Want to give your house a new face? Try wall cladding
White rustic cladding design by Stone Arts.
Have you ever thought of giving your building a renewed outlook that would get it to stand out from the rest?
Well, with wall cladding, you can accomplish that fresh and natural look that could make it more durable and protect your wall against extreme weather conditions.
Inspired by the rising demand for the emerging technology among homeowners in Kenya, property developers are cashing in and developing unconventional designs.
Stone Arts company director Pankaj Sakhuja says the more than 100 designs has enabled them to cater for the needs of a variety of customers, including corporates, international organisations, embassies as well as individuals.
“Other than Kenya, our market cuts across the entire East Africa,” he said.
Wall cladding is the layering of one material on top of another material which will create a skin layer over the walls.
Grey stacking cladding, suitable for exterior.
It is almost exclusively used as a control feature, preventing the walls and the internal workings of a room or building from being damaged by water or allowing the leakage of water that could potentially become a hazard for the structure.
“Apart from aesthetic value, cladding is a great way to protect a wall or building from adverse weather elements, as well as other types of irritants that could harm the wall or building,” said Mr Sakhuja.
Of all types of wall cladding, stone cladding is considered the most popular and effective.
When applied properly, the thin layers achieve a textured and three-dimensional appearance, giving the impression that the structure is constructed entirely of natural stone.
Stone cladding is manufactured by quarrying natural stone and milling it into thin pieces. A range of different sizes, thicknesses, shapes and patterns can be created according to the specification of the design.
Grey stacking wall cladding.
Cladding can be supplied either as single stone pieces or as large, bespoke panels prefabricated from a number of pieces, such as storey-height panels or shaped parts such as reveals and lintels.
Stone Arts, which procures high-quality stones from local quarries, has manufacturing facilities located in Nairobi and Jinja in Uganda.
“Each cladding stone is carefully selected, milled, and cut in different shapes and sizes. It is then cut and carefully arranged in a manner to ensure the aesthetic look and design,” says Mr Sakhuja.
The claddings, which start as low as Sh2,500 per square meter, depending on the type of the stones, are available in their showrooms in Nairobi.
Other than undertaking supply, Mr Sakhuja stated that they have trained skilled personnel who can fix them for customers who need the service.
“This guarantees quality and will give you a peace of mind without worrying about getting involved in dealing with labourers,” he said.
Stone claddings are commonly used in living rooms, bathrooms, indoor gardens and other rooms.
This is mint collection cladding with butterscotch travertine floor.
Other than stone cladding, other different types of cladding include GRC cladding which is manufactured away from a construction site, fiber, glass and veneer cladding.
Advantage of using exterior wall cladding is to protect a building from external damage while needing little or no maintenance.
“In the long run, cladding your wall will be cheap as it can quickly be washed down with water to look as good as new and save you the cost of regular painting,” added Mr Sakhuja.
Stone Arts also uses cladding to generate imitations of ancient housing designs which give a unique dimension to the landscape.
Their design is traced to ancient civilisations of Rome, India as well as Athens in Greece where they made historical statements through their architecture.
