Oak and Sweet Chestnut Cladding

Both species are naturally durable and will last for decades when correctly fitted as wood cladding.

Oak timber cladding is tougher but more unstable, while sweet chestnut timber cladding is lighter, more stable, and has a more consistent colour.

Air-dried oak is naturally dried outside for at least one year to reduce the moisture content in the wood to below 20%.

Green oak timber cladding boards, also known as fresh-sawn oak or wet oak are cut directly from oak logs in our Wiltshire sawmill. This traditional method of producing oak cladding is a simple and cost-effective choice. Feather-edge is the most popular format for this type of exterior cladding.

After sawing the logs in our Wiltshire sawmill the sweet chestnut planks are dried for a year before profiling. The careful drying process improves stability and ensures a high quality surface finish.

Always use stainless steel nails or screws for both oak timber cladding and sweet chestnut timber cladding, as tannins will corrode ferrous metals.

The acidic tannins in oak and sweet chestnut are very effective at deterring pests and fungus from the wood, but they can also cause staining on nearby porous surfaces. Tannins leaching out of the wood will also cause brown staining on the surface of the wood, although this can be easily cleaned off.

Green oak should not be fitted in summer due to the risk of distortion. Air-dried oak and sweet chestnut can be installed year-round, preferably in cooler months.

Simple overlapping profiles are best for oak. By contrast, sweet chestnut cladding is stable enough for all machined profiles, including tongue and groove and secret fix profiles.