Cladding a wall outside, UK or Europe style? Enter the wall size and your board sizes. You get the boards, cover battens, support battens, counter-battens, breather membrane and screws.
Your shopping list
39Boards across the wall
38Cover battens
43Board pieces to buy
- Cover batten pieces to buy42
- Support battens (across the boards)6 rows, 23.6 in apart14
- Counter-battens (up and down)These make the air gap behind the boards13
- Breather membraneIncludes 10% for overlaps176 sq ft
- Screws or nails2 per board and batten on each support row1,017
- Wall area to cover160 sq ft
Boards are 5.9 in wide with a 0.4 in gap. Pieces include 10% extra. Corner trim and insect mesh are not counted.
How to use the Cladding Calculator
- Measure the wall width and height. Add the area of windows and doors.
- Enter the board width, the gap, and the cover batten width. Metric users can tap Metres & cm first.
- Pick the spacing of the support battens. 600 mm is common.
- Read your list and take it to the timber merchant.
The math behind it
Boards = (wall width + gap) / (board width + gap), rounded up
Cover battens = boards – 1
Support rows = wall height / spacing, rounded up, plus 1
Counter-battens = wall width / spacing, plus 1
Membrane = wall area x 1.1
A worked example
What we typed in
- Wall width: 26 ft
- Wall height: 9 ft
- Windows and doors (total area): 60 sq ft
- Board width: 5.9 in
- Gap between boards: 0.4 in
- Cover batten width: 1.6 in
- Support batten spacing, center to center: 15.7 in
- Length of boards you buy: 10 ft
- Extra for mistakes and cuts: 10%
What we got
- Boards across the wall: 50
- Cover battens: 49
- Board pieces to buy: 42
- Cover batten pieces to buy: 54
- Support battens (across the boards): 24
- Counter-battens (up and down): 22
- Breather membrane: 191.4 sq ft
- Screws or nails: 1,743
- Wall area to cover: 174 sq ft
Tips from the job site
- Counter-battens keep an air gap behind the boards, so the wall can dry out.
- Use stainless steel screws or nails outside. Other metals can stain the wood.
- Leave a small gap at the bottom of the boards for air.
Common questions
What is a counter-batten?
It is a batten that goes up and down on the wall, under the support battens. It makes an air gap behind the boards.
What is the breather membrane for?
It keeps rain out of the wall but lets the wall breathe. Most walls with cladding need one.
Which board length should I pick?
Pick the length closest to your wall height, so you cut as little as possible.
See all Wall Calculators.