Synthetic Siding Vs. Traditional Wooden Alternatives

Synthetic siding, or composite cladding, has many advantages and benefits over traditional timber cladding. But what are these advantages? Why does synthetic timber siding look better and last longer than timber alternatives? Its long life, easy maintenance qualities, and range of different textures and colours help to put it on a pedestal above choosing wood for your fascia projects. In this article, we explore all of these qualities in detail, as well as highlight some of the issues that could arise when specifying good old traditional timber cladding.

Why do some timber cladding projects end up looking tired and worn after only a few years? There are many contributing influences that can rapidly change the look of your cladding, including moisture intake. This, if left untreated, can cause substantial damage, like rotting and warping. Another major factor for the overall look of your cladding is how well the material responds to UV exposure to sunlight. If the cladding is not imbued with preservatives, it can fade and bleach, stripping the colour away from your fascia. This is often why so many timber cladding projects eventually look pale and dry.

To combat this, at NeoTimber®, all of our synthetic wood siding is made with built-in UV inhibitors, resulting in minimal fading post-installation. Our Deluxe and Slatted cladding boards have even better protection due to an additional capped layer wrapped around the composite core.

Traditional timber cladding can look pretty uniform and flat in its execution. Though a natural wood finish can look fantastic, it can deteriorate rapidly and is hard to change or swap out once it is installed. In comparison, at NeoTimber®, you have a broader selection in terms of textures. Our Classic boards have a sanded finish, whereas our capped Deluxe boards have an etched, more realistic woodgrain, to better match the look of real timber. Our Slatted boards are designed with a neat, batten-style finish, for a more modern approach.

With 3 textures and 5 colours, NeoTimber® provides you with more composite timber siding choices when deciding on which synthetic siding is right for your space. You can use our siding visualiser or visit our siding ideas page to see how the composite cladding looks in context, or alternatively, order your own free siding samples.

Another factor that sets NeoTimber’s synthetic siding above traditional timber cladding is the range of high-quality colours that you can choose. With timber, your chosen colour will have to be applied manually, a time-consuming and often incredibly repetitive process, considering it will have to be re-done annually to keep the colour looking rich and vibrant. In contrast, all of our synthetic wood siding composite material is dyed during its creation, meaning the colour is simply part of the board itself, removing the need to painstakingly apply paint.

You can choose from 5 premium colours, dark charcoal and grey, modern antique, and wood-effect teak and chocolate. Each of these colours has been designed to colour-match with our decking, fencing, and balustrade ranges, so if you already have any of our NeoTimber® products in your outdoor space, your cladding will perfectly complement them. As well as this, because all of our synthetic cladding is so easy to maintain, you can be confident that your chosen colour will keep its quality for the long term.

Synthetic timber siding looks better and lasts longer than traditional wood cladding for a variety of reasons. The material makeup of composite materials helps to protect your synthetic wood siding from the damaging effects of moisture and sunlight, and the broad range of different textures and colours helps you to find something more aligned with the design of your space. Easy to clean, eco-friendly, long-lasting, and supported with an unbeatable warranty, it’s really a no-brainer to choose NeoTimber’s synthetic siding over timber.