RAINSCREEN CLADDING ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS DRIVE RISING DEMAND

------------ BY DAVID KOENIG

THE TRENDY LOOK of rainscreen cladding that swept over commercial buildings is fast spreading to residential construction—and who’s taking notice but the manufacturers of alternative decking. The producers of composite, PVC and thermally modified wood decking

Design Trends Driving Cladding Demand

• Open joint systems showcase dark spaces between boards, bringing the addition of texture and depth to walls and creating intrigue through strong linear patterns.

• Mixed materials continue to be a popular contemporary trend.

• Wood-look boards bring warmth and patterned texture that balance other colder materials like stone, marble, concrete or smooth panels.

• The wood look can reflect a building’s natural surroundings.

• Homebuyers (especially millennial homebuyers) want homes that stand out and aren’t “cookie cutter.” They want homes that don’t look like they are from their parents’ generation.

recognize that their materials offer the same aesthetics, performance and maintenance advantages that builders, designers and homeowners are looking for in cladding.

“Cladding is a design trend that has been growing in popularity over the past few years,” confirms Doug Lind, market development manager for Trex Co. “Inspired by commercial buildings, this application has quickly crossed over into the residential arena with the growth in consumer demand for modern, streamlined design and the warm look of wood.”

Daniel Gibbons, director of exteriors marketing, AZEK Exteriors, thinks there’s even more at play. “Like many buildings material and architectural design trends, it is the combination of new technologies and shifting appetites for design. Very much a ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ scenario,” he says. “On top of this, the driving force in exterior design continues to shift away from just building for the sake of building, but instead having more of a sustainable or green perspective of building with purpose. Design builders and architects are saying, ‘If I were to build something, I want to make sure it is meant to last, and last with minimal need for maintenance.’ To meet this, building material innovation and associated practices need to allow for that improved durability.”

NewTechWood manufactures separate composite decking and cladding systems to provide added protection to the home. According to NewTech’s Richard Lam, “With traditional decking when you put it up on the wall and use it as cladding you are creating what is known as an open rainscreen system. You will be leaving yourself 1/8” to 1/4” gap between each board. You will have water getting between the cracks and hitting your wall and your housewrap. Our cladding/siding system creates a closed rainscreen system where there are near zero gaps in the board with the clip, giving you an almost waterproof barrier to your house.”

NewTechWood offers three distinct styles: the All Weather System (a traditional flat-panel siding), the European System (with raised notches for a modern look), and the Shadowline System (with a 1/4” false gap). Additional styles are coming soon.

Two years ago, Fiberon became the first decking-centric manufacturer to introduce a dedicated cladding product (dubbed Wildwood in 2022). According to Jim Strange, senior category manager, “Wildwood was engineered specifically for cladding applications. We worked with architects to create a thinner, lighter board with a 6” profile, allowing for easier installation and a better yield on the wall. Most deck boards have a Class C rating; Wildwood cladding boards feature enhanced resistance to flame spread and have a Class B rating.”

Other manufacturers have followed suit, introducing branded cladding products. Most, however, are the same boards as their decking, since they say their products’ waterresistive properties are ideal for both applications.

MoistureShield’s Vision and Meridian products both meet cladding requirements under ICC-ES AC524, which is an additional requirement beyond the deck code compliance criteria. According to Barrette Outdoor Living, the same features that make MoistureShield decking a great deck product also make it an excellent choice for cladding since both sides of the board can get wet— its proprietary Solid Core Difference creates an impermeable barrier that can be installed on the ground, in the ground, and underwater. The backsides of some competing boards are vulnerable to water when exposed over time.

“Over the past few years, decking manufacturers have put significant research and development into making more realistic and aesthetically appealing capped technologies,” says Matt Bruce, vice president of sales at Barrette Outdoor Living. “With rainscreen barrier technology evolving at an equal pace with the architectural preference for horizontal design, products like MoistureShield’s Vision and Meridian composite decking—that specifically warranty against the elements and water damage—make an ideal choice for cladding applications.”

Trex Cladding is made from Trex Transcend square edge deck boards— the company’s top-of-the-line product and are tested to withstand extreme weather conditions, including hurricane-force winds, making them ideal for cladding applications.

Envision Building Products markets a single product as dual-use by design. “Our full-profile, square-edge capped composite decking is code approved for cladding/rainscreen applications. This is beneficial to both our distributor and dealer customers as well as the end-user,” director of marketing Chase Moritz says. “By utilizing our deck boards for cladding, we cut down on the number of SKUs our distributors and dealers need to carry, simplifying their product management with a single product that has dual use capabilities.

“The end-user, whether a professional contractor or a DIYer, gets an easy-to-install, durable and low maintenance product that can be used in several applications on their project. This gives them an option to tie the entire outdoor space together using the same product and color for cladding, decking, and accent areas. We publish separate cladding installation guides to ensure the installer knows the correct installation method.”

Likewise, Russell Lowe, associate director, decking & cladding for Fortress, says their Apex capped bamboo-PVC composite decking works well as rainscreen cladding, because the boards “can defend against water infiltration and support improved ventilation while delivering the high-end aesthetic customers want.”

AZEK TimberTech Cladding also uses the same boards the company sells for decking, so it requires that the understructure is weatherproof since the product is not designed to keep moisture out.

It’s not just composite and PVC decking companies that are banking on cladding. Thermally modified wood producers are all in—and see themselves with a distinct advantage.

“We do see increasing interest in thermally modified wood for cladding,” notes Matt Pryor, director of specialty sales, Bingaman & Son Lumber, supplier of the Americana brand. “We believe the main drivers are appearance, performance and environmental impact. Most competing products try to simulate wood, while thermally modified wood delivers the authentic experience. There is no manmade element, no chemicals or plastics, no repeating machine patterns. Every board is as unique as the sustainably-harvested tree it came from, a feature that really shines through on a highlyvisible application like cladding.

“The wood’s color can be preserved or enhanced through Shou Sugi Ban, semi-transparent stains, and fully painted options, but we find one of the most popular (and absolute lowest-maintenance) options is natural weathering... just let the wood do its thing.”

Ben Roberts, marketing director for Kebony North America, says the trend has been years in the making. “The demand for rainscreen cladding has been on the rise for some time now,” he said. “As architects/designers/builders started to embrace this as a better building practice, improvements started being made in offerings. The initial concepts of using wood or other types of furring strips to gain the airspace between the substrate and the cladding creates a chimney effect. The furring strips do not allow for a passive airflow between the two which can create condensation pockets.”

These rainscreen clips hold the board from the edge with different types of profiles that accept the clip— forcing designers to search for very long-term but stable wood options to go in them. This created an opening for thermally modified wood because of its high stability.

Roberts says modified wood checked all the boxes. The one shortcoming Kebony identified with higher-end woods was their comparatively slower speed of installation. So, the company recently introduced a Click-In Cladding System that utilizes Grad Concepts’ mini-rail system as the hidden fasteners.

Roberts says another reason for modified woods’ growing popularity as cladding is its increased availability. “As modified woods continue to gain market share across the U.S. and Canada in both decking and cladding, this has made them more available,” he said. “High-end wood cladding is traditionally a special order-type item. Now, traditional building material distributors can supply the marketplace with true ‘off-the-shelf’ offerings instead of the dreaded special order that can be problematic for a builder.”

Thermal modification produces such stable, durable material that MOSO warrants its rainscreen siding for 25 years.

UFP Industries has enjoyed immediate traction with its UFP-Edge thermally modified wood cladding. “Thermally modified wood siding has gained acceptance, and we have seen significant momentum in the last two years,” says marketing manager Chris Fox. “I see an uptrend for real wood and faux wood siding. Wood colors and textures are important to achieve an on-trend aesthetic. There are also more pre-finished siding options, which come with key benefits like a better and more consistent finish and reduced project delays due to bad weather.”

Thermory USA’s Matt Stansel attributes thermally modified wood’s rising popularity to its rot resistance, long-term performance, sustainable footprint, and minimal maintenance. “We predict that thermally modified wood will continue to grow in the wood market as more consumers become aware of all the benefits and the lasting impact it has on the environment,” Stansel says. “A big part of capturing customers (architects, general contractors, homeowners, etc.) is education, and we will continue to push on that front.”

And dealers can expect their customers to continue siding with PVC, composites and modified wood. BP