British Western Red Cedar Board on Board Cladding

British Western Red Cedar Board on Board Cladding

As the homegrown alternative to the already highly popular Canadian Western Red Cedar, British Cedar has exploded in popularity in recent years. Western Red Cedar is known for being highly stable and a very durable softwood, as well as a strikingly aesthetic product with a mix of colour variation.

British Western Red Cedar has this same durability, stability and colour variety but has its own traditional features like its characterful knots and it’s lighter and more cream coloured tones.

One big advantage to British timbers is that their origins are of course here in Great Britain, so, any time you specify this product you are actively taking part in the sustenance of British forestry.

What are the Options for Cedar Board on Board Cladding?

As it doesn’t have to be imported in stock sizes like its Canadian counterpart, British Western Red Cedar is instead cut straight from the log. This allows much more flexibility in sizes and a very low wastage factor which cuts costs down from what is already a cost effective product. We have two profiles available:

IWC28 –The boards at the back behind the top face are fit with a 29mm gap in between, the board on top then overlaps the two behind it by 20mm on either side. It’s important not to fix the top board through the overlap into the board at the back as this will cause splitting, you will need to fix it directly into the batten.

IWC29 – A more simplistic design, this profile is designed with a 5mm gap between the back boards, with the smaller boards fitting over the top, with 20mm overlap either side.

Both options are planed all round for a smooth finish and are designed to be fit vertically. Whichever option you select, the website calculator factors in the overlap in the m2 box for easy and straightforward pricing. If you’d like to use a different overlap, you will need to calculate your required running metreage and use the lineal metre box instead to calculate your price.

Should I use Canadian Western Red Cedar or British Western Red Cedar?

One advantage that British Western Red Cedar has over its American cousin is price. When you’re limited by budget but you still want a good quality softwood cladding product, British Cedar offers the perfect solution. Featuring the durability, stability and rot resistance of Canadian Western Red Cedar but at a much lower price point.

That said, if you are looking for an almost knot free and clear timber cladding product, Canadian Western Red Cedar would be the more suitable choice as the homegrown western red cedar is quite knotty.

What is the Grade of British Western Red Cedar Supplied?

Our British Western Red Cedar board on board cladding is supplied in a grade called fresh sawn merchantable. This grade has many knots and is cream to light pink and light brown in colour.

Can I leave British Western Red Cedar untreated?

British Western Red Cedar is a durable timber and does not need treatment to be effective. If you would like to maintain the colour you will need to use a UV protective treatment, otherwise sun exposure with cause it to silver. If you would like your board on board cladding to go silver grey you can simply leave it untreated.

All our claddings are provided untreated. Fresh sawn timber claddings are best left untreated and to go silver grey. There are a wide range of optional treatments available for different species of timber and we recommend talking to the excellent team at www.wood-finishes-direct.com, who know the most up-to-date information on all the newest treatment products.