How to measure cladding

How do I calculate how much panelling I need?

Calculating how much timber you need for panelling, cladding, floor boarding can be a challenge. We make it simple with these tips and methods.

Here is our quick guide to ordering panelling, cladding and any wall boarding. Timber boarding to cover surfaces can used in cladding, panelling for walls, for floor boarding and more.

Timber is the perfect material and can make an ideal finish for several applications. Often used as the decorative, final finish to a surface, both internally and externally.

Let's look at the coverage options. The boarding can be laid vertically or horizontally.

Fundamentally you are looking to find the surface area that you want to cover. Once you have established this, and find a product, you need to learn if the product is sold by area (m2/ft2) or by lengths.

As, wood, for cladding, panelling and flooring is often manufactured in linear boards and then joined together, to create the surface covering, you need to know the coverage of the boarding.

Calculate the area of wood boarding you need

Let's look a little closer in how to measure your area and the coverage you need.

As mentioned this type of product is usually supplied in lengths of boarding and push together to create the coverage, to determine how much you need for any given area.

You need to measure the width times the height (width x height, of length of given area you wish to cover). We recommend adding about 10% for potential wastage, this method is required for any area that you are looking to cover, but wastage may vary.

We suggest you consult your specialist, carpenter, or installer to determine how much waste you may need. Simply add together the number of panels or sections you might be looking to cover.

Once you know, the total area you're looking to cover, spend time to choose your profile. Wood for panelling, cladding and flooring maybe described as a wood profile this is the boarding shape.

The shape and size of the profile is not just important to help determine the coverage but also the look and feel of the area you cover.

For example – wood for floor boarding will, typically, just butt together with flush joint (as you want a smooth overall surface to walk on).

Wood for cladding and panelling often has some feature, this is created by the profile design, when the boards are pushed together they create this, repeated design, across the surface. The pattern is at the joining of these boards/profiles.

The choice of board width may be determined by a few factors, including how it will look and the area that you are looking to cover. If you're thinking of a wider board, 150mm or six inches plus, consider having the board slightly thicker to avoid too much warping, twisting and distortion.

It is important, not just to consider the width of the board, but the face coverage, many boards are tongue and grooved, so they slot together meaning that the face coverage is not the same as the overall board with indicated.

Here is the actual face surface face that provides the coverage of this particular board. This is shown here again with two boards slotted together. You'll notice that the tongue disappears into the groove of the other board.

Employ a pro

We strongly recommend that you employ a professional carpenter or joiner to install cladding or boarding of any type.

And that's because there are a few factors to consider, including the usage and what you are doing with the boarding, the location of your boarding, whether it is inside or outside will influence the type of timber and how you install this board.

This along with your chosen, finish and maintenance, that would need to be considered the amount of moisture that your board is exposed to will affect and influence how the board performs in its location.

At Wooduchoose we have a number of custom or standard profiles on offer. You'll see the overall board width and thickness for each profile.

It is therefore vital to make the right wood choice. If this is a custom product, you'll be able to choose the wood yourself.

We have several tools to assist guide you with this, your professional installer, carpenter, will also be able to advise on the gap needed between the boards to allow for swelling and shrinkage.

He will also be able to advise on the correct fixing methods depending on the board material and substrate that you are looking to fix to. We do hope that this guide is of help. And thanks again for choosing would you choose. Match wooden cladding, panelling or flooring. 

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