Wood is a living material, which, under the effect of climatic conditions, evolves over time, taking on a patina, changing colour and turning grey. Over time, the wood fibres become denatured. The natural resin they contain fades and the wood is stripped of its substance. As a result, wood cladding becomes much less protected and more exposed to the elements and insects. Without a pigmented finish, its colour changes and it turns grey.
To anticipate the effects of ageing on the appearance of your façade, you can opt for pre-weathered grey wood cladding using durable wood species with already grey tones.
Greying, a natural development in wood
It's possible to keep a wooden façade in keeping with the times! Opting for wood cladding is an aesthetically pleasing way to decorate a facade, but the original colours will eventually fade due to certain natural factors: contact with water, exposure to light and the content of the air (dust, oils, metals, pollution). The way in which wood greys depends on the combination of these three factors, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the siting and design of the façade.
To avoid the headache of maintenance and the disappointment of a facade that turns a dirty grey (after a few years, often on the western facade), the pre-weathered wood facade is a technical, practical and aesthetic solution, ideal for an aged look.
The colours reproduce, in a homogeneous way, the result of prolonged exposure to weathering and UV. They anticipate the natural oxidation of the wood, revealing its elegance.
Choose a pre-weathered wood façade and naturally grey woods
Some woods are more suited to this type of pre-weathered wood façade. Western red cedar, a durable and rot-proof Canadian species, Douglas fir and Siberian larch offer natural properties and nuances for an elegant visual result to suit everyone's expectations and requirements: long boards for easy installation, thick profile to ensure stability and durability, knot-free or knot-free cladding depending on the desired look...
The advantage of pre-weathered wood cladding is that it requires very little maintenance. Regular cleaning will ensure that this type of wood retains its natural, even grey appearance for many years. In this way, pre-weathered cladding makes maintenance easier and promotes the harmonious ageing of a façade.
Applying a saturator
Applying a saturated finish preserves the authenticity and nobility of the wood. Timeless grey saturators (iridescent or grey) applied to cladding create attractive façades that require very little maintenance. No more sanding.
Finishing a pre-weathered wood façade offers both aesthetic and ecological advantages: solvent-free and non-film-forming, it uses an acrylic resin that penetrates deep into the wood fibres, nourishing and impregnating it and providing optimum, long-lasting protection against UV rays, bad weather and other biological damage such as fungi.
Pre-weathered cladding is a true contemporary solution. They let the wood express itself naturally, creating façades with a real identity. Pre-weathered cladding is a way of making façades stand out from the crowd.
