Plastic Wood Cladding Vs. Traditional Timber

Plastic wood cladding, another term for composite cladding, is an often-specified alternative to traditional timber. Timber is, undeniably, a visually attractive option when you are considering cladding your home or business. However, these initial good looks can soon fade and can leave your premises appearing tired, worn down, and beaten. So, what’s the solution? By instead choosing plastic wood cladding, your plastic composite cladding can boast a high-quality, modern finish, and last for the long term. In this article, we will outline all the key features of NeoTimber’s plastic wood cladding, and why it remains the top choice for any cladding build. Let’s take a look…

One of the key advantages of plastic wood cladding over traditional timber is the versatility of options available to you within our range. With timber cladding, if you want a different colour to the original wood finish, you will need to painstakingly paint each individual board in your chosen tone. This layer of paint will also need to be reapplied over time, usually annually, as the colour chips or fades. Even if you want to keep the unpainted wooden finish, you will need to use preservatives to minimise the damaging effects of moisture. Both painting and preserving cladding can be a time-consuming, monotonous process, not to mention an expensive one. Wooden cladding that is not properly treated will eventually start to break apart due to moisture damage, or bleach under direct sunlight, causing the cladding to appear worse for wear. Not a good first impression for visitors to your home or business!

In contrast, with plastic timber cladding, the colour of the cladding boards is dyed into the composite material itself, removing the need for painting and staining. With our Deluxe and Slatted boards, the plastic wood effect cladding material is covered with an additional capped layer, which is engineered with UV inhibitors to protect the cladding from fading. We have 5 colours to choose from, which have been designed to colour match our existing decking, balustrades, and fencing ranges, so you can create a full NeoTimber® outdoor solution more easily. Choose from our dark charcoal and chocolate, our earthy teak, or our neutral-toned grey and antique. Take a look at our gallery or our case studies pages to see some of our customer’s completed projects, to see how each colour looks once installed.

Alongside the broad range of colours available, we also offer 3 distinct plastic wood cladding products, each with its own strengths, visual identity, and price points. Our Classic boards are the cheapest options in our range, with a rough, sanded texture. As our most affordable cladding product, it does not have the same capped properties as our Deluxe and Slatted boards, but it is still a great choice for anyone looking for a cheaper cladding alternative. Our Deluxe range boasts an etched realistic woodgrain texture, to help it look more like traditional timber, whereas our Slatted option is styled to look like thinner stacked timber battens.

With so many colours and textures to choose from, we understand if you don’t know where to start, or which option will fit your space. Never fear; you can order free samples by filling in a quick-and-easy online form, so you can see and compare the quality of the material for yourself. Alternatively, check out our cladding visualiser page, which digitally recreates how your plastic timber cladding would look when installed in your home or an outdoor room.

Beyond the strong visual aesthetics afforded by our plastic composite cladding range, there are also practical advantages to choosing composite over traditional timber. For example, when compared to untreated timber, plastic wood cladding has a comparable or better fire rating, with a Class C (for Classic) or Class D (for Deluxe and Slatted). This means that the cladding will contribute only a minor (Class C) or medium (Class D) contribution to a potential fire. This fire rating also means our plastic wood cladding is suitable for low-rise developments, or any buildings under 11m. For full transparency surrounding our fire rating status, please click here for more information.

Plastic wood effect cladding, unsurprisingly, also has a greater shelf life than standard timber, as the plastic within the composite material ensures its longevity. Don’t believe us? We’ve backed up our claims with an unbeatable 25-year warranty for residential projects, or a 10-year warranty for commercial builds, which covers any material defects, splintering, and insect damage. Click here for more details surrounding our warranty, including exclusions. Unlike timber, because plastic wood cladding is so easy to look after, this kind of damage is incredibly rare, and any persistent staining or marks can normally be tackled by following our care guide.

There are a variety of reasons why plastic wood cladding trumps the traditional timber alternative. However, it mainly boils down to longevity and ease of maintenance, which are two considerations that can massively limit a timber cladding project. What’s more, NeoTimber’s plastic wood cladding gives you more scope with easy customisation, with our range of high-quality colours, textures, and products. Specify NeoTimber’s composite cladding today, for a gorgeous-looking cladding project built for the long term.