If you are thinking of adding cladding to your building project or at home, fibre cement cladding is a superior choice. It can enhance the external design of a building and protect the exterior from damaging elements. But what is fibre cement cladding and why should you invest in this instead of other types of cladding? Here is everything you need to know.  

What is fibre cement cladding?

A composite building material made from cement with reinforced cellulose fibres, fibre cement cladding (also known as cement fibre cladding) is manufactured in either sheets or boards. 

The sheets or boards fit together onto the outside of a building, creating a weatherproof layer to protect a building’s exterior. You can fix cement fibre boards or sheets on commercial and 

residential buildings. 

Advantages of using fibre cement cladding

There are many benefits to installing fibre cement cladding on your home or in future projects. From installation to its weatherproof properties and low-level maintenance, fibre cement cladding could prove to be the best solution. 

1. Easy to install

Fibre cement boards or sheets are simple to install. Because the material is lightweight, it is easy to position in the right place. You can either fit the boards by hand or use a nail gun - stainless steel nails or hot-dipped galvanised nails are both fine to use. This helps to cut down the duration of the installation, which saves on labour costs. 

2. Durability and weather resistance

The general life expectancy of fibre cement board cladding is 40-50 years. Fibre cement boards will never rot and protect your home from extreme UK weather conditions. The cement fibre board is also fire resistant, it will not crack or swell with the changing elements and it’s moisture resistant too. 

3. Low maintenance

In comparison to vinyl or PVC cladding, fibre cement cladding boards are straightforward to maintain and will not need to be repainted. Cement fibre board cladding is also simple to clean - just use a combination of soap and water to keep the cladding looking fresh. 

4. Environmentally friendly

To coincide with the growing topic of using eco-friendly products and materials, this type of cladding uses a low amount of additives - as well as sand, cement and water - to its mixture. This makes it more environmentally friendly compared to other cladding types. Less dust is also produced when working with fibre cement cladding.  

5. Resistant to pests

Unlike its vinyl and timber counterparts, it is pest resistant due to its material. Particularly timber can become damaged by an infestation of woodworm or nesting birds. But fibre cement cladding does not suffer from any of these issues - its cement and reinforced cellulose fibre materials make pest damage impossible.