Newmarket Roofers installs exterior cladding in Fordham and looks after homeowners long after the job is finished, with straightforward aftercare advice that keeps cladding performing for years.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Exterior cladding is fixed over your external walls to protect them from rain, wind, and frost, while cutting heat loss and updating the appearance of the property. We fit timber, composite, and fibre cement boards on homes in Fordham and across the wider area from our Newmarket base.
The installation involves mounting treated battens on the wall to create a ventilated cavity, then securing boards in the chosen profile. Trims and sealants are fitted at all openings and junctions. When the work is done correctly, the system manages moisture effectively and requires only routine attention to keep it in good condition.
Even the best-installed cladding will develop problems if it is ignored for years at a stretch. The boards themselves are durable, but the elements that hold the system together - sealants, fixings, paint or stain finishes on timber - have a shorter lifespan and need periodic attention. Catching a small issue early costs a fraction of what a repair costs once water has been getting in for a full winter.
A straightforward annual check of your cladding, carried out from ground level with binoculars if the boards are high up, takes less than ten minutes and can save a significant amount of money. You do not need a roofer for this - you just need to know what to look for.
Walk around the property after the first heavy autumn rain and again after the first hard frost. Look for the following:
Timber is the most maintenance-intensive of the three main cladding materials. Most manufacturers recommend re-oiling or re-staining every two to three years, though this varies depending on the timber species, the finish product, and how exposed the elevation is. South and west-facing walls typically need attention more often than sheltered or north-facing ones.
Before applying any maintenance treatment, clean the surface with a proprietary timber cleaner to remove algae, mould spores, and surface dirt. Applying stain over dirty or algae-covered timber seals in the problem rather than solving it. Allow the surface to dry fully before treating - applying oil or stain to damp timber prevents it from penetrating and the finish will peel within months.
Check all fixings when you are working close to the boards. Screws that have been over-driven or are beginning to corrode should be replaced with stainless or hot-dipped galvanised fixings to match the original specification. Fill screw heads, prime, and paint or stain to match before you step back.
Composite and fibre cement boards are sold partly on the strength of their low maintenance requirements, and that is broadly true - but they are not entirely maintenance-free. Sealants at junctions still need checking and replacing periodically. Algae and green mould can develop on north-facing or shaded elevations of any cladding type; wash these off with a proprietary biocidal cleaner rather than a pressure washer, which can force water into joints.
Fibre cement boards that have been factory-painted will eventually need repainting, typically after ten to fifteen years depending on the original finish and the exposure of the wall. Use a breathable masonry or exterior wood paint depending on the manufacturer's recommendation for that board range. The wrong paint can cause peeling and moisture entrapment.
The most avoidable cladding problems are caused by neglect of the things immediately around the cladding rather than the boards themselves. Keep climbing plants away from cladding - ivy and similar plants retain moisture against the boards, work into gaps, and accelerate deterioration. Make sure air bricks and ventilation openings in the wall beneath the cladding are not obscured.
If you are having other building work done - a new extension, a replaced window, a re-routed downpipe - make sure whoever does the work seals the junctions with the existing cladding properly. New penetrations through cladding are a common source of water ingress that only becomes apparent months later.
If your annual check reveals boards that are loose, sealant that is cracked over a significant length, or any staining that suggests water is already behind the boards, call a cladding contractor rather than attempting to re-seal from the outside. Surface sealant applied over a problem that is already inside the cavity traps moisture and makes the underlying damage worse.
We cover Fordham and the surrounding area including Newmarket, Soham, Ely, and nearby villages. Call us to arrange a cladding inspection and we will tell you honestly what needs doing now and what can wait.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
