Exterior cladding is a great way to easily change the aesthetic of your home, whether you’re updating your existing boards or looking to renovate a brick or concrete façade. With many options available on the market, from different widths, colours and materials, exterior cladding is an extremely flexible decorative option for your home.
Will exterior cladding add value to my home?
One of the first things to consider before purchasing exterior cladding for your home is ‘will cladding add value to your home in the future?’ The good news is that often the answer is yes! Depending on your current façade material, cladding is one of the easiest and most effective ways to change the appearance of your home’s exterior. If your home currently boasts 1930’s concrete, hanging tiles or a rundown paint job, exterior cladding could offer huge benefits.
According to a study conducted by YouGov, 68% of homeowners say that kerb appeal was an important factor that influenced their home purchasing decisions. So, it goes without saying that improving your home’s kerb appeal will likely ramp up interest when it comes to putting your house on the market.
How do I calculate my cladding area?
Calculating the exterior cladding area accurately is important for any project as there is nothing worse than not having enough or being left with mountains of additional cladding that wasn’t needed. If you’re cut short with cladding it can be difficult to pick up additional panels from the same batch which can result in slight differentiation in colour or texture. Likewise, depending on how long the job takes, you may not be able to return your unused cladding.
At Freefoam, we’ve developed a cladding calculator to help determine the amount of exterior cladding you will need to cover your home or just a specific area. It requires only 2 measurements from you and generates a board number as well as a pack number depending on the cladding style you’ve selected. You also have the option to choose a rectangular or triangular area making it easy to calculate how much cladding you’ll need for your entire home.
How do I deduct window and door space from my cladding calculation?
The Freefoam cladding calculator will provide you with a cladding calculation for the entire area you’ve chosen. As every home is different, we don’t take into consideration any doors or window that may need to be excluded. You can simply calculate the area of your doors and windows and subtract this from the overall area. Additionally, we advise you to speak to your stockist or contractor to determine exactly how your window and door placements will affect your cladding calculation.
How many cladding fitting trims do I need?
All cladding comes with fitting trims, to create neat and sealed edges. Commonly these consist of a starter trim, to fix the first board to, an external and internal corner and edge trim. They will be available in the same colour as the cladding boards to ensure a coordinated matching finish. Knowing the total area to be covered by cladding will help you calculate the trims needed. Freefoam recommends you speak to your stockist or contractor who will be able to advise on the correct trims and the number required for your project.
Why Freefoam?
Freefoam has been supplying high-quality external cladding for over 30 years – we know our stuff. Our products are used across the UK and Europe and are well-known for their durability and reliability thanks to their solid manufacturing. We are committed to providing only the best quality products and service to our customers and are confident in our ability to do so. Our site in Northampton operates to ISO standards 9001 and 14001 to encourage continuous improvement across all operations, processes and procedures. View our full cladding range or get in touch for more information today.
Do you need a sample of Freefoam cladding?
Order a FREEE sample here
Want to find out how many cladding boards you need for your project?
Use our handy cladding calculator
Want to experiment with colour cladding option for your project?
Go to our Cladding Visualiser and have a play!
Want to find a trusted local installation company to fit cladding to your property?
Go to mycladding.com and we'll put you in touch
Want to find out the cost of cladding from a local Freefoam stockist?
User our handy Stockist Finder to contact a supplier in your area – who will be happy to advise on price and availability.