Composite
vs Timber
Learn more about the differences between composite and timber cladding. We talk you through the cost implications, and the maintenance requirements of both scenarios. Make a fully informed judgement as to which garden room design will work best for you in both the short and long term.
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Composite Cladding
Composite cladding is a durable, wood-fibre/plastic blend mimicking natural wood, while PVC cladding is 100% plastic with a smooth, modern look. Composite offers better, long-lasting, natural aesthetics with higher density, while PVC is often more cost-effective, lighter, and fully impervious to moisture
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Timber Shiplap Cladding
Shiplap cladding is a type of wooden board cladding characterized by its interlocking, overlapping design—known as a rabbet joint—which creates a tight, water-resistant, and aesthetically clean surface. It features a distinctive scalloped tongue and a notched edge that allows the boards to fit snugly together, making it popular for durable exterior siding on houses, sheds, and garages, as well as modern and traditional garden rooms.
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Cedar Cladding
Cedar cladding is a premium, durable exterior siding made from cedar wood—most commonly Western Red Cedar—known for its warm reddish-amber tones, natural decay resistance, and light weight. Popular for modern, high-end building facades, it lasts 25-40+ years, weather-resistant without treatment, though it will turn a silver-grey color if left unsealed
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Timber Feather Edge Cladding
Feather edge cladding is a traditional timber exterior cladding featuring tapered boards that overlap horizontally. It is characterized by one edge being thicker than the other, providing superior water shedding, a rustic appearance, and a cost-effective, durable solution for buildings
Comparing Cladding
When considering cladding for your property, selecting the right material is essential. Wood cladding has long been favored for its natural charm and traditional appeal, coming in at a much lower initial cost. However, advancements in technology have led to the rise of composite cladding, offering a more durable, low-maintenance, and cost-effective alternative. Evaluate your needs carefully to choose the best option for your project.
Which Is Best for Your Project?
While natural timber has a timeless appeal, composite cladding is fast becoming the go-to alternative for those seeking a sustainable, low-maintenance and long-lasting solution.
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Wood Cladding: Wood cladding, often referred to as timber cladding, is made from natural wood species such as cedar, oak, larch or redwood. It’s prized for its warmth, natural grain patterns, and traditional appearance.
However, because wood is a natural material, it requires regular maintenance to preserve its colour and protect against weather damage, unless you are happy to accept the weathered look.
Pressure treating softwood timber (tanalising) impregnates the wood to help prevent rot and insect infestation, whilst hardwoods such as Cedar have natural resistance against rot and insect attack.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is an engineered product made from a blend of wood fibres and plastic, creating a highly stable, weather-resistant material. Whilst it still expands and contracts, it replicates the look of natural look timber while eliminating most of the drawbacks, offering a consistent finish that requires virtually no maintenance.
Durability and Weather Resistance
Composite cladding is generally more durable than wood cladding. While wood offers a natural appearance, it is susceptible to various issues over time, such as rot, warping, insect infestation and decay.
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Wood Cladding: While wood cladding possesses an inherent charm, its vulnerability to moisture, UV exposure and pests can lead to premature aging and degradation especially on cheaper products. It will naturally expand and contract, and over time it may require repairs or replacement. The initial cost savings can be put towards regular maintenance that will ensure a long lifetime, with the advantage that it doesn't go brittle and break as the cell structure remains consistent.
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Composite Cladding: One of the primary advantages of composite cladding is its exceptional durability and longevity. Resistant to moisture and insects, it withstands the test of time without succumbing to common issues faced by wood cladding. Composite cladding maintains its structural integrity and aesthetic appeal for longer without maintenance although it can become brittle in cold weather and feel hot to touch in the warm weather. It does however fade in sunlight.
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Ultraviolet radiation breaks down the pigments within composite boards. This process happens steadily, leading to a softer tone or a slightly dull surface over time. The change appears gradual rather than sudden, which makes it less noticeable at first.
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Darker shades tend to show fading more clearly. A deep grey or brown may lighten enough to reveal a visible difference across exposed areas. Lighter tones usually mask these shifts more effectively.
Expansion & Contraction
Both timber and composite products naturally expand and contract due to the seasonal changes in temperature.
Notable however, when timber expands, composite contracts and vice versa.
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Wood Cladding: It is well known that timber expands and contracts naturally as the seasons change. This is due to moisture content within the cells of the wood, and means that the boards will return to their natural sizes once the ambient temperature returns to average. In most cases this isn't a problem, however during the cold and wet weather timber expands so you may find doors are tight. The opposite happens in the summer as the timber shrinks when the moisture evaporates. This can show gaps in T&G cladding or around doorways, but they should return to normal when extreme weather subsides.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is also subject to shrinkage, however it is in the opposite direction. When it's hot, the boards expand and when it's cold they shrink. They don't however shrink due to moisture. This means that long term the molecular structure changes, so that eventually, boards that shrink will actually remain shorter. Over time, you will find that mitre and butt joints will gap and stay apart, meaning that the finished appearance may well disappoint over time. These can be replaced, however new replacement boards will be a different colour to faded old boards. Composite boards can also become brittle as the warm and cold weather changes the molecular structure. This can mean that boards and trims that are knocked in the cold weather can crack or split in a way that timber boards don't
Maintenance and Lifespan
Composite cladding is renowned for its low maintenance requirements, making it a preferred choice for many property owners. The upfront costs however may point you towards wood cladding, which requires regular upkeep to preserve its appearance and structural integrity.
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Wood Cladding: Wood cladding requires ongoing maintenance to retain its beautiful appearance and structural integrity. This includes staining, sealing or painting for additional protection, but the regularity depends on the product applied. Failing to perform these tasks can lead to diminishing the lifespan and appeal of the cladding, however a coat of quality paint every 3-5 years may well be significantly cheaper overall.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is virtually maintenance-free depending on how much sunlight it is exposed to and the quality of the boards. Occasional cleaning with mild soap and water is sufficient to keep it looking pristine for top quality products. This convenience not only saves time and effort but also reduces long-term maintenance costs so that the initial higher expense is outweighed by the savings later on.
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If the manufacturer used cheaper pigments that lack strong UV stabilizers, the sun can burn off the warmer pigments first, leaving a prominent blue undertone behind. Charcoal and black composite colours are created by mixing different colour pigments (often including blue, red, and yellow). UV radiation breaks down the polymer chains on the surface of the cladding.
When the plastic oxidizes, it often creates a microscopic, cloudy, or "chalky" white-to-blue-ish layer over the dark surface. When looking at this white layer against a deep black/charcoal background, it creates an optical illusion that makes the boards look blue. If this happens, then you will need to repaint the boards with a UV resistant paint.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
Sustainability plays an increasingly important role in material selection.
Our timbers are from FSC sustainably sourced forests, and have been used on our buildings, giving over 40 years (and counting) of durability to many of our buildings.
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Wood Cladding: Timber is renewable and is sustainable when you select products from companies who follow responsible practices and use FSC timber. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC-certified products (wood, paper, packaging) ensure materials are sourced from forests that meet strict environmental, social, and economic standards.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is an eco-friendly option that minimizes environmental impact. By utilizing recycled wood fibres and post-consumer plastics, composite cladding reduces the demand for virgin timber and promotes sustainable practices. It helps conserve natural resources and reduces deforestation.
Value for Money
While the initial cost of composite cladding might be higher than that of wood, the savings come from its low maintenance requirements and increased durability, making it more cost effective in the long run. Wood cladding may have a lower upfront cost, but it requires regular maintenance to preserve its appearance and protect it from decay. These ongoing maintenance expenses can add up significantly over time.
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Wood Cladding: At first glance, timber cladding often appears cheaper, but the cost of regular maintenance (if required) can add up quickly. Factoring in oils, paints and labour can send the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the product close to or higher than composite.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is virtually maintenance-free. It does not require staining, sealing or repainting and is resistant to rot, warping and insect infestation. While the initial investment will be higher, the lack of maintenance costs and the extended lifespan of composite cladding make it a more cost-effective option over the long term.
In the short term timber is cheaper. The medium term both options would be close to a balance, however composite cladding recuperates the initial investment the longer you have your building.
Fire Resistance
Building regulations increasingly demand higher fire performance, particularly for multi-storey structures.
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Wood Cladding: Natural wood cladding is inherently less fire-resistant compared to composite cladding. Wood is a combustible material, and depending on its species, moisture content and treatment, it may ignite more easily and contribute to the rapid spread of fire. Class 0 fire resistance however can be easily achieved by painting the exterior cladding with Envirograf HW intumescent paint.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding can be engineered to achieve a Class B fire rating, meeting modern safety standards. However, it is important to note that not all composite cladding products are equal in terms of fire resistance, and their performance may vary. To ensure optimal fire resistance, it is crucial to select composite cladding products that have been tested and certified for their fire-resistant capabilities and adhere to local building codes and regulations for fire safety.
Appearance and Design Options
Aesthetically, both wood and composite cladding can achieve beautiful results, it ultimately depends on the project’s style and desired finish.
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Wood Cladding: Wood cladding offers aesthetic benefits with its natural woodgrain, timeless character and colour variation. It can be treated and stained to achieve your desired colour and look required.
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Composite Cladding: Composite cladding is designed to replicate the appearance of natural wood, providing a similar aesthetic without the maintenance drawbacks of real timber. With a range of modern colours available, from warm oak tones to cool greys and charcoals.
Conclusion...
If you value the natural look of wood and are willing to commit to regular maintenance, timber remains a beautiful option for traditional architecture, especially as the starting costs are cheaper. The lower initial costs can be spent on items such as the groundwork, furniture, landscaping and internal decoration.
For those seeking a durable, sustainable and low ongoing maintenance solution, composite cladding performs very well in those categories. It offers the aesthetic look of timber without the ongoing upkeep, and is ideal for both residential homeowners and commercial developers. It is still subject to colour degredation, especially darker colours that are subject to intense direct sunlight.
Design Yours Now
There is no clear winner
Each product has it's merits, and both timber and composite will provide you with a sound investment for a garden room for a good length of time.
The scenario is very similar to purchasing a cheaper car without the servicing package included, or a more expensive car with servicing within the price. Both options are viable and each package has it's benefits, after all, the car itself is a great product in it's own right and it ticks all the boxes.
In many cases the customer who chooses the first option often decides not to service the car every year and takes a calculated gamble on the maintenance, hoping it doesn't backfire in the long run.
On the other hand, the customer who purchased the yearly servicing package has peace of mind. The car however, still needs servicing... just like the building, which will need the gutters cleared regularly.
Timber will do the job for you but will need more time and money later on to keep it looking smart and it does have the added bonus of prompting you to check the gutters are clear. You also have the option change the colour and freshen up the look at the drop of a hat, if you landscape the garden or update the look of the back garden.
Composite doesn't mean that you have nothing to do as it will change in appearance depending on it's exposure to the weather. It may well mean that you can forget about the painting the garden room not only from day one, but the foreseeable future.
So in conclusion, the choice of timber cladding vs composite cladding, depends on your preferred choice of initial cost over future maintenance, how much you're prepared to do yourself, and how you want the building to look from the first year to year 20.
Choose timber if you're happy with a bit of DIY, and a garden room that naturally changes it's appearance over time.
Choose composite if you'd rather put it in the garden and use your time for other activities, as the product does not require maintenance to keep it protected.