Can I Re-Clad the Exterior Wall of My Home?

You can re-clad your home if you have already installed cladding material on the exterior wall of your house. Re-cladding your house means tearing away the former cladding material and replacing it with new cladding. If you clad your house with wood cladding and you want to change it, you can re-clad your house with composite cladding. The process of re-cladding your home is relatively easy if you know how to use simple hand tools.  

Reasons for Re-cladding Your Home 

Installing a More Durable Cladding Material 

One reason you may decide to re-clad your home is that your current cladding material is not durable. You may want to re-clad your home in a durable, weather-resistant cladding that has a longer lifespan. 

Wooden cladding is an example of cladding that is not durable. It is susceptible to insect attacks. Termites will attack your wood cladding quickly after you have installed it. Another thing about wooden cladding is that it will rot or swell when it absorbs moisture, mould and mildew thrive on timber decking as well, making it less durable. Moreover, wooden cladding will break or splinter when exposed to fluctuating temperatures. Aside from these drawbacks, wooden cladding requires lots of maintenance too. You have to sand, seal and stain/paint your timber cladding to retain its appearance and ensure it will remain intact for a long time. 

Due to the reasons listed above, many people often re-clad their homes with a more durable cladding, such as composite, that does not pose these problems, such as termite attacks. 

Installing a More Attractive Cladding Material 

Another reason why you might decide to re-clad your home is that you have been introduced to more attractive cladding material. There are many unattractive cladding boards out there, usually made out of stone or wood.  Stone and wood cladding tends to only have one look, and they both fade quickly.

Composite cladding comes in various colours, and it mimics the natural look of wood. The colour of composite cladding will last longer than the wood cladding too. This makes composite cladding more attractive, and many people make the decision to convert from wood or stone to composite. 

Installing a Cladding that Is Easier to Maintain 

You might want to re-clad the exterior wall of your home if you installed a cladding that is difficult to maintain. Timber cladding is one such cladding. The process of taking care of timber cladding is laborious. As mentioned above, you have to sand, seal, paint or stain your wood cladding. This maintenance process is time-consuming. 

Timber cladding maintenance costs more money than other cladding maintenance. You have to purchase the paint/stain and seal that you will smear on your timber. If your cladding is high up the exterior wall of your home, then there may be spots that you can not reach to do maintenance work on. This means certain areas of your wooden cladding will be treated and others won’t, which is not ideal as it will affect the appearance of your cladding. 

Instead of having to do lots of tedious maintenance work, you may want to convert to a cladding material that requires very little maintenance. Composite is one of these materials that require little maintenance. 

How to Re-clad the Exterior Wall of Your Home 

Step One – Tear off the Old Cladding 

Whether it is timber, stone, or aluminium cladding that you want to change, you have to tear off the old cladding to give way for the new one. You must be careful when you are tearing off the cladding and must ensure that the wall of your home is intact. We advise that you use a claw bar to detach the old cladding boards. 

Step Two – Fix the Frame 

After tearing off the old cladding, you should make sure you fix the frame to the exterior wall. This is where you will put the new composite cladding on. You have to carry out a little calculation here to know the dimensions of the exterior wall of your home. If you need help with this, please contact your board supplier, and they will be able to do this calculation for you. 

Step Three – Arrange the Composite Cladding Boards 

Once you have installed the frame, arrange the composite cladding boards. Once in place, use the appropriate fasteners for your composite cladding to fix the cladding boards into place. 

Conclusion 

To answer your question, yes, you can re-clad the exterior wall of your home. One good cladding material that you can use to re-clad your home is composite cladding. This cladding material is durable, strong, easy to maintain, and attractive.