Cladding in Northern Europe

Colourful wooden facades are a big part of Northern Europe characteristic image. They love traditional facade claddings here – opaque in white, grey, blue or red. The materials of choice are domestic woods such as spruce and pine. The cladding boards are usually coated while they are still freshly sawn. They are impregnated, primed and given an initial coat in industrial production. Once installed, the final topcoat is brushed on by hand at the construction site. Typical coating systems include TEKNOL AQUA 1410, TEKNOL 3881 and NORDICA EKO 3330, but products such as ANTISTAIN AQUA 5200-00 and AQUATOP 2600 are also used.

Cladding in Central and Southern Europe

Preferences and technical requirements in Central and Southern Europe are far different. Here, the cladding boards are usually fully coated and pre-assembled in industrial processes. Since the elements are already fully coated upon arrival at the construction site, blocking resistance is a key factor. The main woods used are spruce, pine and larch, but modified woods such as Accoya are also used. In contrast to traditional Scandinavian facades, much value is placed on the finish here. The boards are not coated when freshly sawn – instead, they are at least planed before being coated, and a knot inhibiting primer is applied. Translucent coatings tend to be preferred over opaque paint in Central and Southern Europe. On the whole, the facade plays a greater role as an element of design. The requirements of architects and building owners run from natural wood tones to aging stains and even metallic and other special effects.
NORDICA EKO 3894 is the main topcoat used for facade claddings in Central and Southern Europe. It can reach blocking resistance levels of up to 7,500 kg/m2 so that the elements with finished coats can be stacked and taken to the construction site without being damaged. Commonly used translucent systems include AQUAPRIMER 2900-22 and NORDICA EKO 3894. The topcoat is also available with metallic effects if required. 

Cladding in United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is another important market for wood facades. Much like Central and Southern Europe, the elements are industrially coated throughout the entire process here. Aside from spruce and pine, Accoya has become quite prevalent in the United Kingdom. Mostly opaque coatings are used. They tend to use the same systems as those used to coat windows, such as ANTISTAIN AQUA 5200 and AQUATOP 2600. AQUA PRIMER 2907-02 and AQUATOP 2600 are commonly used translucent coatings.

Example coating systems for saw-cut and planed cladding

* Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.

** Can be tinted in selected translucent colours depending on the BPR approval in the various countries