How to add cladding to side of deck?

nos

hi team - I have built my sub frame for my deck and I now want to box it in. I plan to use blackbutt battens on the front and would like to use monument colour bond mono cladding on remaining the sides. How would I go about attaching the mono cladding to the side of the deck ? And a seperate question can I screw the battens straight in to the frame on the sides - H3 Treated pine.

MitchellMc

Hi @nos ,

With the blackbutt battens on the front, it will really depend on their dimensions, but the span between your posts is likely a bit too wide if you are fixing straight from post to post. Over time, especially with wetting and drying cycles, timber battens can move or sag. As a general guide, you do not want battens spanning more than about 1000mm unsupported. I would recommend installing a 90 x 35mm treated pine timber vertically to the frame halfway between your posts. That way, your battens can be fixed to the posts and also to this mid-span support, which will help prevent movement and sagging over time.

In terms of screwing the battens to the frame, yes you can screw them directly into your H3 treated pine framing. Just make sure you are using suitable exterior-grade screws, ideally stainless steel or a high-quality coated decking screw to prevent corrosion and staining of the blackbutt.

For the mono cladding, you will need to follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Products like COLORBOND Monoclad generally require vertical battens or studs at set spacings, commonly around 450mm to 600mm centres, so the sheets can be properly fixed off. You will likely need to frame out the sides of the deck with vertical members to create a fixing structure for the cladding.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell