The versatility of timber cladding makes it a great choice for a variety of applications both inside and outside. Here’s a guide to help you decide where timber cladding will transform your space, whether it’s for a renovation project or if you’re building a new home.
Exterior Home Makeovers – Timber cladding can be used to transform the exterior of your home. Timber cladding can be used to add character to any façade, whether it’s a full-house covering or a striking feature wall. Cladding a single-story extension or creating dramatic contrasts between levels can be a great way to add character to your home. Timber’s ability to blend in with landscape is especially beneficial for garden-facing walls.
Garden Structures and Buildings – Create a new outdoor space with garden structures, such as summerhouses, storage sheds, or offices covered in timber. Timber’s natural aesthetic is a perfect match for garden settings. It creates harmony between the built structure and nature. Timber pergolas and covered seating areas create outdoor living spaces with a timeless appeal.
Interior Feature Walls – Timber cladding can bring the outdoors indoors. Timber-clad walls in the living room create an eye-catching focal point. Cladding in the bedroom adds warmth and texture. Wood has calming, natural properties that make it a great choice for home offices.
Timber cladding is increasingly being used in commercial spaces, including retail stores, restaurants and offices, to create a welcoming environment. Timber cladding in reception areas creates a powerful first impression, while accent walls added to meeting rooms bring sophistication. Timber cladding is often used to create intimacy in restaurants by dividing dining areas. For Timber Cladding, consider timbco.co.uk/product-category/timber-cladding/
Modern Extensions – Modern home extensions are the perfect place to use timber cladding. The contrast of original materials with timber adds architectural interest and helps to define the new additions. Timber cladding is particularly beneficial for glazed extensions, as the warmth of the wood helps balance the coolness and glare of the glass.
Garage Conversions – Timber cladding can transform utilitarian garages into stylish living spaces. The external cladding can hide the garage door, while the internal cladding creates a cosy converted feeling that does not hint at the former use of the space.
Ceilings are often overlooked but offer a unique opportunity for wood cladding. Timber-clad ceilings can be used to add interest to large spaces, create zones in open-plan areas, or create cosy reading nooks and bedrooms.
For longevity, it is important to ensure that the timber cladding you use has been installed and treated correctly. Timber cladding is a versatile material that can be used in a variety of ways.
Fresh ways to lay and combine cladding
Cladding no longer has to run horizontally. Vertical panels give a home a contemporary look, and taking the same cladding up and over the roof adds another dimension that freshens up any structure. Cladding the walls and roof in one material works especially well on holiday and beach homes, leaving the front and back free for glass to bring in light and views, and it fits easily around skylights.
Horizontal cladding still works when the material is chosen wisely and used to highlight the building’s shape, with other elements kept simple so patterns do not clash. The same material can also be applied in different ways on different parts of a building to add visual interest.
Mixing materials is another option. Combining timber with brick cladding can add depth, split a facade and make it look taller, while brick brings a sense of solidity. Used with skill, cladding can unify a facade, add clean lines and lift the value of a tired building.
Mixing directions, tones and materials
Timber boards do not have to run in one direction. Vertical boards add a sense of height, while sections of horizontal boards, around a balcony for example, create contrast and texture even when the same wood is used throughout.
Using two tones brings light and shade to an exterior. It can pick out particular features, add depth and give a house a striking, individual look. Stained timber can be matched to window frames and other details, and timber also works alongside brick cladding in blacks, reds, yellows and greys for a more dramatic finish.
Cladding is also a good way to draw attention to the best parts of a home. Natural wood in vertical panels can accent the space between large windows, and cladding around an entrance can give it a grander appearance. On an older property, a contemporary cladding finish can add a modern edge without losing the building’s character.
Using reclaimed wood indoors
Reclaimed timber is wood that once served another purpose and has been restyled for reuse. It makes the most of a precious resource and brings unique character into a room, which makes it a natural partner for cladding.
A feature wall in reclaimed boards draws the eye, and its mood shifts with the lighting and furnishings around it. Reclaimed wood also makes rustic floors with a warm atmosphere. For furniture, a headboard is a popular choice, whether a simple rectangle or something more ornate. Salvaged doors, or doors made from reclaimed planks and fitted with carefully chosen handles, add character throughout a home.
You can also strip, stain or distress old furniture, or build new pieces from reclaimed planks and pallets. Dining tables show off reused timber especially well and age with style through years of family meals, and reclaimed wood works well for desks too. In construction, salvaged timber can even serve as a main building material when you have the right equipment for the job.