Weatherboards: Which type is best for your house?

You?ve finally made up your mind to clad or reclad your house with weatherboards, now all you have to do is decide on the?profile you like and if you should use timber weatherboards or fibre cement weatherboards.? Ask someone to describe an Australian home and the word weatherboard is sure to come up.

We?ve been supplying weatherboards to builders and owner builders for 35 years. ?Based on our experience, here are some pros and cons of both options to help you decide which product is best for your home. ?If you need more information, you can view the weatherboard options in our showroom and timber yard.? Our timber team is also happy to help you.

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Timber?

Timber weatherboards have been used for many years in Australia as a preferred cladding on our homes.?? Take a look around some of our older suburbs and timber is the cladding of choice.

Baltic Pine is a common and economical timber weatherboard and if installed, painted correctly and maintained can look great for many years. ?But there are a few things you should be aware of. ?Baltic Pine weatherboards?need maintenance. ?Your walls should be checked at least every 12 months for mould, mildew and rot and maintained as required. ?Baltic pine is can take up moisture which may?result splitting and cracking.

Also ensure your painter prepares, primes and paints your weatherboards correctly. ?The majority of weatherboard inspections we attend are a result of incorrect preparation and painting.

Want something a bit tougher than Baltic?? We introduced rough sawn Spotted Gum weatherboards to our range a couple of years ago after a mill trip to Queensland.? This option comes at a higher price to Baltic, but still below fibre cement.

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Fibre cement?

Fibre cement weatherboards are highly durable and when installed correctly low maintenance. ?This product will not swell, shrink, split or rot, as well as being resistant to termites and fire. ?However fibre cement comes at a much higher price compared to Baltic (over double) and is not as environmentally sensitive as timber options owing to the manufacturing process.

Fibre cement weatherboards are very easy to install.?? There are?complimenting aluminium, or cement internal and external corners which give your building a nice square finish and a long lasting new look and will maintain its general appearance longer than timber, especially in the harsh and changing weather conditions that we now face. ??Keep in mind you will still need to complete maintenance on your paint work.

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If you would like more information, contact our timber team.