Rustic sawn face cladding - what to expect

Everist Timber supply hardwood cladding with a number of different façade finishes. Whilst dressed smooth is still the most popular finish, sawn face cladding is becoming increasingly popular. It suits those projects where clients are after a more rustic look, such as rural and coastal properties.

There are two different sawn finishes: Band sawn and Mill sawn. Each has unique characteristics so read on to see which
finish could add a new touch to your next project.

Band sawn finish

A band sawn finish is created by putting a dressed product through a bandsaw to give it a rustic appearance and improved grip for decks. There are many factors that can have an impact on the overall appearance of a band sawn product, most of which cannot be avoided.

The inconsistencies you can expect to see in a band sawn finish include but are not limited to:

Different depth gouges
Difference in length between gouges
Dressed surface may be visible in areas
Some black smudges
Difference thickness along some boards

This product is designed to have a “cleaner” look than the mill sawn product and will give better colour consistency as the “weathered face” is cleaned up (re-sawn). However, the appearance is quite rustic with inconsistencies in the sawn finish.

Mill sawn finish

A mill sawn finish is created by leaving one surface as it comes from the green mill. This material has been stripped out and left in the open to lower the moisture content before it’s put into a kiln. The material will sit out in the weather for an extended period of time. During this time the timber will begin to change colour and shape.

Mill sawn is the more “rugged” look of the two sawn finishes and you can expect the following features and inconsistencies:

Boards that have racking stick marks
Cell collapse on the face
Checking
Thickness variation
Inconsistent colour due to weathering at different rates

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