It’s hard to beat the character and beauty of timber claddings and linings – it can provide the most stunning and diverse aesthetics in all its different forms.

It has of course become paramount within the architectural and building industry to find timber options that also meet the rigorous fire compliant requirements.

Atkar Group have been dedicated in meeting these market requirements and we’re pleased to say we can now offer a non-combustible and fire rated solution that is suitable for internal and external application finished with a genuine timber veneer – DesignerWood™ Aluminium Veneer.

DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer offers so much more than its non-combustible attributes, so we thought it was important to break down the differences for you vs 100% solid timber solutions.

DesignerWood Veneer is no longer available – but please click here to view more on our DesignerWood Image range.

 

 

DesignerWood™ Aluminium Veneer

Solid Timber

Material

Lightweight hollow aluminium with a 100% natural timber veneer finish less than 1mm thick.

This makes DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer suitable for many applications including steep sites and tricky builds.
100% timber. Can be heavy on the structure and harder to install.

Fire Ratings

DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer has been fire tested to AS5637 and has achieved a Group 1 Rating.

It also achieved a Flame Index of zero under fire test AS 1530.3 -1999: Spread of flame.

It has also been tested to European Standard  EN13501-1 Reaction to Fire and received a classification of A2-s1,d0.
Each timber reacts differently to fire depending on their density, therefore Group Ratings are likely to vary. As a general rule, most timber products achieve a Group 3 or 4 whilst some fire retardant timbers can achieve up to a Group 2.

Non-Combustibility

DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer battens and claddings are suitable where non-combustible materials are required in accordance with Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions C1.9 (e)(v) of the 2019 NCC, Building Code of Australia.

BCA Section C, Part C1, C1.9 (e)(v) states: The following materials may be used wherever a non-combustible material is required:
(v) Pre-finished metal sheeting having a combustible surface finish not exceeding 1mm thickness and where the Spread-of-Flame Index of the product is not greater than 0.
Timber is not deemed non-combustible.

External Application

DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer has been technologically designed so that it's timber veneer is able to self-cleanse in the rain and does not lose its natural wood look, although some maintenance is still required.

It is suited to the harshest environments including high UV, high humidity, and marine environments.
As an organic material, solid timber can struggle to maintain its natural colour, particularly when used externally. When exposed to UV light and extreme weather conditions it can erode the natural colouring, and the timber can ‘grey off’ and discolour inconsistently leaving an unappealing aesthetic.

Installation

Installation is easy as DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer is dimensionally accurate and comes standard with a 2-Piece Click Systems with the battens and a weatherproof Interlocking system for the claddings.Solid timber is never guaranteed to be exactly straight or even, therefore it can require more time to install.

Standard Lengths

Available in standard 5800mm lengths with custom longer lengths available, which offers a seamless aesthetic with less joining required.It is often difficult to find solid timber cladding longer than 4 meters. This can also cause an issue for the design consistency with many joins required.

Warranty

DesignerWood Aluminium Veneer 20 year warranty against delamination for both internal & external applications.The lifetime of real timber cladding can vary greatly depending on location and how often it is maintained.

Concealed Fixing Elements

Concealed fixing elements and colour matched end caps are available to ensure a stunning end result.Fixing elements can’t always be concealed.

Maintenance

Re-coating is required every 5 years.Re-coating is required every 1-2 years.

Design Flexibility

Flexible to your design requirements, can achieve desired shape, curves etc.Not always as flexible to your preferred design requirements.

Sustainability

DesignerWood™ Aluminium veneer uses on average 98% less solid wood per project which reduces the number of trees cut down drastically.Solid wood has much more wastage per project (with an average of 30%).

 

For more information on the DesignerWood™ Aluminium Range – click here.

 

Contact Us or call on 1300 333 833 to see a sample or to speak to one of our Architectural Team.