Timber Cladding to Extension.

Hi All, I am in the process of sourcing cladding and stain for my new extension.
I had initially decided on cladding it in Western Red Cedar vertical t & g and let it go silvery grey naturally.
After some discussions with others (and my wife) we have decided now to have the cladding stained in a charcoal / grey to match cladding in other areas of our cul de sac. I think the grey / black would look good but would like some advice on the make of stains. I would probably likely to clad in british oak as its going to be stained anyway which will reduce the cost.
I had looked at Sansin SDF but for the 45m2 its going to be round £300 ish in stain £££££££££££££. Any suggestions?

are you asking about the wood or about the stain?

Hi John, thanks for your reply. I was more intetested in the stain manufaturer suggestions, but it all depends what kind of timber you are staining will depend on the type. I think oak is a good compromise or english cedar.

Sorry don't know. I use linseed oil on mine which is fairly durable, but it needs doing every few years so will be difficult if it is not easily accessible.

I found with vertical T&G that every board rots at the bottom where water gets into the grain, so I changed to horizontal shiplap. As a DIY job I drilled every board before fixing, used wood preserver, colron and oil, before fixing, and also prepared a few spare ones which I tucked behind the cladding to replace any that rotted. A pro would consider it wasteful of his time.

I couldn't afford hardwood cladding at the time but I imagine it will last well. I used teak strips to cover the end grain, and brass screws as I live in a coastal, boatbuilding area.

Hi John, the hardwoods are more costly but will last years without maintenance. The maintaining is not really what i had in mine. Just to stain and go. I would rather stain a softwood as you wont see the hardwoods appearance.