Most people have probably never even heard of cladding. What exactly is it? Well, simply put, to clad means to clothe. Therefore, cladding is the process by which an object is clothed or by which an outer surface or an outer layer is adhered to an object. For example, if you were at a construction site where a new home was being built, you might hear someone ask about what type of cladding will be used to finish the home. The inner surface of the home consists of its framing structure. The cladding would be the outer surface material that will be used to enclose the framing structure such as its siding which could include vinyl siding, brick, stucco, logs, stone, a combination of materials, etc. It also refers to the roofing materials such as shingles, clay tiles, slate, thatching, and so forth.
In today’s environmentally friendly and energy efficient conscious world, cladding has taken on a new role, especially in the area of building construction. The cladding material receives a rating known as a “D” rating. There are a total of four “D” ratings. This includes the Deflection rating, or the ability by which moister can be deflected away from the outer surface of a building. The second “D” rating is the Draining rating which, as it sounds, relates to the ability of the cladding to steer water that has found its way to the base of the structure to then be diverted away from the base to help prevent any foundation deterioration. Next we have the Drying rating. This directly relates to the amount of ventilation the cladding provides. The better the ventilation, the quicker the cladding will be able to dry from its daily moisture consumption, and by drying more quickly, it will also prevent moisture from seeping into the interior of the building and causing any damage to the framing structure.
Lastly, we have the Durable rating. How well does the cladding material withstand the elements of nature from heavy moisture conditions, to high heating and low cooling conditions, from being able to easily expand and retract, to maintaining any loss of durability from constant exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun, and to how long its overall durability will last. Also taken into consideration is the location of the cladding as the roof cladding will react differently in different parts of the country, and different parts of the world.
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