Our low-maintenance composite cladding comes with the reassurance of continual performance year-on-year. However, weather can leave residue on the surface. With just a little care and attention, our composite cladding boards can continue to look in tip-top condition. This section will give you some handy tips on how to care for your cladding…
Routine Cleaning
NeoTimber® recommend a routine clean of your cladding every 6 months to clear away surface dust and dirt that can accumulate and sit on your boards. We advise that proper safety precautions are taking when accessing the cladding.
- For a general clean – we recommend applying warm soapy water to the surface of the cladding boards and cleaning with a soft bristled brush or sponge.
- For a deeper clean – you can opt for using a jet wash but take care not to damage the clad boards. Use a jet wash with no greater than 3100 PSI to clear surface debris from your cladded area. Using the fan attachment, ensure that this is not applied any closer than 250mm away from the surface of the boards. Following these tips will ensure you preserve the long-term finish of the board and prevent splintering.
Regardless of which cleaning option you choose, be sure to clean along the length of each of the boards to avoid accumulation of material that can interfere with drainage.
Stubborn Spot Stains
For stubborn stains, we recommend that you use similar techniques outlined in the “Routine Cleaning” section as well as following the advice below:
- Treat the affected area within the first 7-days.
- A water-based composite cladding cleaner can be used which is designed specifically to remove excess oil from the surface of composite material.
- If treating our Classic range, you may lightly sand the surface of the stained area, which will remove the surface layer of the board and lift the stain. The surface of the deck board will appear a lighter tone than the rest of the board initially, but this difference will clear over time as the boards lighten-up. Please note that the protective shell technology on our Deluxe and Slatted ranges means that they are highly stain-resistant and must not be sanded under any circumstances.
Water Staining
Great care is taken in the manufacturing process of our products. However, residual oils can remain present in our Classic range, which can sometimes leach out and appear as white streaks on the surface of the cladding boards. While these water stains will gradually disappear over a period of approximately 6-8 weeks when the boards are exposed to rainwater, there are a few methods that you can follow to speed this process up:
- Use warm, soapy water to thoroughly clean the affected boards. Again, you may wish to carefully use a jet wash on the affected area to assist with the removal of surface residue.
- To further speed this process up, use a composite cladding brightener, which is specifically designed to remove the residual oils present in the boards.
Our Deluxe and Slatted range cladding boards are protected with a polymer sleeve. This ensures the oils within its composite core do not leach-out onto the surface. This makes this type of board highly resistant to the effects of water staining.
Surface Mildew & Mould Growth
Our composite cladding boards are resistant to the damaging effects of both mould and mildew growth. However, this type of growth can occur on almost every outdoor surface and may collect on the surface of our boards. Following the steps in our “Routine Cleaning” section will help avoid excessive build-up of such growth.
Need Further Support or Advice?
If you’ve still got questions that have not been answered here, or you would like additional advice,
support or assistance then please give one of our friendly experts a call and we’ll be happy to help.
Just give us a call on 01530 382 180.