A new and exclusive range of timber cladding and decking products that have been developed and inspired by the Japanese process of Yakisugi. It’s a wood preservation method where the wood is burned until charred, before being coated with natural oils. The results are stunning and purely unique adding charm and character to your spaces. An 100% eco-friendly product that is heat enhanced and coated in Rubio Monocoat cream, creating a more durable and striking product with beautiful grains and colours. In addition to being a low-maintenance and long-lasting alternative to traditional cladding, it is UV stable and 100% HVOC- free, meaning that the cladding is both child and pet friendly. Manufactured using a 7-step process which includes two stages of Kiln drying and heat enhancement making the product more resistant to rot and insect attack.

Within this blog, we want to provide you with some installation tips and pointers that will help with the process of fitting your cladding correctly. Adding to this, although IRO is a very low maintenance material, we will discuss some steps that you can take to preserving your decking boards and increasing the overall design. Please check out the related products that we recommend as we go along.

Installation Process

Before installing your cladding, consider whether you want to place your cladding vertically or horizontally. IRO can be placed diagonally but the batten centres will need to be 400mm. All battens will need to be pressure treated and at least twice the thickness of the boards. If wanting to install your boards vertically or horizontally, the battens will need to be spaced out at 600mm centres to provide sufficient support to the IRO boards. To help with the process, we have available either  50mm nails or Tongue-Tite Plus screws which will secure the boards onto the batten and to each other. The heads of the fixings should sit flush with the boards surface so that no water can sit in the holes. We advise to only use the highest quality of fixings that will create a strong structure and will not rust and corrode over time. If using our Tongue-Tite Plus screws, its important to drill pilot holes before hand to ease the pressure on the boards when coming to fit the screws. If placing your boards vertically, the top edge will need cutting to create an angle of 15 degrees to aid with the moisture and water drainage. To help create even and sufficient air flow to the structure, a ventilation cavity will need to be incorporated into the design providing air circulation and also providing unrestricting drainage to help with the moisture levels. Any openings to the cavity will need to be sealed with rodent and insect mesh to prevent any unwanted pests entering your buildings and structures.

It may be necessary to cut your IRO boards in order to fit any gaps or to get the correct size. However, once cut, it allows water to enter through the cut ends as there is no sealant or water resistance oils in place to manage the water. We therefore advise to use Osmo End Sealing Wax to ensure that no water enters through these ends and effects the moisture levels within the wood. Where an end of the board meets a corner or edge, please do allow a minimum of an 8mm gap which will dramatically reduce the chances of water sitting on the end grain.

The wall structure you wish to clad will affect your installation process slightly. It may be required to ask an expert about the type of wall and have them examine the structure before proceeding. If cladding an external wall, you will need to attach the battens using predrilled holes and then fix the IRO boards onto the battens. If the structure is a timber framed wall, you will want to attach the battens to the studs in the wall before cladding. Do check that there is sufficient air flow to allow air circulation and on-going drying. Finally, a cavity wall structure will mean attaching the battens using plug and screw. The IRO can then be installed.

Economic, lightweight and easy to install, Vistalux is a versatile corrugated rooflight. It is easy to cut, drill and install with standard DIY tools and is available in a choice of corrugated profiles such as clear or translucent tint options with a 10-year warranty!  Perfect for any outer buildings cladded with IRO Cladding. We also offer an environmentally friendly roofing options which include Coroline corrugated bitumen sheets. These sheets are tough, lightweight roofing and cladding materials made from bitumen saturated organic fibres. The Coroline is 2.6mm thick.

Maintaining your IRO Cladding

Every design is different and therefore, will alter the amount of maintenance required. The good thing about IRO cladding is that it is very low maintenance because of the water repellent, self-cleaning surface ensuring that moisture levels are not altered, and any dirt and dust will simply wash away. However, if over time it does need a wash, a hose and sponge is the only thing you will need to clean it up. Make sure not to use a high-pressure washer as this can affect the wood and wash away the protective and coloured layers.

If there are any end edges that are exposed to the weathers within your structure, it’s important that you treat these immediately to keep equilibrium within the water levels. We would recommend using Osmo End Grain sealing wax which will provide that protective layer and minimise any water absorption whilst also keeping the natural colours because of the clear properties.

This is a type of cladding that we would definitely recommend and encourage you to find out more – just give us a call. Hopefully you have found this blog useful and has given you some needed tips in terms of installing and maintaining your cladding. As you can see from this blog, it’s a very low maintenance product. If you have any more questions or queries, don’t hesitate to contact our sales team on 01409231763 and they will be happy to help.