Finding the Right Timber Cladding Suppliers & Installers

Working with the right suppliers and installers is essential for any building project. Whatever the scale, scope, or sector, it’s important to only use high quality materials, and work with skilled, practical firms with good reputations. Timber cladding is one of the best choices you can make for your project, but the decisions don’t stop there. Now, you need to begin the search for the best cladding for the work, and the best worker for the cladding!

NORclad are a specialist manufacturer of wood cladding with over 40 years’ experience in the field. We’re leading the industry with our top quality range of timber, from standard machined to bespoke cladding, decking, brise soleil, and other solar shading products.

In this blog, our team explain what you need to consider when searching for the right timber cladding suppliers and installers.

How to Choose the Right Timber Cladding Supplier

Knowledgeable

First and foremost, your timber supplier should be highly knowledgeable about timber and its applications. When you talk to them about your project, they should be able to advise you and recommend species and treatments that will deliver the desired aesthetic and practical finish. Not only that, but they should be passionate about their cladding, because passion often translates into a commitment to impeccable standards.

At NORclad, we know more than our fair share about wood! Check out our guide to the characteristics of different timber species.

Environmental Credentials

Wood is one of the most eco-friendly building materials when grown sustainably. You may have chosen to incorporate timber to make your project greener, or it’s just a handy side effect! Whatever the case may be, your supplier should be conscious of their impact on the environment and have the credentials to prove it.

The environment is important to us. All of NORclad’s raw material is FSC or PEFC Chain of Custody Certified, and only sourced from sustainable forests in the UK and around the Globe. What is a sustainable forest, you ask? This means that in line with British and Local laws, the forests are well managed with a cutting rotation of around 80 years, and a programme of replanting that considers the biodiversity of other plant and wildlife too.

We only use environmentally friendly production methods and aim to choose alternative options for packaging and transport where possible. And we’re not into greenwashing. The only labels and certificates we use are those that are supported by recognised National standards.

Eco-Friendly Cladding Guide – Everything You Need to Know >

Price

For most projects, price is a key concern. Whether you’re a self-builder or a contractor for a large commercial development, sticking to a budget is important. Thankfully, timber makes a highly cost-effective choice, which might be one of the reasons for its popularity (along with how good it looks of course!). So, make sure you choose a supplier who reflects this with a competitive price and get good value for your money.

More benefits of using wood for your project >

Quality of Product

Of course, the most important thing you need to think about when choosing cladding is the quality of the product. Make sure your supplier can provide you with timber that has a largely uniform texture, colour, and grain, manufactured to the highest standard in the profile of your choice. They should also offer treatment against rot, fungal decay, and fire coatings to British and European standards.

Browse NORclad’s range of highest quality cladding >

Track Record

Last but definitely not least, look for experience. Choosing a business with a good track record supplying timber is likely to be a safe bet! And on that note, it’s a good idea to look out for suppliers who have provided timber to projects similar to your own. This will ensure they have expertise specifying the species and treatment best suited to your requirements.

At NORclad, our case studies demonstrate the versatility of our products. From fin cladding for carparks to home renovations to commercial buildings like the Wave in Bristol, we’ve made a range of developments stand out with our attractive, quality cladding.

Siberian Larch A Grade – Pool Innovation Centre

How to Choose the Right Timber Cladding Installer

Experience

Now you have your timber cladding, you need to find an installer with plenty of experience working with wood. Why? Timber is incredibly easy to install but does come with certain peculiarities. It’s helpful if your installer has worked with it before and understands how wood responds.

For example, as a natural product, timber responds and reacts with its environment, meaning it may shrink and swell when delivered to the site as it reaches equilibrium with the moisture content of the surrounding air.

A good installer will know this and allow the timber time to acclimatise before installation, as well as understand how to work with variations in colour, texture, knot size and frequency to deliver highly attractive results.

See more: What Fixings to Use on Timber Cladding?

Reputation

A good route to go down is to ask people you trust for recommendations. If you know a person or a business who has recently completed a building project using timber cladding, why not ask them who installed it? They can tell you all about their experience with the installer, and you’ll be able to see the quality of finish they can achieve.

Price

As we have discussed, timber is easy to install so long as you appreciate timber’s natural tendencies. Not only that, but it can be prefabbed, minimising the time and amount of work required onsite. For that reason, an installer should provide you with a highly economical quotation, because it’s a highly economical solution! If your installer is trying to convince you otherwise, maybe you should consider looking elsewhere.

It’s cost effective to install but how well does timber cladding last? Read our blog to find out more.

Meets Regulations

Finally, it’s important that your installer ensures a safe worksite, guarantees their work will comply with building regulations, and offers a warranty. Building Regulations have guidelines for the installation of external cladding in terms of structural performance. Making sure your installer can provide this integrity is vital.

NORclad work closely with architects, designers, specifiers, contractors, specialist developers, and individual self-builders. We’re dedicated to providing specialist support and technical guidance to help our clients get the most from their cladding and ensure it is installed correctly and to the relevant standards. Visit our download centre to find out more.

How to Install Timber Cladding >

Leading Timber Cladding Manufacturer and Supplier

At this point in your project’s journey, it’s important to get the right people involved. NORclad have supplied quality timber cladding to a range of building projects, exceeding expectations time and time again. We’re experts in our industry, and our specialist guidance has helped individuals and businesses across the UK achieve a premium look and finish.

Get in touch to talk to a member of the team or go ahead and specify.