10 Reasons to Choose Composite Cladding for Exterior Walls
When it comes to your property’s facade, your exterior walls have the single biggest impact. Cladding can add personality, aesthetic value, and texture to outdoor walls. It’s also a cost-effective and quick way to instantly transform the exterior and enhance the architectural beauty of your home. As such, it’s no wonder many property owners seek to clad their exterior walls with new surfaces. However, lack of awareness about design and materials can hold homeowners back and create a hurdle to finding the best solution. Learning about the different options available is a key step, and one of the best alternatives available is composite cladding. Here, we explore why composite cladding offers numerous advantages over other solutions for your exterior walls.
Why choose composite cladding over other options?
So why exactly should you be choosing composite cladding over other options for your walls? Composite cladding offers numerous advantages, including the following.
1. Low maintenance
Composite cladding is low maintenance and pre-finished, with no need for ongoing staining, oiling, sanding, varnishing, or painting unlike some other cladding options. A high-quality composite cladding product might be fully capped in a high grade durable polymer shield. This saves you both time as well as installation and maintenance costs. If you choose a high-quality cladding option, it could last you for a minimum of 25 years without the need for ongoing work, apart from the occasional wipe down with non-abrasive household products.
2. Eco-friendly
Composite cladding is, in addition, an eco-friendly material, with a far lower carbon and environmental footprint than cement cladding. You can find quality composite cladding products that are predominately sourced from recycled wood, metal, brick, vinyl, and composite materials. These resources would otherwise have been dumped in landfill. At the same time, giving these materials a second life minimises the use of new resources.
3. Versatile and range of options
Composite cladding is highly versatile. As a manufactured rather than extracted product, composite cladding can be created to resemble just about any material. For example, you could source composite cladding in stunning natural textures like aged wood, oak, walnut, maple, and silver ash. Manufacturers often offer matching ends and corner trims as well, which allows you to create a polished, uniform look for any exterior wall. Additionally, this type of cladding can be used both vertically and horizontally as well. You can use it on new builds or existing renovations.
4. High BAL Rating
Composite cladding can come with a high BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) Rating, which means it gives your home a level of protection from ember attack and radiant heat, thanks to fire-retardant additives used.
5. Durable
Composite cladding is strong, durable, and lasts for a long time. It’s resistant to weather, rotting, warping, splitting, splintering, insects, UV, and discolouration. Given this, it’s a far superior option than wood, which is less sturdy and requires ongoing maintenance. Whether your property is located in a suburban, rural, or coastal area with extreme conditions, composite cladding provides a safe, lasting choice.
6. Aesthetically pleasing
Composite materials are available in a range of colours and textures, so property owners are sure to find the right option for their homes. It almost goes without saying that improving the curb appeal of your home could potentially raise the value of your property.
7. Insulation
While it’s usually the cosmetic functionality of composite cladding that’s emphasised, there’s a practical aspect to it too. The extra layer of thickness provided by composite cladding can enhance noise, heat, and cold-weather insulation, by creating a stronger “envelope” around the property. This can make it easier to regulate interior temperatures, saving money on heating and cooling costs. Noise-insulation benefits could support privacy and quality of life.
8. Extra protection
Composite cladding can boost protection for your exterior walls, by shielding the construction materials underneath. This type of wall cladding could help prevent the elements, such as moisture, from getting into the structure of your building. You could better protect your building from external conditions and create a controlled interior environment more efficiently.
9. Ease of installation
Composite cladding can be installed over brick, concrete, and other materials, making them convenient and easy to install for either commercial or domestic applications. It’s easy to slot together and able to be screwed together using concealed fixing.
10. Energy efficiency and insulation benefits of composite cladding
One of the most impressive composite cladding benefits is the fact that it has insulation properties. Essentially a bonus layer of insulation, composite cladding works to actively prevent heat loss in winter while also keeping the home cool and comfortable in summer.
This durable exterior cladding is engineered to last. Where timber may absorb water and start to swell or begin to warp and crack in extreme weather, composite cladding can withstand weather conditions with minimal expansion and contraction. With composite cladding’s ability to maintain a tight and secure fit around the home, performance and therefore internal temperatures are consistent, year round.
With indoor temperature stability, there is less of a reliance on heating and cooling systems. The benefits of this are twofold. Firstly, the home can be more energy efficient and therefore, more environmentally friendly. Secondly, home owners can enjoy more cost effective power bills.
Comparing composite cladding to traditional materials
Composite
• Durability: Highly durable, composite cladding can withstand even the toughest of weather conditions.
• Maintenance: Requires minimal maintenance. As the boards are pest resistant, you won’t need to worry about termites and the like. Sanding or painting is not required, simply clean with a brush and soapy water every now and again.
• Cost: More expensive when compared to other materials due to additional manufacturing requirements. However, with low maintenance requirements, it’s a more cost-effective alternative in the long term.
Timber
• Durability: With timber tending to warp and rot, it is not as durable as other cladding alternatives. Especially when installed in rainy or warm climates.
• Maintenance: High maintenance as timber is prone to absorbing moisture, leading to rotting and cracking. Additionally, timber can also attract insect infestations which requires regular maintenance to uphold the integrity of the cladding. Timber cladding will also weather and to counter fading, a varnish seal or fresh coat of paint might be required.
• Cost: Budget-friendly option.
Vinyl
• Durability: Inherently durable with the ability to withstand weather conditions and colour fading.
• Maintenance: Relatively low maintenance, with only a warm water clean required to flush the surface efficiently.
• Cost: Cost-effective and affordable.
Cement
• Durability: Built to withstand weather conditions associated with different climates.
• Maintenance: Low maintenance as it does not require any ongoing work such as re-painting or sealing.
• Cost: More expensive to purchase due to the involved manufacturing process and expensive to install as installation methods are complex.
What are you waiting for?
Composite cladding is the best choice for anyone seeking to refresh their exterior walls. From commercial properties to private residences, any type of property can utilise composite cladding. Beyond its aesthetic and eco-friendly benefits are functional advantages like easy installation, durability, and minimal maintenance.
At KEKSIA, we source unique products from forward-thinking companies. We’re dedicated to helping you by taking the hard work out of the equation so you can get the results you want by using the most suitable product.
Our composite cladding is eco-friendly and made from 95% recycled materials. It offers UV protection and comes fully capped in a high grade durable polymer shield. Available in a range of colours and textures and coming with a 25-year warranty, our composite cladding offers you the ultimate option in composite cladding. Get in touch today and our team will be happy to help you with any questions.
