# Shed Cladding



## swordfish

I built a shed (12' x8') about 10yrs ago and clad it with untreated t&g. It was the painted with a green stain/preservative and in the subsequent years the t&g has shrunk to an extent that a lot of the boards have gaps between them.

I'm intending to re-clad it this year and plan to use treated wood this time however would appreciate advice/suggestions as to whether to use treated t&g or overlapping tapered boards.

Cheers

Colin


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## Chris By The River

Hi Colin,

I've been selling high quality sheds for some years now which are clad in a choice of timbers as follows:
12mm redwood T & G
12mm Tanalised T & G
20mm redwood T & G
12mm Cedar T & G
23mm Barnstyle Tanalised shiplap

The only cladding option that I advise against is the 12mm Tanalised.
When new it is quite wet and srinkage is noticeable especially in the summer. I had a building where you could see daylight between the tongue and groove on the panel that faced the sun!!!!

My personal choice is the 20mm redwood T & G - solid and stable - Yes, it does need annual treatment (we use Barrettine, spirit based preservative) on the exterior but the buildings last for absolutely years in excellent condition.

The 23mm Tanalised does shrink in warm weather but the extra thickness seems to cope better and this is also a good choice.

As with all things, quality is paramount for longevity. A lot of T & G sold is barely suitable for making pallets with !!!!

Chris


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## slimshady

My workshop (23'x13') was built with Western-red-cedar shiplap. 6" wide and 7/8" thickest.
Clad with a 1" overlap. After 4 years on a south-facing side I have had no issues.
Admittedly they were stacked for a year whilst I prevaricated on design of the timber-frame.

Alex.


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## chrs_666

I used treated feather edge boards on my shed because they were the cheapest not been up for years with no treatment still fine not the best looking cladding though.


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## Halo Jones

I'm in the process of building my workshop (a slow, grinding project due to kids and other projects). The cladding went up in winter and now it has started to separate by ~2 mm between each board, although no daylight yet! 

I was wondering when the best time to paint is? If I do it now I will get the exposed board but what if the paint stops it closing up again in the winter?


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## devonwoody

Swordfish, have you considered plugging the gaps inside and avoid the reclad for longer?

What is the cost these days for recladding per 10 sq.mtrs, does anyone know?


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## swordfish

Devonwoody - too many gaps to fill - it would probably cost me more in filler that new cladding :lol: 

As well as shrinking the wood is cupping (concave from the outside). This could be because I only treated it on the outside rather than both sides of the boards. On top of that the worst boards are simply falling apart. Saying that it was untreated softwood and the worst areas are south facing so getting the worst of the sun and the weather.

Many thanks for your replies so far - keep the suggestions coming.

Colin


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## devonwoody

swordfish":30x2viaf said:


> Devonwoody - too many gaps to fill - it would probably cost me more in filler that new cladding :lol:
> 
> As well as shrinking the wood is cupping (concave from the outside). This could be because I only treated it on the outside rather than both sides of the boards. On top of that the worst boards are simply falling apart. Saying that it was untreated softwood and the worst areas are south facing so getting the worst of the sun and the weather.
> 
> Many thanks for your replies so far - keep the suggestions coming.
> 
> Colin




I was meaning to plug with wood strips inside but whatever. :wink:


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## Woodchips2

Hi Colin
I clad my workshop in untreated softwood shiplap and coated it with Sadolins. I repaint it every five years and have very few gaps. In hindsight on the south facing side I would have used 6mm external plywood as a base for the shiplap cladding because this is the side with the most movement and if it does move and create gaps you still have the plywood behind. I also used plastic membrane as a vapour barrier behind the cladding. The workshop has been up for 20 years and should last me out!
Regards Keith


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## jack55

I recently built a new workshop and decided against T&G and opted to go for a battern and board style instead. the boards are 6" x 1" treated rough sawn timber which is a fraction of the price of T&G. Being rough sawn it takes a fence type finish well.


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## billybuntus

jack55":zki374l1 said:


> I recently built a new workshop and decided against T&G and opted to go for a battern and board style instead. the boards are 6" x 1" treated rough sawn timber which is a fraction of the price of T&G. Being rough sawn it takes a fence type finish well.



Any chance of a pic?


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## jack55

Hi heres a pic








https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/new-workshop-t50396.html


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## Ross French

If you decide to use tongue and grove remember - 

The timber being installed at a moisture content too high for the eventual environment; will eventually dry and cause to shrink.

Stop the timber being exposed to excessive moisture during construction or any changes in the environment after you fix.

Alternately use smaller t+g boards as the overall shrinkage will be less. Ive used 100mm boards and each will only shrink about 1mm which is nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps

Ross French


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