About Weatherboards
Weatherboards is a specialist service based in Tenterden, focused on the repair, preparation, painting and sympathetic replacement of traditional timber weatherboarding.
We work on listed, period and character properties across the surrounding parts of Kent and East Sussex. Our approach begins with the condition of the timber and the cause of any failure, rather than assuming that an entire elevation needs replacing.
A Specialist Focus on Traditional Timber Buildings
Weatherboarding needs more than ordinary exterior decorating.
The condition of the boards, the way moisture reaches and leaves the timber, the profile and overlap, the fixings, the junctions around windows and doors and the coatings already present can all affect what work is appropriate.
A tired elevation may need thorough preparation and repainting. A small area may need a local repair. Other boards may have deteriorated beyond a durable repair and need replacing on a profile that matches the retained weatherboarding.
Understanding those differences is central to the work we undertake.
Repair First, Replace Only Where Necessary
Our starting point is to preserve sound timber wherever practical.
- retaining boards that remain firm and serviceable
- repairing a failed end or short section
- splicing in new timber where a durable joint can be formed
- refixing sound boards that have worked loose
- replacing individual boards among sound neighbours
- renewing a defined section where deterioration is more extensive
Repair is not always the right answer for every board. Where timber has lost its integrity, cannot hold a fixing or has decayed too extensively, careful replacement may provide the more durable result.
The aim is not to save everything regardless of condition. It is to retain what continues to serve the building and renew only what has genuinely failed.
Built Around Real Project Experience
Our approach is based on the conditions found on real buildings.
Grade II Listed Oast House near Northiam and Rye
Rotten boards were renewed on a matching profile while loose and serviceable boarding was retained and refixed. The project also included careful preparation, repainting and restoration of the oak entrance door.
View the Northiam project
Grade II Listed Property in Tenterden
At Bridewell Lane, badly flaking paint made the elevation appear more extensively damaged than it proved to be. Only a small number of boards had rotted through, allowing most of the original boarding to be retained, prepared and repainted.
View the Bridewell Lane project
Grade II Listed Property in Hawkhurst
At The Moor, failed boards and fascia timber were renewed where necessary, sash windows were repaired and the weatherboarded elevations were prepared and repainted.
View The Moor projectThese projects demonstrate why the right decision is often a combination of preparation, repair, refixing and selective replacement rather than one answer applied to the whole property.
Clear Advice Before Work Begins
An initial assessment considers the visible condition of the boarding and the likely reasons for the deterioration.
- repeated coating failure
- soft or crumbling timber
- loose boards and failed fixings
- open joints
- deterioration beneath gutters and downpipes
- vulnerable board ends and lower courses
- the condition of surrounding timber
- whether the existing profile can be retained or matched
We then explain which areas appear suitable for preparation, repair or replacement and why.
Some conditions behind weatherboards cannot be confirmed without opening a section of the elevation. Where that is the case, we will say so rather than pretending that a complete diagnosis can always be made from the ground.
Working With the Building, Not Against It
Traditional buildings have often survived because generations of owners and craftspeople maintained them carefully.
Original weatherboards contribute to the appearance, construction and history of a property. Their profiles, widths, overlaps and small variations form part of the character that can be lost when sound fabric is removed unnecessarily.
Our role is to understand what remains serviceable, carry out sound repairs and help protect the integrity of the building for the people who will care for it in the future.
That means using a measured approach. Old timber should not be discarded simply because it looks tired, but failed material should not be romanticised or left in place when it can no longer perform its job.
Listed and Period Properties
Work to listed and period weatherboarding needs an individual approach.
The significance of the existing material, established detailing and previous finishes should all be considered before substantial alterations are made.
Listed building consent or other advice may be required for some changes or more extensive replacement. Where the position is uncertain, owners should speak to the relevant local planning authority or conservation officer before work begins.
Weatherboards carries out the physical repair, preparation, painting and replacement work sympathetically, but we do not provide legal advice or authorise listed building works.
Read: Repair or Replace? How to Decide What Your Weatherboards NeedBased in Tenterden
Weatherboards is based in Tenterden and generally works within approximately 20 miles across the surrounding parts of Kent and East Sussex.
Regular working areas include Tenterden, Cranbrook, Hawkhurst, Benenden, Rye and nearby villages.
Each enquiry is considered according to the property, the type of weatherboarding, the work required and practical travel distance.
A Specialist Service With Proper Cover
10+ Years Experience
Practical experience repairing, preparing and restoring timber weatherboarding across Kent and East Sussex.
£5m Public Liability Cover
Public liability insurance appropriate to the work we undertake.
Repair First Approach
Sound original boards retained wherever practical, with selective replacement where timber has genuinely failed.
Real Project Evidence
Documented work on Grade II listed oast houses, cottages and substantial weatherboarded properties across the surrounding area.
Company Information
Weatherboards.co.uk is a trading name of Embery Property Group Limited, company registration number 17289509.
Need Advice About Your Weatherboards?
Whether the property needs careful repairs, thorough preparation and repainting or selective replacement, we can assess the visible condition of the weatherboarding and explain the most appropriate way forward.