Timber finishes offer timeless elegance which is one of the many reasons that their popularity does not diminish from year to year, unlike other architectural trends. Advances in manufacturing have seen the introduction of realistic-looking faux woodgrain finishes on metal cladding. The standard is so high that woodgrain finishes can even be textured to give not only the look but also the feel of “real wood”. There is also the option to be creative by using a coating finish that increases the gloss or shine for that added wow factor.
The benefits are many for using faux woodgrain finishes and therefore with the many options available to architects and specifiers, it can be almost guaranteed that one of these long-lasting, easy to maintain, and fully sustainable solutions could meet their requirements. Let’s look at the benefits of faux woodgrain finishes in more detail:
Longevity
Woodgrain finishes on metal cladding materials do not require any additional coatings to be applied to them to keep them looking as good as new same year-on-year. Faux woodgrain also able to retain their integrity not only from fading but also from warping which are concerns that need to be taken into consideration when working with real timbers. The stability of faux woodgrains is a major benefit that they have over the real thing.
Sustainable
Sustainability is a hot topic now and for good reason. There is not an endless supply of natural wood in the world and shortages that can happen for various reasons put a strain on the supply chain and the price. Yes, wood is 100% sustainable because it is a renewable resource and can be recycled but what real timber does need is time. The average tree takes 30-40 years to grow before it is time to be harvested. Aluminum on the other hand is also a sustainable resource that can be recycled indefinitely and has the benefit of being able to be recycled into other construction materials (Find out more about this in our recycling blog post.
Cost-effective
The knock-on effect of shortages of natural wood has an impact on price and this can make this option an expensive option. On the other hand, faux woodgrains provide you with an affordable solution where you can still get the natural woodgrain look for your project but with less impact on your budget.
Variety
We mentioned the advances in technologies earlier and to keep up with market demands there is now an almost unlimited range of faux woodgrain finishes available. To give an example of Fairview, we keep these 12 finishes in our standard range as well as being able to match any woodgrain requested:
Fairview Woodgrain Finishes
The Finished Results
There is no better way to explain the beauty of these finishes than show you how they look like on an exterior façade:
Project: Oregon State University
Location: Portland, OR
Woodgrain Finish: Maple
Products: Vitrabond FR and Edgeline Flashing Material
The maple finish used on this project was created especially for the designer. Its popularity since being showcased on this project led us to add it as one of our faux woodgrain finishes along with 12 other finishes. The combination of exterior product and matching flashing gives this construction a striking appearance.
You can view the full range of woodgrains and request samples here.
