Over time, the development and rise in popularity of exterior wall cladding have been amazing. The variety of designs out there also witnessed a significant rise over the past decade. Previously, brick was simply a primary element of the building. However, in recent times, it now serves as the designers’ color palette for inventiveness.
Furthermore, exterior wall cladding is a product of all kinds of materials. Unfortunately, with so many options presently accessible to architects, selecting the appropriate material and design can be tasking. This article will expose you to all you need to ease the process. Find out the top exterior wall cladding design ideas for your next building and the best materials to use as well.
What Is Exterior wall Cladding?
Let’s begin by introducing the process itself. Here is a simple routine. For your home to look pleasantly different from others on your street, exterior wall cladding comes in handy. Everyone wants a building that passes off the amazing appeal and excellent first impressions. We all want that building project to be a talking point and for it to stay that way.
Therefore, it does not matter if it is a new structure or a renovation on a depleted old building. All you need is to use the perfect external wall cladding materials and the right design. With those chosen rightly, you can get a visually impressive home with the personality, character, and style you want.
Nevertheless, a home’s exterior does not stop at giving great first impressions and having an appeal. For exterior wall cladding, you need high-performance materials. These materials can as well serve as a protective covering for the entire building and its interiors.
Additionally, when you use top-quality cladding, you help get the best from the building. The cladding protects the building from the sun, wind, rain, storm, moisture, fire, and other extreme weather conditions. It also protects from pests, noise, and other pollutants. In addition, wall cladding is a terrific insulator that protects against structural breakdown. It also ensures the interior’s energy efficiency increases.
Overall, exterior cladding is an adaptable and economical solution. It does not only revamps your home’s aesthetic; it also improves its function and strength. Wall cladding does this by improving its tolerance and protection against outward impacts.
Wall Cladding Designs and Materials: Making a Choice
Out there, you have numerous external wall cladding products you can choose from. The numerous options available abound in aspects like color, style, material, performance, finish, and strength.
With the several options out there, a decision becomes important. How can you ensure your cladding decision is the best you can get for your home or corporate buildings?
Truly, considering your budget goes a long way during the selection of a wall cladding design. However, certain necessary factors are worth considering in the decision-making process.
For example, have you considered the local environment? That is one vital element as you need your exterior wall cladding material to effectively withstand unique circumstances. You don’t want it to be affected by exposure to:
- Corrosive marine environment;
- Huge wind loads;
- Seismic impacts, and
- Severe cold or heat.
With a good cladding product, you lessen the environmental influence on the building. This will happen through excellent thermal performance. That way, your safety is sure. Also, ensure you meet compliance provisions for fire resistance.
Types Of Cladding Materials
In different parts of the world, you can find the following cladding material options for exterior wall cladding or recladding:
- Aluminum
- Natural stone
- Fiberboard
- Timber
- Glass
- Fiber cement
- Brick
- Metal
- Vinyl
- Steel
- Concrete
- Ceramic
1. Brick Cladding
How do we write a piece about exterior wall cladding design without speaking of classic Brick cladding? This is an excellent material choice for houses and commercial buildings as well. You can get bricks in more colors.
2. Wood Cladding
Wood cladding continues to rise in popularity in recent times. It is an amazing sustainable option instead of traditional materials. Using wood cladding gives such a building an instant style upgrade. It comes with practical, sustainable external finishes of various grades, species, and profiles. It will be a perfect fit for your exterior wall cladding design goal.
3. Metal Cladding
Metal cladding offers itself as an outstanding complement to your exterior wall cladding design. It adds a contemporary, industrial appearance and aura. This is also a very helpful material for integrating bold colors into the project.
4. Ceramic Cladding
Ceramic tiles are not new cladding materials. They have been in use since Egyptian times. However, in more recent times, terracotta rainscreen cladding and brick slip systems became popular options for building works. With ceramic rainscreen cladding systems, you have a material that can incredibly protect the structure of the building. You enjoy protection from all kinds of elements whilst enjoying a delightful finish.
5. Concrete Cladding
Precast concrete cladding is built off-site by producing precast concrete panels. There is no limit to the possible applications of these panels. Moreover, it parades certain structural advantages. In all, concrete cladding can be an incredible way to combine sculptural shapes with your exterior wall cladding design.
6. Stone Cladding
We now have creative stone cladding systems that simply slot together to create a practical and cost-effective stone cladding. Thanks to stone cladding, there is a new level of detail and heritage you get. That is where the uniqueness lies.
7. Composite Cladding
Composite cladding is an excellent substitute for timber cladding. Generally, it is a product of combining recycled wood and plastic. It blends the definitive look of wood with the durability of an engineered composite. The result is spectacular.
8. Metal Mesh Cladding
Clearly, metal mesh cladding design is one design option with its distinct and particular look. It contains an exceptionally versatile material which makes it great for molding numerous designs. It is a recipe for constructing fascinating architectural designs. Also, it can be effectively utilized for wall cladding design components like sun protection or privacy screens.
9. Plastic Cladding
Similar to metal cladding, plastic cladding panels come in as a huge addition to the general building Façade. For plastic cladding, you get an economical, lightweight, and easy to install option. It can furnish building elements with an immediate facelift or color splash.
10. 3D Cladding
3D cladding keeps getting increasingly prominent in contemporary architecture. Still, 3D cladding design seems like what will be the marmite of the design world. It is either you love it or you simply hate it.
When you look around you, you can find some totally remarkable projects using 3D cladding and walls. However, there have also been some terrible ones. Regardless, the inventiveness taking place by utilizing flexible materials is to be cherished.
Exterior Wall Cladding Design Options
1. Brick Wall Cladding Design
This continues to rank among the oldest exterior wall cladding designs. Brick cladding design blends a stunning finish with outstanding execution and structural benefits. They are thermally efficient, fire-resistant, reliable, low maintenance, weatherproof and non-toxic.
This design will give you terrific sound insulation. They are also sustainable and mainly recycled into new bricks, used again, or mashed for fill. Here is a design offered in a vast variety of sizes, colors, textures, and finishes. They all help to improve the design flexibility.
Portable and compact brick cladding systems with custom-cut bricks positioned in a steel rail remain a special design. It is mechanically bound to the substrate. More so, the steel-backed brick walls are incredibly sturdy. They can be safely utilized in seismic environments. Finally, brick tiles used are gotten from actual bricks to build a genuine brick wall cladding.
2. Timber Clad Houses and Wall Cladding Design
Hardwood timber continues to enjoy the preference as an exterior wall cladding material. They are perfect in both commercial and residential building segments. An exterior wall cladding made from natural hardwood will give you a blend of the beauty of timbers with long-term stamina and bushfire resistance. Just the perks you need.
When you use hardwood timber cladding design, be sure you have a resilient setup. It is resilient to natural seismic tendencies. Also, it gives those decorative and functional applications just as you love it.
This design again offers termite resistance. Plus, you can get it in species like Blackbutt and Spotted Gum. It is advisable to use surface coating with an exterior pigmented stain or paint to prevent weathering.
Its enduring performance also relies on regular maintenance and recoating when the need arises. The cladding is easily fixable on timber or steel structures.
3. Lightweight Brick Finish Cladding Design
You need a lightweight ventilated rainscreen facade design to enjoy a striking brick finish cladding. It is a perfect fit for newly constructed high-rise buildings. It also works perfectly for renovations.
The design framework contains particularly designed brick tiles. The tiles mechanically catch on to a galvanized steel or stainless steel backing. Mortar is added with the help of a pump.
Furthermore, the brick look this cladding design offers gives that design versatility with a vast selection of colors and textures. All of these help to create bespoke decorative structures.
This further speeds up construction, saving you both money and time. This is an edge it has over traditional brickwork. In addition, this lightweight cladding can be attached to numerous substrates including timber frame, concrete, lightweight steel frames, structural steel, and masonry.
4. Fiber Cement Wall Cladding Design
One thing about this fiber cement exterior wall cladding design that makes it stand out is its high performance. It also offers that low-maintenance exterior wall cladding system you need. You can get it in 14 horizontal and vertical grooved boards. Similarly, it is available in rectangular and square panels.
It is a product of an innovative cement formulation. With these cladding boards and panels, you will meet bushfire requirements effortlessly. They present a fire rating that ranks up to 60 minutes when utilized with the right wall systems and materials.
Additionally, this design is available in a range of timber finishes. The range can either fall between screwed to light gauge steel frames or nailed to timber frames. Plus, the boards get supplied pre-primed and set for painting.
5. Aluminum Architectural Cladding Design
Do you need strength, aesthetics, weather resistance, and maintenance to be top-notch for your exterior wall cladding? Do you also want that terrific acoustic, thermal, and fire performance? Then this is the wall cladding option you should go for.
This design is best for new buildings as well as renovation projects for commercial and residential buildings. The design stands out for its practical timber finishes that include Beechwood, White Oak, Sapele, Walnut, Cherry, Antique Grey, Charred, and Mahogany. That original timber look you get from this design is thanks to a patented heat transfer process.
Finally, this cladding design captions an interlocking tongue-and-groove design. That gives it a covert fixing and a neat timber finish. Also, the profiles can be fixed vertically as well as horizontally; anyone that suits your design preferences.
6. Hardwood Fiberboard Cladding Design
This is a different kind of timber cladding that comes from Australian Hardwood and natural wax. It is a product of the claim of ‘better than zero carbon footprint’. This timber cladding design is composed of architects and builders nursing green building motives. Thanks to the zero chemical additives, the cladding design works perfectly in both external and internal cladding usage.
Other important features of this design include easy DIY installation, termite resistance plus a 25-year guaranteed immunity to crack, rot or split issues. It is supplied Natural or Primed with every necessary composite needed for coating or painting.
7. Vinyl Wall Cladding Design
Vinyl cladding ranks amongst the most reliable exterior wall cladding designs due to the materials it uses. It is again one of the most prominent options. This is a product of a new generation of timber-look vinyl wall cladding and vinyl weatherboards. Also, it gives those natural wood grain textures.
With this premium cladding design, your homes can now enjoy thermal as well as acoustic efficiency. You need this cladding design if that’s what you want for your building. Plus, it is low maintenance and will keep its good looks for a long time.
Conclusion
From any of these materials and designs alike, you can make that choice that brings out the best from your buildings. Exterior wall cladding is a terrific addition to any building. It is even better when the right design and materials are used!
