Discover the Different Cladding Types for a Stunning Exterior

Your home’s exteriors are the first things that you or your guests see, and they can have a huge impact on the overall appearance and functionality of your home. Exterior cladding offers a cost-effective, low-maintenance way to achieve the perfect exterior for your tastes. 

But, what are the different cladding types, and what could they each bring to your property?

Enhance Your Home’s Exterior With Wall Cladding

While all types of cladding offer varying benefits, they each have one thing in common – they can significantly enhance your home’s exterior. Unlike many other substantial changes to how your home looks, they’re also surprisingly simple to install when you buy well-made materials like the ones offered by Concept Materials. 

But, what is cladding on a building, and why can it have such an impact? 

Effectively, cladding is a material that is applied over another to effectively provide a protective ‘skin’ or additional exterior layer. Just a few ways that different cladding types could help take your home’s exteriors to the next level include – 

• Pops of colour according to your tastes
• Updated home appearances
• Fresh-looking weather-resistant exteriors
• Consistency with surrounding properties
• And much more

Types of Cladding

When you begin researching, the main house cladding types that you’re likely to come across include –

Composite Cladding

Composite cladding is made from a combination of different materials, for the Millboard range this is a combination of Polyurethane resin, reinforced with mineral fibres plus a unique Lastane coating. This is one of the most low-maintenance wall cladding types, and because it’s moulded from real Oak it enables homeowners to achieve a natural wood finish without the hassle.. Composite cladding is also available in a range of colour choices to ensure that your exteriors look exactly how you would like them. 

Wood Cladding

Wood or timber cladding is a traditionally popular option made using natural wood materials. Timber is an especially popular choice because of its natural wood finishes and protective properties. However, all wood cladding requires more regular maintenance than many other cladding types. Wood cladding can also be an expensive option. 

uPVC Cladding

uPVC is a widely-used construction material that creates durable low-maintenance cladding, which can be tailored to suit various styles and colour choices. uPVC’s popularity is largely thanks to its high affordability, but even wood-grain uPVC can look slightly artificial for use on traditional or brick buildings. uPVC may also discolour over time, meaning that it may need replacing to maintain a fresh exterior. 

Stone Cladding

Stone cladding uses a thin layer of natural stones to strengthen and improve property exteriors. Stone cladding can look either traditional or modern depending on your needs and cladding choices. Unfortunately, stone cladding is typically expensive, and requires lengthy installation periods with the help of a trained professional to ensure appearances. 

Brick Cladding

Bricks can be used as a cladding material, and they provide a traditional, attractive finish for any property. Brick cladding is thermally efficient and durable, but like stone cladding, installation can be complex. The cement used to secure brick cladding is also increasingly contributing to carbon emissions, making this an unsustainable solution.

Cladding for Every Style

While some types of cladding, such as stone and brick solutions, offer an incredibly specific finish, other cladding styles are far more adaptable according to your property. Materials like composite and uPVC can especially allow you to easily access a range of different cladding styles and colours.

While uPVC cladding can create a slightly artificial finish that may look out of place on traditional properties, composite cladding is becoming an increasingly popular option for all kinds of homeowners. Whether your property is old or new, the natural-wood finish and colour options of our high-quality composite decking are sure to suit.

Top Cladding Trends

It’s always worth considering current cladding trends when thinking about wall cladding types. In 2023, the top cladding trends include – 

• Sustainable solutions: Modern homeowners are increasingly seeking the most sustainable solutions. For cladding, this includes natural materials over options like uPVC, especially the recycled materials often used in composite cladding.
• Colourful panels: Colourful panels that can increase the visual of any property’s exteriors are continuing to grow in popularity. While painting options like timber panels can take a fair amount of time, composite and uPVC cladding is readily available in a range of different colours.
• Geometric patterns: Far from traditional vertical or horizontal cladding installations, geometric cladding is becoming an increasingly popular option for achieving an interesting and unique exterior. While this isn’t possible with stone or brick cladding, it’s an effect that can be easily achieved with composite and timber.

Get Inspired With Cladding Ideas From Concept Materials

Finding the right cladding types is a great way to feel inspired by what you want to achieve with your property’s exterior. Here at Concept Materials, we offer a great range of natural-finish Millboard cladding that can be suited to any property style or cladding solution that you could imagine. Simply browse our range and order your free sample to see first-hand how you can bring your cladding ideas to life.