What are the Different Grades of Oak for Cladding?

There are different grades of oak that you can buy if you are looking for cladding and different oak products. You will usually hear oak and other kinds of wood referred to in terms of their grades, which will show you whether the wood is going to be suitable for your purpose. It also is related to the appearance of the wood, indicating how it will look so you can choose the kind of timber that will suit your preferences. One of the most popular types of cladding is oak featheredge cladding, which can come in different grades depending on what you would like.

To help you select the right cladding for your requirements, these are the different kinds of oak grades that you can select for your featheredge cladding:

  1. Character oak. This is a mid range type of oak that can have various uses and that will work very well as cladding. It is especially suited to featheredge cladding, where a more rustic, natural appearance will complement the style. Character oak is so called because it is very natural looking, with grain and knots clearly visible. This gives the oak its character, making it obvious that it is a real, solid wood product. It is popular for cladding as well as for indoor products like oak flooring. The oak will be quite light in appearance, making it look modern and contemporary.
  2. Prime grade oak. This is a premium oak grade that looks like no other, without the knots and woodgrain visibility. It is also going to be more uniform in colour, so if you don’t want the colour variation, then this is the wood grade for you. Prime grade oak is more likely to be used indoors, and most people wouldn’t choose to have prime oak cladding, as a rustic and natural appearance is perfectly acceptable.
  3. Select grade oak. This is an in between grade, with some prime oak-quality boards and some lower grade boards. There might be some broken knots and some cracking, and the appearance will generally be more rustic than prime grade oak but less rustic than, perhaps, character grade.
  4. Classic grade oak. This allows the natural timber look to come through, but it will still have character and distinguishing features. There may be some wood that has very few character features, whilst others will have considerably more. The colour will generally be quite even.

Character grade oak – perfect for wooden cladding

Cladding doesn’t need to look perfectly uniform in colour and in appearance, in the same way that wood flooring might. If you choose character grade oak, it will be perfect for this usage and will complement the featheredge style very well indeed. If you choose wooden cladding for a building or outbuilding, it is usually because you want this building to look natural and go with its outdoor surroundings. Character grade oak will give you the appearance you are looking for, and it won’t be as expensive as prime grade oak. It is the ideal option for your featheredge cladding.

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