03/09/2026
So you are building and you know you want timber cladding but you don't know where to start?
There's a hundred and one ways to clad a building in timber but lets start with one of the most basic decisions - off-saw or profiled cladding.
OFF-SAW (or rough sawn) cladding is timber that is cut by a sawmill and has a rough texture and potentially saw marks and other imperfections on it. There's likely to be some slight variation in dimensions and it is usually (but not always) supplied freshly sawn, meaning it is neither air-dried or kiln-dried.
The pros? It has oodles of texture and character, its the cheapest option and it really suits traditional, natural material builds and rustic projects.
How to use it? It is laid out in patterns/styles like board-and-batten, clapboard, board-on-board, featheredge and many more.
PROFILED cladding is timber that has been machined to a specific cross-section, typically that means the boards interlock with a tongue and groove of some kind. There are hundreds of different profiles but most profiled timber is supplied in variations of a few common styles like shadow gap, TG+V etc.
The pros? Crisp lines, contemporary look, smooth surface, consistency... Perfectly suited to modern builds. Virtually always kiln-dried to reduce movement.
How to use it? Boards typically interlock with each other with a tongue and groove or overlap, and you don't need to set out a specific pattern.
Exceptions to the rule? (because there always is!):
- Planed or planed-all-round (PAR) boards are machined boards that have smooth square edges. They are technically 'profiled' but they are set out like off-saw boards.
- Waney edge, or live edge - boards that feature the outside edge of the tree rather than a square cut
- Fine sawn or resawn boards - boards that have been sawn again for various reasons.
- Shingles and shakes - still timber cladding, but used the way slates and tiles and used.
- Really niche cladding styles like riven boards (more on that another time!)
Any questions? Pop them in the comments below or give me a call!
