Use Imitation Wood Cladding For Long-Lasting Appeal

What is imitation wood cladding, and how can it elevate your project? Timber cladding, although popular, cannot boast the same longevity as NeoTimber’s imitation timber cladding. At NeoTimber®, we have designed our composite cladding products to look and feel as naturalistic as possible, whilst backing them up with the long-term structural security of artificial materials. In this article, we outline the problems with traditional timber, and explain why our imitation wood cladding is the smart choice for any cladding upgrade.

It is hard to deny the visual appeal of a timber cladding build. When first installed, timber cladding can help to create a modern, naturalistic finish to either a residential property or a commercial space. The issue is that these good looks can soon falter. Unless pre-treated, timber needs to be stained with preservatives to protect it from moisture damage, or fading from UV exposure. Timber cladding that has not been appropriately treated can end up looking incredibly tired. We are sure you will have seen timber cladding projects that have not been properly looked after. They may have rotted, bleached, or started to fall apart completely.

Whilst it is possible to protect your timber cladding, it is a time-consuming, tedious process, that will need to be annually repeated to ensure your project looks its very best. This kind of maintenance work could obstruct or complicate entrance or exit routes to your space, which is especially problematic if you are specifying for a commercial business or a community space, such as a hospital. Even with these precautionary measures, as a natural material, timber cladding is more likely to eventually start to fall apart and need replacing, at some cost. But what’s the alternative?

NeoTimber’s range of imitation wood cladding is made from composite materials, a mixture of recycled timber and plastic fibres. This gives the final product the look and feel of real timber, with the long life of plastic. Whilst there are many plastic cladding products available, our composite option is a superior product, as the final finish looks more high quality, and will not become brittle when exposed to weathering. We have 3 cladding options in our range, which include our Classic cladding with its rough, sanded texture, and our capped composite Deluxe and Slatted cladding.

To best emulate the look and feel of timber, we recommend our Deluxe and Slatted cladding. The surface of our Deluxe cladding is etched with a realistic woodgrain effect, whereas our Slatted cladding is designed to look like stacked thin timber battens. However, our Classic imitation cedar siding still has greater longevity than traditional timber and is a great product for cladding projects with a slightly tighter budget.

Put the paintbrush down: all of our imitation wood siding materials come in a variety of premium colours, dyed into the material itself. Instead of labouring to create a consistent covering of paint over your timber boards, you can instead inject a pop of colour to your space straight from delivery. These colours have been designed to perfectly match the tones of our pre-existing NeoTimber® ranges, to help you to seamlessly create the full NeoTimber® solution with our cladding, decking, balustrades, and fencing.

You can choose from our dark grey and charcoal, our natural-toned teak and chocolate, or our neutral, understated antique. You can use our handy digital cladding visualiser to see how each of these colours will look when installed into your space, or read through our case studies and gallery pages to see how other customers have used our imitation timber siding. Alternatively, if you want to see the cladding colours for yourself, you can order free samples.

NeoTimber’s imitation timber cladding can give your project long-lasting appeal for a variety of reasons. To begin with, the capped surface of the Deluxe and Slatted boards locks out the damaging effects of moisture, and is less prone to UV fading, so the colour lasts longer. Our composite cladding also comes in 5 rich colours, removing the need for time-consuming maintenance tasks, aside from an occasional clean. The Deluxe boards are designed to look and feel like real woodgrain, whilst the Slatted boards give your project the look of stacked timber battens. Either option will ensure your project still has a naturalistic aesthetic, without compromising on its lifespan. Finally, all of our cladding is supported by our unbeatable warranties; 25 years for residential builds, and 10 years for commercial projects.