/ hardyplank/ alluminium/ coloursteel/ hardi sheet/ ply/ cedar and list goes on but personally I still like timber weatherboard

[Baldy]

yes built with timber alot both new and extentions/repairs
also used linea/ hardyplank/ alluminium/ coloursteel/ hardi sheet/ ply/ cedar and list goes on but personally I still like timber weatherboard

Thanks Rolla,

Appreciate your input even more now that I know your experienced with all of these products.

Cheers

[Perry]

Do plastic boards become brittle
after years of UV exposure?

[Baldy]

Do plastic boards become brittle
after years of UV exposure?

Hi Perry,

Not sure if this is useful to your querry.... but these two points were made by a builder and they have stuck in my mind. Its obviously hearsay I am not knowledgeable about this product.

1. It may be harder to replace a couple of lengths when/if they get damaged a few years later (also the replacement boards 'colour' may not 'match' because of aging/fading to the existing sun-kissed cladding).

2. Its not so easy to spot fix with bog and match the paint up like you might do with wood if/when there is a some localized damage.

Cheers

[drelly]

I'd go pine. Hardiplank tends to crack, especially in clay soils. I've heard stories of linea delaminating and pallisade fades.

[Baldy]

I'd go pine. .

Thanks Drelly,

Its looking like the safest option.

[TheLiberalLeft]

I'm a hardiplank fan. 1/4 of the maintenance/cleaning of timber claddings. Painting needs doing rarely. Lasts forever (as does timber), but the maint issue sticks with me. Linea, although apparently the same composite material, I'm not such a fan of, although it looks more up-market than hardiplank.

[Baldy]

I'm a hardiplank fan. 1/4 of the maintenance/cleaning of timber claddings. Painting needs doing rarely. Lasts forever (as does timber), but the maint issue sticks with me. Linea, although apparently the same composite material, I'm not such a fan of, although it looks more up-market than hardiplank.

Hi TheLiberalLeft,

What do you mean by "1/4 the maintenance/cleaning"??

Please give an example of the frequency and type of maintenance/cleaning you have had to do on the hardiplank properties that you own.

I did not think that choosing a cladding would be this complicated!

Cheers

[skid]

A yearly water blast-chemwash-or wet broom on hose attachment extends the life of weatherboards. Perhaps Hardiplank less often

[Maccachic]

You should not waterblast houses!

[TheLiberalLeft]

Just the re-painting required of timber cladding. Especially if coastal.

[garrett]

I have used all 4 in the past so add a few comments below:

Linea used to have issues with delamination and board blow outs but that was a manufacturing process issue fixed years ago. It has the smallest (my preference is a narrow board width) standard profile at 135mm

Timber weatherboards occasionally have a bad run of timber that bleed resin which constantly sloughs the paint off. These come in 150 and 200 mm wide boards as standard, but I have used a 125mm special run which gave nice clean lines in combination with boxed corners and facings framing all exterior joinery.

Hardiplanks are generally wider boards and usually lower in cost installed as the labour component is lower (lower numbers of boards to actually fix) and I think the boards are cheaper than Linea also as they are not trying to match a timber weatherboard profile. I personally think the wide boards are ugly and that is the only reason I don't use them. Personal preference.

Otherwise Hardiplanks, Linea and timber weatherboards all run the same costs moving forward and can last more or less indefinitely if installed and maintained well. Maintenance is painting every 7-10 years, replacing sealant in scarf joints or rusted soakers on butt joints, sealant at ends of head flashings (if used) etc. The most important maintenance item in a sea spray zone is a fresh water wash from a garden hose every 2-3 months to all exterior surfaces, but particularly areas that don't get regularly washed by rain such as soffits.

Linea can have the darkest paint of these three due to the CLD material having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion.

The lighter your paint colours the less movement problems you'll have - unless you use the IR reflecting paint which is more expensive and metallic looking but I like that. Again, personal preference.

Palliside can work well but is very applicator reliant with fiddly detailing. It is also a sheet product really with a profile to look like weatherboard. If the cladding is direct fixed it has less drainage and drying capability than the other three options so I would always install it over a drained and vented cavity (unless it is single level with big eaves). It will break down eventually due to UV but I think 30 years may be achievable.

Lastly - never waterblast your roof or walls. Flashings and sealants are designed to prevent wind driven rain entering your external envelope. They are not designed to cope with the equivalent of a cannon.