Fence paling as house cladding?

[Hansi]

Hi

Can Bunnings' fence paling be used to clad an old fibro house? I would not remove the fibro but clad directly onto it. Is there any reason why fence paling cannot be used?

Cheers, John

[kel]

hi john, i undestand your way of thinking,i also look for cheaper methods when doing things.i think that fence palings may not be the best choice due to their length of 1800 to perhaps 2000mm,you will have a hell of a lot of joins and if the ends are not all sealed correctly you run the risk of them curling or splitting over time,and long term maintainence is going to be a killer.also over time think about all those nail holes ,a lot to fill or a lot to rust.i am guessing that you will stain or oil it to keep the natural wood look which in itself will be very high maintainence to keep it looking good as the years go by.sometimes what seems cheaper,works out a lot dearer in the long term.i also think you will have a few problems overlapping it like weather boards,perhaps a better alternative is pine tongue and groove cladding which isn't over expensive and comes i 6 metre lengths i think so it would be a lot easier to do,just a thought john.look forward to hearing how you get on ,cheers kel

[Jason]

Hi @Hansi,

Thanks for joining in the conversation on Workshop. I hope you get some great advice from community members for this project and many others in the future. I'm sure you will find there are plenty of community members like @kel who are more than happy to share their experience and knowledge. And you'll also find plenty of inspiration for new projects, too. A very warm welcome to you. 

Jason 

[MartyH]

@Hansi,

We had another community member thinking something similar recently only they were wondering if they could use fence palings as a floor.

I wouldn't think its a good idea. Look at the average fence. They don't last too long. It's very cheap, low-quality wood that soon splits and warps. Best to stick to something that is intended for use as cladding. 

If I was looking to clad my house, I'd be considering Hardie Scyon. It can look fantastic and I would imagine it would be very durable and low maintenance (the opposite of fence palings!). See http://www.jameshardie.com.au/scyon-advanced-cement-composite/ They have a gallery section on their website where you can see lots of examples of different uses. 

BTW, any reason why you want to keep the fibro and clad on top of it? 

[Hansi]

Thanks very much Marty for your fast response! Yes, I can see what you mean and I guess as far as wood quality goes, you only get what you pay for. As I'm renovating the entire house, inside and out, I was looking for a cheap way to smarten the house up, most other cladding, even recycled, and the Hardy Scyon, are all too expensive. The reason that I would leave the fibro on is that (a) it contains asbestos (90% cement + 10% asbestos) which would cost a lot to have removed, and (b) I felt that with the cladding over the top of the fibro I would have two layers against the weather, etc. Plus, if water did eventually work its way past the cladding, the fibro would still be there to act as a 2nd barrier. Ideally, I would love to have the fibro removed and insulate before the cladding is put on (I have also considered cladding the house with tin, maybe colourbond, but again, too expensive), but as mentioned above, removing that old fibro is a nasty job... maybe I'll go on checking out the prices of various other types of cladding. It may end up that I will have to just paint the house... thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated, cheers, John

[Hansi]

Hi Kel... many thanks for your response. As I'm renovating the entire house, inside and out, I was looking for a cheap way to smarten the house up, most other cladding, even recycled, and the Hardy Scyon, are all too expensive. I would leave the fibro on because (a) it contains asbestos (90% cement + 10% asbestos) which would cost a lot to have removed, and (b) I felt that with the cladding over the top of the fibro the cladding would be supported and I would have two layers against the weather, etc. Plus, if water did eventually work its way past the cladding, the fibro would still be there to act as a 2nd barrier. Ideally, I would love to have the fibro removed and insulate before the cladding is put on (I have also considered cladding the house with tin, maybe colourbond, but again, too expensive), but as mentioned above, removing that old fibro is a nasty job... using galvanised nails with a nail gun to attach the cladding should stop the rust, and I hadn't planned on sealing or painting the palings as I like the way they look and age. This is an old house on stumps with a tin roof, it has a lot of character and it's situated up in the Perth hills, so I thought the paling would suit it perfectly, not too neat and smooth as with the pine T&G... I guess that I need to check out prices a bit more before deciding. It may all end up with me having to just paint the house instead... it's a faded and peeling pale yellow at the moment and desperately needs some sort of facelift! Anyway, thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated... cheers, John

[Isobel]

@Hansi,

Are you able to share a photo of the house? I would think that if you are wanting a relatively cheap and easy way to improve the street appeal of the house then painting would be a great option. You might also be able to do simple things like window furnishings and some planting to make a big difference. 

@2Belindas might give you some inspiration with their coastal cottage makeovers on the gallery. Here's a few links... 

https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Gallery/Before-and-After-Coastal-Cottage/cnc-p/5044

https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Gallery/Before-and-After-House-Flip-north-coast-NSW/cns-p/5706

https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Gallery/Changing-this-House-Colour-Resulted-in-a-Quick-Sale/cns-p/104...

[Hansi]

Hi Isobel

Many thanks for your post. Yes, maybe painting the house will end up the easiest solution. There are 2 layers of paint on the house, unfortunately, the top coat is flaking in places and, where it's flaking it comes away easily but, where it's not flaking it's okay, which means that I have these patches that are different levels, if you follow what I mean... the original paint and then the yellow coat. I tried sanding down a small area but it still leaves visible indentations... that is, the difference between the thickness of the 2 coats. Maybe a thick coat of paint would cover those peeled-off areas, I'll have to check what suitable paints Bunnings has in store. I've attached a photo as requested... cheers, John

 

[Stephen-H]

Hi @Hansi have you thought of external textured paint. There are many types out there and can be applied a number of ways eg roller, spray or hand mit. Give the look of a bagged wall. There is a great range at Bunnings with some great advie

[Hansi]

Thanks Stephen, yes, I think that I'll nip down to Bunnings and have a chat to see what paints they have... I hadn't thought of a textured paint, that sounds as if it would cover a lot of the blemishes, etc.!

Thanks again for your help, cheers, John