Ely Roofers supplies and fits exterior cladding in Mildenhall, and we'll help you choose the right material for your building - not just the cheapest option or the one that's easiest for us to fit.
Exterior cladding is not a single product. It is a broad category covering materials that look and behave very differently from each other, carry different price tags, and demand very different levels of ongoing attention. Getting the material choice wrong - whether because of budget pressure, fashion, or bad advice - leads to premature failure, expensive remedial work, or a finish that doesn't suit the building.
We install and replace exterior cladding on homes and commercial buildings in Mildenhall and the surrounding area, including Ely and nearby towns such as Soham and Littleport. On every job, we go through the material options with the customer before a single board goes up. This page covers the main systems available, what each one genuinely offers, and where each one falls short.
Timber is the traditional choice and still one of the most widely used. It takes paint and stain well, it can be worked to suit complex shapes and details, and when properly maintained it lasts for decades. Larch, western red cedar, and treated softwood are the most common species used for UK residential cladding.
Pros: Natural appearance, good thermal properties, relatively straightforward to repair section by section, can be re-painted or re-stained to change the colour. Cedar and larch have natural oils that resist moisture and insect attack better than untreated softwood.
Cons: Requires regular maintenance - typically re-sealing or repainting every four to seven years depending on exposure and the product used. Unprotected or poorly maintained timber will rot, warp and split. It is also the most labour-intensive to install on complex elevations. Timber prices have fluctuated considerably in recent years, so the cost gap between timber and composite has narrowed.
Composite boards are manufactured from a mixture of wood fibre and plastic polymer. They are designed to look like timber while requiring far less maintenance. The surface is pre-finished, the boards are dimensionally stable, and they will not rot in the way natural timber does.
Pros: Very low ongoing maintenance - typically just occasional cleaning. Dimensionally stable, meaning boards do not shrink, swell or warp with changes in moisture. Long-term colour stability without the need for repainting. A practical choice for properties where regular maintenance is difficult or where the owner prefers a low-effort finish.
Cons: Higher upfront cost than basic softwood cladding, though the gap closes when you account for maintenance costs over time. The appearance, while good, does not fully replicate natural timber grain at close range. Damaged sections cannot always be repaired in the same way as timber - you are more likely to need a full board replacement. Fixings and installation methods are specific to the product and need to be followed carefully.
Fibre cement is a mixture of cement, sand and cellulose fibre, pressed into flat or profiled panels. It is non-combustible, dimensionally stable and resistant to moisture and frost. It is used extensively on both residential and commercial buildings.
Pros: Non-combustible, which is relevant for commercial properties, blocks of flats, and buildings over a certain height. Very durable and resistant to impact, moisture and frost. Can be factory-painted in a wide range of colours. Low maintenance once installed correctly.
Cons: Heavy, which affects fixings, structural support requirements and the cost of handling on site. More brittle than timber or composite - it can crack if struck sharply or if fixings are over-driven. Factory colour can fade over time, and repainting on site requires appropriate primers and topcoats. Higher material and installation cost than standard timber.
External wall insulation (EWI) systems combine an insulation board (typically mineral wool or expanded polystyrene) fixed to the wall, with a reinforced base coat and a through-colour render finish applied over it. The render is not a separate cladding board - it is the outer face of the insulation system itself.
Pros: Adds a significant layer of insulation to the wall without reducing internal floor area. Can dramatically change the appearance of a property. The through-colour finish does not need painting - the colour runs through the top coat. Suitable for a wide range of building types and elevations.
Cons: More complex to install correctly than boarding systems - preparation, adhesion, reinforcement mesh and finish coat all need to be done in the right sequence and conditions. Any failure in the system (cracking, delamination, water ingress at junctions) can affect a large area and is more disruptive to repair than replacing individual boards. Requires careful detailing at window reveals, sills and abutments. Upfront cost is higher than most boarding systems.
Aluminium and steel panels are more commonly used on commercial buildings but are increasingly specified for contemporary residential projects. They come in flat, ribbed or cassette profiles and in a very wide range of colours and finishes.
Pros: Very long service life when correctly installed. Lightweight relative to fibre cement. Non-combustible (aluminium and steel). Low maintenance. Modern and distinctive appearance.
Cons: High material cost. Specialist installation - the fixing systems and thermal break requirements are specific to the product. Limited suitability for traditional residential properties where a modern aesthetic does not fit. Damage (dents, scratches) can be difficult to repair invisibly.
Before settling on any cladding system, it is worth thinking through a few practical questions:
The answers to these questions narrow the field considerably. A sheltered timber-framed house on a modest budget is a different brief from a commercial unit on an exposed site where the owner wants zero maintenance for ten years.
The best material in the world will fail if the installation is poor. Regardless of the system chosen, the key installation factors are: a sound and dry substrate, correct fixings for the material and wall type, adequate ventilation behind the cladding where required, proper flashings at every junction, and correct treatment of all cut edges and board ends. We go through what good installation looks like for each system before work starts, and we don't cut corners on any of those details.
If you are trying to decide which cladding system is right for your home or commercial building in Mildenhall, call us for a survey and an honest conversation about the options. We'll look at the building, ask the right questions, and give you a clear recommendation with the reasoning behind it.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
