Profiles: The Basics
At QTD Ltd we offer a range of profiles suitable for horizontal and vertical application. In addition to profiles that will enhance the appearance of your façade by creating channels, grooves and allowing you to mix widths on any of our ThermoWood timbers’ and finishes. Read on to find out what profile options are available for your project.
Our Profiles
We have ten profile options for you to choose from: Palma, Emma, Rombo, Sara, Arya, Viola, Vera, Aura, Ziza and Nisa. The important thing to remember with all profiles is that the angle on the profile will vary depending on whether you are running vertically or horizontally. The angle on the profile needs to allow dirt and water to run off of the board, and not to trap it.
For example, the Nisa is the most popular profile for vertical applications since any rain or dirt will run straight down the groove. If you applied the Nisa profile horizontally then you will be creating a shelf which will, in turn, create dirt marks.
The Palma profile is installed by applying a hidden clip fixing to the batten and slotting your cladding boards on either side of the clip. You must remember to not fit your boards extremely tightly to the clip, allowing for a subtle amount of movement. When installing your cladding using the Palma profile, you would start at the bottom and work your way up. Using the clips in place of face fixings.
The Rombo profile can be run horizontally and vertically. The angle of the profile will direct the eye in a certain direction. You could split the elevation to make the appearance symmetrical.
The Sara profile is suitable for horizontal application and is a typical tapered half-lap board. Alongside Sara, the Viola profile is also only suitable for horizontal application.
The Ayra has a wide V-join which can be applied horizontally or vertically, the same as the Vera which appears as a narrow V-groove profile.
Finally, the Ziza profile is effectively a half-lap profile. The profile gives you the option of opening the boards up to a 5mm gap or closing the gap to 1mm, dependant on your preference. You have more flexibility on the channel that you’re creating with the Ziza profile, in comparison to the Nisa which is a fixed 10mm channel effect.
Corners, Edges and Cill Trims
When it comes to finishing off the edges of your cladding, you can either have a clean all-round board, so that you close off all sides that run back to the windows. Or you can opt for an external corner trim, closing off around the corners of the cladding.
A cill trim is another option, which can be run along the bottom of your building. You would first fit the cill trim and then your cladding boards. Sitting on top of the trim. This will allow rain to run down the board and deflect off of the angled profile. These trims can be applied to the top of the window as well. Deflecting water away from the window.
Board Widths
As aforementioned, we can apply any of our finishes to any profile, including ThermoChar® and AtelierClad® finishes. We can also provide a range of different widths to suit your design preferences. For example, our ThermoWood Ash can go up to 150mm wide and down to 40mm.
We have found that the 40mm boards create a very nice ribbed effect when installed vertically with a Nisa profile.
In the past, many customers have found it easier to opt for a wide board to reduce labour time. However, we would always encourage you to consider the aesthetic finish of your façade, and sometimes a better result is achieved with thinner boards. The beauty of our ThermoWoods is that they are very stable, which gives you design flexibility that may not be achieved with less stable timbers.
As you can see, there are lots of different options you can go for when installing your cladding, it is all down to personal preference and the aesthetic finish you are aiming to achieve!