Timber-look cladding and panelling have been around since the 17th century, so while it is nothing new, cladding has come a long way since then.
Today, there are many ways to get creative with cladding: we have more options and painted or au natural, we also have the choice of cladding with natural timber, fibre cement, PVC, and engineered products offering timber-look veneers.
Our favourite, of course, is NewTechWood’s composite cladding (Shadowline Cladding and Castellation Cladding) for its ultra-low maintenance, realistic appearance and longevity, as well as being environmentally friendly. (And we love that you don’t have to paint this… just pick your colour!).
Cladding is back in fashion (some of us believe it never went out), and the creative uses for cladding boards these days is limited only by your imagination. So, get creative with cladding – you can be conservative or go wild and creative with cladding design ideas, as we will demonstrate.
On the Conservative Side?
There is nothing wrong with the look and use of traditional wall cladding, and it certainly will stand the test of time trend-wise. But when you think of timber-clad houses, don’t think purely of early settler cottages when you can think outside the box and literally CLAD the box!
How boring might this house have looked had that large square room simply been covered with brick or plaster? This creative architect went with NewTechWood’s Castellation cladding in Aged Wood for this effect – proof you can be a design traditionalist and progressive at the same time.
Get Artistic with Your Ceiling
Internally or externally, modern or rustic, whatever look you’re going for can be enhanced with a timber-panelled ceiling. The NewTechWood cladding in Teak lining the ceiling in this delightful outdoor poolside area demonstrates the visual aesthetics achievable and is a perfect choice for exposure to the elements thanks to the patented Ultrashield capping.
These are people who clearly intend to spend their time entertaining and relaxing and not on maintenance. Our kind of people!
Move Over White Picket Fence!
While visually appealing, there is nothing enticing about the ongoing maintenance required to upkeep timber fences. And as for aluminium fencing, if you don’t mind the heat island effect adding to your summer heat distress and killing the plants trying to grow along the fence line, they are, at least, longer-lasting than natural timber.
All is not lost, however, because who’d have thought wall cladding panels could produce a fence as effective and visually stimulating as this one? Pictured is NewTechWood’ s Castellation Cladding in Aged Wood, cleverly interspersed with an artistic geographic design also utilising NewTechWood composite.
Or if that is a little too avant-garde for your taste, but you still want to stand out in the neighbourhood and outdo the Joneses, what do you think of this NewTechWood castellation fence in Ipe? No maintenance here either.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever!
Thanks John Keats; well said!
When you want a little pool privacy
Not everyone wants to fence off their pool with material that allows uninvited others to view their personal splashing and sunbaking activities. Some people like a little privacy for their skinny dipping, and they want something sturdy yet beautiful. Again, if lifelong maintenance and upkeep of traditional fencing do not appeal to you, and you’d rather spend your free time IN the pool and not working around it, you can consider NewTechWood composite fencing, as used here. Colour chosen: Silver Grey.
DIY Outdoor Furniture
Whilst you wouldn’t choose a cladding board to sit or stand on (you’d use decking profiles instead, as they are designed to be load-bearing), you can use cladding for the vertical faces, below the bench seat to the ground, the backrests, sides (and rear if visible) and small tables, as the cladding is a more cost-effective option for these areas.
Many a clever carpenter has whipped up outdoor furniture using NewTechWood decking and cladding boards, and you can too.
Can you picture this in your backyard? NewTechWood in Teak.
Dazzle them at the Entrance
If you want some “That’s not a door… THIS is a door” type wow factor with which to greet your guests, you can create your own. Or if you want to match your door with an internal or external cladding feature, again, this is easily achieved.
Take a plain door and clad it in matching material, as the proud owners of this architecturally designed home has done using NewTechWood’s Shadowline cladding panels behind the handle and NewTechWood’s Castellation cladding, which blends perfectly with the matching castellation side panel. Takes your breath away, doesn’t it!
Hide your Garage!
Speaking of Doors…
You have your old-fashioned hinged timber garage doors and your modern automatic metal garage doors, and then there are jaw-dropping visual works of art like this garage door dressed classily in composite timber cladding.
Here, both the surround and garage doors themselves are tastefully clad in NewTechWood’s Castellation Cladding in Ipe. Visual perfection that is ultra-low maintenance-free, long-lasting, environmentally friendly, and more importantly, lightweight.
So, when appearance matters, remember, you don’t have to buy off the shop floor; get creative!
For more inspiration, visit the cladding page in our gallery.
If you need technical help to make your ideas work, contact our friendly team – they are always ready to help you get your creative ideas to life!