This Picture illustrates our Premium grade Siberian Larch cladding.
Larch Cladding
A very popular cladding timber due to its natural durability and attractive light appearance.
Larch cladding prices of about £50.00 per square meter for our premium grade (1-111) in a secret fix profile.
All of our Larch is FSC Certified and of a consistent grade.
Extra care is needed when using Larch cladding, Benchmark Timber have the experience to ensure the quality of your project.
Sapwood can be a problem with Larch as it is not durable - We take care when milling to ensure all sapwood is on the rear of the cladding board.
We also specialise in the premium grade which limits the sap content. Lower grades can be a false economy as they require additional trimming on site increasing fitting costs and timber wastage.
Larch can move and shrink – when we mill we ensure all tongues are at least 15mm to make sure the tongue stays in the groove while the timber moves.
We take care to buy from sawmills who store in such a way to minimise the potential for fungal staining.
Please also consider Western red cedar which is the premium Timber Cladding offering greater natural durability and dimensional stability.
The Tree and Forest
Larch is a dense and hard. The Siberian Larch grows as the name suggests in central Siberia where there are about 600 million acres of Forest half of which is Larch. Stocks of standing timber are increasing which means this is a sustainable resource.
Physical properties of Kiln Dried Larch
Heartwood is variable in colour ranging from light straw, pinkish brown to brown.
Kiln dried : 800kg/m3
Larch cladding may split during nailing so pre drilling recommended.
We supply a mix of grades 1 to 111 which is equivalent to U/S grade.
This it a good quality grade but has a greater number of knots than our Cedar.
Larch may also have the occasional sap pocket
Larch must be used with care to allow for movement & therefore minimise the risk of splitting.
Durability
Larch heartwood is naturally durable when left untreated
High natural resistance to rot & fungus
50 year expected durability if untreated
Applications
Suitable for architectural timber cladding and decking.
Treatment
Larch cladding will slowly weather to a grey colour. If this is not desired then treat with a Alkyd resin based stain.
Let Us Inspire You
You can find some great examples of how timber has been used effectively in our Timber cladding gallery or at http://woodawards.com/winners/