Western Red Cedar Cladding

Western Red Cedar is a great choice for exterior cladding. It can enhance the exterior of any building, while at the same time offering technical and practical benefits-

Minimum order quantities apply e.g. 200 - 625mts depending on section required

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Weathered Western Red Cedar Cladding

Technical Information

Acoustic properties: Cedar tends to dampen sound transmission

Density(oven-dry): 22 lb/ft3

Specific Gravity (oven dry): 0.35

Durability: Durable species

Fasteners: Corrosion resistant only(aluminum, hot-dipped galvanized, brass, stainless steel, etc.)

Flame spread rating: 69(class II)

Smoke developed classification: 98 k value(12% mc) 0.74 BTU in.per square ft.h degrees F

R value: 1.35 in. of thickness

Stability: Cedar is the most stable softwood species

Workability: Easy to cut, saw, nail and glue

Appearance: Cedar’s rich grain and texture offer a timeless complement to any architectural design, from turn-of-the-century to contemporary. Its natural colour gradations range from pale straw tones to deepest chocolate hues. It will weather to a silver grey colour over time.

Finishing & Maintenance:

In order to maintain and enhance the beautiful natural appearance of Cedar it is essential that you apply the best possible wood treatment.

It is recommended that Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer is used for finishing Western Red Cedar. Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer is a unique product being a hybrid between a penetrating oil and sealer. In other words, it is a combination of a product that soaks into the timber and a product that builds layers on the surface depending on how many coats are applied. The deep penetrating ability enables Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer to obtain a key into the actual surface of the timber. Thereafter the second coat will continue to seal the timber, but will also be the basis of the first layer to form a protective coating on the surface. Coats 3 and 4, 4 in the case of horizontal decks, 3 in the case of vertical cladding, then build on this penetrating foundation and seal from the second coat to actually form a film which builds thickness on the surface and which affords protection from the weather, the repelling of water and absorption of UV light.

All technical information produced by the influential Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, the Forest Products Society (Madison, Winconsin) and the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau recommend that Cedar should have some form of protective finish applied. Even though Cedar weathers over time if left untreated to a silver-grey patina that may have a certain architectural appeal, research chemists and wood scientists also strongly recommend that Cedar should not be left unfinished and should have some form of protective finish applied to prevent surface degradation.

These bodies and individuals point to the fact that among all the softwood species, Western Red Cedar is considered to have the very best finish-retention features. The characteristics of Western Red Cedar that contribute to this is its outstanding dimensional stability, fine texture, a pattern of growth that results in narrow bands of summerwood, and freedom from pitch and resin.

Cedars excellent finishing characteristics cannot compensate for products that are unsuitable, of inferior quality, or improperly applied. Finishes perform best when the coating is applied to all surfaces (face, back, edges and ends), whilst weathered surfaces provide a poor substrate for finishes. Even a few weeks of exposure will decrease Cedar’s ability to hold a finish and thus the timber should never be allowed to weather before finishing. In the UK, Western Red Cedar, a softwood with high natural oil content is mostly left to weather because there have been no suitable long-term treatments. There is now an alternative and Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer will provide years of maintenance free protection to timber such as Cedar.

After a number of years you should check for wear on the surface of the coating. Depending on weathering you will need to apply a maintenance coat. Where Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer has been previously used, it is only necessary to clean the surface with detergent water or mineral turpentine and allow it to dry before coating. The reason for this is that Timbacare is a product that builds layers on the surface of the timber depending on how many coats are applied. The effect of weathering and UV light breaks down this coating after a long period of exposure. The process of recoating over time therefore simply replaces the layering that has been lost through weathering.

The refurbishment process for Timbacare is different to that for most other varnishes on the market, in that these other products need to be removed from the surface of the timber before re-coating can take place. This requires the old coatings to be removed by applying stripper or by sanding and or scraping prior to re-coating. This is obviously a very time consuming exercise that is not necessary or required when Rystix Timbacare Exterior Sealer has been used previously.

All finishing & maintenance information courtesy of Rystix UK Ltd

All information provided to the best of our knowledge, for more technical information please contact the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association www.wrcla.org.

For installation of Cedar Cladding (siding) you may find this download from the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association useful