Thermo-heated wood cladding: what are the benefits?

Are you looking for wood cladding that's durable, stable, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing? Discover thermally heated wood cladding. The unique characteristics of "thermo-heated" or "thermo-stabilised" wood are inspiring architects around the world to create sustainable, environmentally-friendly building projects. Thermo-heated wood cladding, manufactured using only heat and steam, will surprise you with its many advantages. In this guide, you'll find everything you need to know about the features and benefits of insulating with thermally-heated wood cladding: the manufacturing process, benefits, maintenance, the most suitable types of wood and prices. Follow our wood experts in their discovery of thermo-heated wood cladding!

Key points to remember:

• Natural & eco-friendly material: thermal process that modifies wood without chemicals, environmentally friendly.
• Dimensional stability: reduced warping and deformation, boards more resistant to climatic variations.
• Durability & weather resistance: wood cladding more resistant to UV rays, humidity, and extreme environments (seaside, mountains).
• Enhanced wood species: sustainable wood species (pine, spruce, larch) for indoor and outdoor use, suitable for all applications. 
• Minimal maintenance: wood that can be left to weather naturally or retain its color with a saturator.
• Competitive cost: more affordable than exotic wood, with enhanced durability.

Thermally-heated wood is wood that has been heat-treated to improve its technical characteristics. Here's how it works.

Not all types of wood are naturally durable. The natural durability of wood varies from one species to another. Wood is subject to a wide range of stresses and strains, and can become deformed by humidity and damaged by external factors such as fungi, termites and other wood-eating insects.

In order to improve the technical characteristics of certain woods that are naturally less durable, and to overcome these disadvantages, the process of heat treatment or thermostabilisation is used.  Woods that can be heat-treated include spruce, Larch, maritime pine and Scots pine. To find out more about the durability of wood species, visit our dedicated article.

What is the manufacturing process for thermally-heated wood?

The heat treatment process is an environmentally-friendly alternative to the use of chemically-treated exotic or autoclave wood cladding.

Heat treatment or thermostabilisation involves gradually heating the wood to a high temperature, alternating phases of temperature rise and phases of rewetting.  Without the use or addition of chemicals, the heat treatment process modifies the wood's properties. Heat-treated wood is modified solely by the effect of water vapour and heat, giving it a uniform brown colour, increased dimensional stability and greater resistance to xylophagous fungi and insects.

In France, Sivalbp is the only manufacturer with wood heat treatment technology.  Our heat-stabilisation process is 100% natural and is carried out at our production site in the Alps.

Sivalbp heat-treated wood undergoes heat treatment at our production site in France, using only natural methods: heat and steam.

The Sivalbp thermostabilisation process considerably improves the wood's properties, enabling it to withstand the test of time and various climatic conditions.

The advantages of thermo-heated wood Sivalbp :

• Environmentally-friendly

An eco-responsible process that does not use or add chemicals. 1OO% natural and made in the French Alps. All our wood is PEFC certified and comes from sustainably managed forests.

• Greater dimensional stability

The heat treatment process gives wood cladding boards greater dimensional stability, reducing the risk of warping. Wood cladding boards retain their original shape and long-term stability.

• Longer-lasting performance

Heat treatment gives the wood greater aesthetic durability and resists the passage of time.

• Neutralises resin pockets

Heat-stabilising the wood reduces the amount of resin released into the boards.

• Adapted to extreme weather conditions

Thermally-heated wood is more durable and weather-resistant. Thermo-heated wood cladding can be adapted to any climatic conditions, from the seaside to high altitudes.

Heated pine exterior cladding

At Sivalbp, we have developed a wide range of thermally-heated pine cladding. Nordic Pine is a Scandinavian species renowned for its exceptional longevity. Sivalbp's heat-stabilisation process enhances the durability of Ecothermo Nordic Pine wood cladding boards. Our heat-treated pine is available in our Elegance, New Age, Vintage and Authentic wood cladding ranges. For more inspiration, take a look at some of our Sivalbp heat-treated Nordic Pine projects.

Thermo-heated spruce exterior cladding

Dedicated to the mountain market and for altitudes above 1,000 metres, we have developed a thermally-heated spruce cladding in our Montagne range. EcoThermo wood cladding in Nordic Spruce, Charvin 116 colour, combined with an ecological, solvent-free, non-film-forming saturator, can withstand the most extreme weather conditions.

Heat-treated spruce panelling

Spruce is the benchmark species for heat-treated panelling. Our range of heat-treated spruce panelling will add a warm touch to your interior. Thanks to the heat treatment process, our heat-treated panelling from our Fahrenheit range can be installed in damp rooms such as bathrooms.

Sivalbp thermo-heated wood cladding and panelling are durable and stand the test of time. Find out how to maintain our thermo-heated wood cladding and thermo-heated wood panelling.

Maintenance of external thermal cladding

Requiring very little maintenance, the natural durability of the wood species used, combined with the natural thermo-stabilisation treatment, means that Sivalbp wood cladding retains its aesthetic appeal over time.

If you opt for heat-treated wood cladding with a finish (such as saturator), maintenance is nevertheless recommended to preserve the original appearance of your wood cladding. Simply apply a second coat of saturator to restore the original appearance of your wood cladding. As a reminder, the need to re-saturate heat-treated wood cladding varies according to the climate and the UV exposure of the façade.

If you opt for unfinished thermo-treated wood cladding, it will gradually develop a silvery-grey colour. Unfinished heat-treated wood cladding requires no special maintenance.

Maintenance of thermo-heated panelling

Easy to maintain, thermo-heated spruce panelling installed indoors requires no special care. Simply dust the boards.

As a reminder, the process used for heat-treated wood cladding has the advantage of naturally modifying the physical characteristics of the wood to improve its stability and durability. As a result, thanks to the heat stabilisation process, wood species that would not be naturally durable for outdoor use can, after heat treatment, be installed perfectly outdoors. This is known as conferred durability versus natural durability.

The price of thermally-heated or heat-treated wood will remain lower than that of exotic wood. The process of heat-treating wood inevitably results in higher costs for the species processed. By choosing heat-treated wood cladding, you are choosing sustainable, environmentally-friendly wood cladding. Heat-stabilised wood cladding is part of a sustainable development approach for low-carbon wood construction projects.

In short, heat-treated wood cladding or panelling offers a number of advantages: a 100% natural process for better dimensional stability of the boards, increased aesthetic durability and suitability for different geographical areas and climatic conditions. If you'd like to find out more about our heat-treated cladding and panelling solutions, don't hesitate to get in touch with one of our wood experts in your area!