What is cladding and why is it used?

If you’re new to the building maintenance industry, some terms can be confusing. To help you, let’s explain what cladding is, what it’s used for, and how Cladding Coatings step in to repair it.

You’ve been asked to look at the upkeep of the property that you own or manage. You’ve approached a surveyor or your building facilities manager, who’s completed their work and informed you that you need to instruct an expert team to fix your cladding.

For some building owners and project managers, that’s familiar news, and they know exactly what to ask our team at Cladding Coatings about when they call and tell us about their cladding issues. For others, it’s a brand new concern they’ve not tackled before – and they’re not sure where to start.

If that’s you, you’ll already know you need to speak to our experts at Cladding Coatings. But you may not know what cladding is, what type of cladding you have, and what type of cladding repair service you need to fix it. Let’s explain more:

What is cladding?

Cladding is when materials are applied on top of others, in layers, on the exterior of a building. It is designed to improve thermal insulation, weather resistance and appearance, amongst many other benefits.

Cladding is often assembled in panels. These components panels are attached the structural frame of your main building, and can be developed bespoke or installed ‘off the shelf’ to fit. Some cladding systems include panels and fastenings, while others feature windows, doors, gutters, rooflights and vents.

What types of cladding are there?

There are a huge variety of types of cladding available. Subject to your building and its usage, you can chose from a range of options to meet your performance needs and desired appearance. Cladding composite materials include wood, cement blends, aluminium, wheat/rice straw fibres and recycled polystyrene.

At Cladding Coatings, we primarily work with metal cladding coating. It’s perhaps the most common type of façade cladding, and requires specialist paint systems and expertise to repair and refurbish. Yet we also work with other types of cladding substrates, including timber cladding, Cedral weatherboard, and masonry cladding (including render, brick and stone). There are also new methods on the market, such as cladding wrapping. You can learn more about them all by clicking through to our services pages.

What is cladding used for?

The main purpose of cladding is to protect your building. This protection is primarily against external conditions, such as the weather. High winds, for example, cause pressure on the surface of your building, and your cladding is designed to have the strength and stiffness to resist damage. Rain is another concern. Cladding should protect against rain damage, for example water entering the building and damaging contents.

Of course, cladding also provides a smart, presentable finish to your property that looks professional and inviting. And it adds a layer of security and privacy, preventing both fires spreading through buildings and noise pollution entering.

What happens if cladding fails?

Cladding is hugely important to a building’s structure, so understanding and maintaining it is essential. If it fails, the damage to both your reputation and your property can be significant.

Damaged cladding means your building is exposed to the elements. This allows water to enter your property via problems such as cut edge corrosion, harming both building structure and contents. Your property can quickly become structurally unsound and unsafe for workers and visitors alike. What’s more, there’s huge potential damage to your reputation and profits. When cladding fades in the sun or debris builds up, flaking paint and dirt create an unsightly and poor first impression.

Cladding is something you need to recognise and understand in order to make sure your building is safe, secure and smart. At Cladding Coatings, our expert team have been carrying out exceptionally high standards of cladding repair and refurbishment and external building maintenance work for over two decades. We work across the UK on large and small sites for both local and internationally-recognised clients, and back everything we do with a competitive minimum ten-year guarantee.

To talk to us about your cladding and understand more about the type of façade your property has, get in touch with our team. We’d be delighted to explain more about cladding, our onsite spraying application methods, and the types of service we offer, before booking you in for a free of charge onsite survey followed by a fast, bespoke quote. We can provide one-off cladding coatings jobs, or keep your building secure at all times with a personalised planned building maintenance schedule. Simply ask us for more information and support.