Hi –
I’m building a house in NW Montana. Really love the “mountain modern” style, with natural wood cladding sorts of look. For example, see:
But is there any way to keep that wood-look from fading? Any alternative product (akin to hardiplank or somesuch) that’s more durable?
Thanks!
Jim
Look closely at these common locations for hazardous materials in older homes.
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Replies
It's hard to do as wood wants to go gray when exposed to sunlight. There are many UV filtering, clear top coats that will slow that process down but eventually, you'd have to clean and bleach the siding and then refinish. If that were my house I'd deal with the refinishing process. I lover Hardi but it isn't a Montana look.
Please come back and post some pictures when you're done!
Moody,
There are sidings from TRESPA that resemble wood look and come with a 10 year guarantee. They have a wide selection of colors and are very sturdy. You can install them horizontal or vertical. Check their website live.trespa.com You can request free samples from their website.
Best of luck with your home-building!
mansara.biz
I'm with Florida. UV damage is unrelenting. Sikkens finish may slow the process, but eventually the wood changes color.
Before slapping anything on any wood inside or out, I'd want to see a sample of how it's going to look 5, 10 or more years down the road. I got talked into some kind of clear varnish on window trim. Inside of 5 years it took on the sickening yellow of calf feces. But the worst thing is, trying to sand it off results in it melting into smears and crumbs. A while back I saw a house with scaffolding and plastic enclosure - inside they were sandblasting to get rid of one of these ugly smeary 'protective' coatings.
UV will change the appearance of just about anything - natural wood, paint, coatings, etc., but unlike water, UV won't destroy natural wood. Architects and builders using natural wood just need to learn how to deal with both UV and water.
NW Montana sounds like a place that gets lots of sun, not too much rain, low humidity and almost no fog. Such a climate is ideal for natural wood to age to a rich looking light grey. My advice? Leave it!
The problem with bare wood is that the parts that are in the open will weather to a nice gray, but the sheltered parts will still have varying tones of the original wood. If it is in a damp area, it can turn a dark gray or black due to mildew.
If you use some transparent sealer, make sure it is not something that mildew likes, such as natural oils like linseed.