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At the same time, suppliers report cladding sales benefiting from the growing consumer buy-in to the carbon and wider environmental arguments for wood. “We’re seeing this becoming an increasing consideration among specifiers too,” said the importer-distributor. “And we believe it’s also driving interest in using inherently durable species, such as cedar, oak and Douglas fir unfinished, which some see as the ultimate in planet-friendliness.”
Mr Lees sees this consideration particularly influencing product choice in larger builds. “There’s growing interest among architects in de-carbonised construction and the use of bio-sourced products, which means a huge boost for timber overall,” he said. “We’re seeing growth in demand for timber cladding particularly for public projects, such as schools and also for offsite prefabricated social housing. The factoring in of environmental considerations has become a fundamental societal trend.”
Brooks also reports good demand from new build and larger construction sectors. “We’ve secured a large amount of business this year with added value products using special treatments and lacquers to meet architects’ and customers’ specification,” said Brooks Timber cladding sales manager Danny Howell. “As we have the cutting, machining, kilning and finishing facilities we can meet their bespoke requirements.”
The increase in home-working, triggered
by lockdown but subsequently putting down permanent roots as a work-life balance choice for employees and a money-saver for employers, is also reported to be boosting cladding as the go-to exterior for garden offices.
“Besides a significant upturn in the domestic market, there’s been noticeable growth in the garden building sector, pretty much all of which is clad,” said Mr Devoil. “The issue is getting these small ‘domestic quantities’ distributed into the market place. That’s something the forward-thinking merchant could do well to latch on to.” Brooks Timber’s Danny Howell also reports a growth in the overall trade base and applications for the product. “The cladding market this year has yet again been very successful for us, more successful than last year and last year was a great success,” he said. “And we’ve seen new companies starting up and existing ones investing in building garden rooms, so overall more companies are now starting to get involved in timber cladding. We’ve also noticed an increase in timber cabins, lodges and treehouses being built, again a sign of consumers spending more of their income on the home.”
Of course, like the rest of the timber market, the cladding sector has been stressed by raw materials availability and soaring prices.
Suppliers say they’ve managed to keep up with demand, however, while customer push back on the price does not seem to have been a major issue. “Market price increases have had repercussions throughout the supply chain. So we’ve had to raise prices to be able to afford to buy the logs and ensure availability to customers,” said Mr Lees. “Supply has also been tight in the last six months, but as we’re sawmillers as well as planed product manufacturers, we’ve been in a stronger position than some in terms of securing the raw material.”
“Raw material has been a challenge, but strong relationships with suppliers and a dedicated supply chain team have meant we’ve pretty much been able to keep up with demand,” said Mr Devoil. “Having our own machining and profiling facility in Dresser Mouldings has also meant we can take raw material and convert quickly and efficiently, without being dependent upon others to do the work for us.”
For Brooks it’s been a matter of
keeping customers informed about market developments. “While we’ve managed to source sufficient supply, we’ve had no choice but to pass on price rises to buyers/ consumers,” said Mr Howell. “However, we give them as much notice as possible and advise at first point of quotations that they can only be based on current stocks. A majority of the species have now either levelled in price or slightly dropped, but the likes of western red cedar and a few other specialities have continued to increase and supply is looking tight for next year, although currently we have good stocks.”
TOP SELLERS Top cladding sellers reported by Lathams include Accoya and thermally modified products such as NoaWood and ThermoWood have also gained traction as shortages of western red cedar have led customers to consider alternatives.
But cedar has continued to be a lead performer for Brooks, alongside Siberian larch and Kebony, while for PiveteauBois Douglas fir has continued to make headway. “By 2040, Douglas fir will account for over one third of softwood production in France and it’s our most popular cladding species,” said Mr Lees. “It combines remarkable mechanical properties with excellent natural durability. Sapwood free is naturally durable up to Use Class 3.2 so it can be used externally and vertically without treatment. With sap it can be treated grey or brown to Use Class 3.2 and pressure treated accounts for more than half our sales. Grey impregnation on Douglas has been a real success as it’s more cost effective, long lasting and maintenance-free.”
Underlining ambition to develop their
presence in a growth market, suppliers have also been developing their cladding offer. New from PiveteauBois are Largo and Legato profiles with an “innovative and contemporary micro-ribbed surface finish”. “This finish allows for a more homogeneous greying of the timber over time and a slower rise in temperature when exposed to the sun, which increases longevity,” said Mr Lees. Both profiles are glue laminated and supplied in 200mm and 240mm widths, enabling rapid installation over large areas.
A big seller for Brooks this year has been
frake noir. “We secured a large project for it in conjunction with Kebony and Siberian larch, and we’re aiming to secure the next phases of the build next year,” said Mr Howell. “And we’re now stocking frake.”
The big splash from Lathams has been its Finish Line Cladding Collection, produced at Dresser Mouldings. Based on Accoya, this uses water-based, non-film Sansin SDF, ultra-UV resistant deep penetrating finish, which is given an added key to the wood by the brushing and sanding techniques used by Dresser (see also p44). Available in 12 colours, it’s described as a sustainable, fully finished cladding solution that minimises cracking, peeling and flaking. “Our new Carbon Calculator takes the story even further, with full carbon footprint and biogenic carbon data available for Finish Line – and all our other timber cladding products,” said Mr Devoil.
Suppliers also continue to focus on developing cladding capacity and capabilities. With Dresser Mouldings now bedded into the Lathams group, it’s the target of ongoing investment to provide more “customer-centric solutions”. PiveteauBois is also growing capacity at all three of its sawmill sites, while Brooks is planning a dedicated cladding showroom where architects, contractors and end users can view “scaled cladding panels” in various species, treatments and profiles to help choose the design and layout. “We’re hoping this will positively impact our business in bespoke and architect- specified projects, where I feel there’s more business to be secured,” said Mr Howell. Some slowdown was noted in the market in the lead up to Christmas, with good levels of stock on the ground and a small percentage of stockists buying back to back due to high prices. But Brooks reports customers placing stock orders for January delivery and, pending sufficient supply and “fair prices” is predicting “another great year” in 2022. While growth may not be at 2021 levels, PiveteauBois is also forecasting a further “sustained increase” in business. For Lathams, increasing impetus is anticipated from specifiers. “We expect more and more architects and designers to opt for cladding on their projects,” said Mr Devoil. ■
www.ttjonline.com | January/February 2022 | TTJ
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