How to Install Cedral Click Cladding (Horizontal & Vertical)

Cedral Click is installed by fixing a level start profile, then clipping each tongue-and-groove fibre cement board to the battens with hidden stainless steel clips, so no fixings show on the main face of the wall. It can run horizontally on vertical battens, or vertically on horizontal battens over counter battens. This guide covers both, using the figures in Cedral's own fixing guide.

Keep the current Cedral fixing guide to hand on site. It has the full drawings for corners, windows, soffits and other details.

Watch: Cedral Click Vertical Plank Installation

How the system works

Click is a ventilated rainscreen. Cedral's guide asks for a minimum 30mm clear cavity behind the boards and a 10mm continuous air gap at the top and bottom of the wall and above and below openings, so air can carry moisture away. Cedral is not an insulator, so any insulation needs designing in separately.

Timber battens or aluminium frame?

Click boards are held by stainless steel clips, and how you fix the clips depends on the support:

• Timber battens: use the Click clip and screw set. Cedral's clip and screw are stainless steel 304 (A2), and the screw is 3.9 x 30mm with an 11mm low-profile flat head. Use the Cedral-supplied screw, because a standard head can get in the way of the next board. Spare screws for Click clips are also available.
• Aluminium frame: use the Click clip and rivet set, which fixes the clips with rivets instead of screws. Frame layout, profile sizes and fixing back to the wall should come from your frame system's design. Speak to the Cedral technical team (contact details are in the fixing guide) if you are unsure.

The rest of this guide describes timber battens, which is what most of Cedral's guide covers.

Tools and materials checklist

Materials

• Cedral Click boards (3600 x 186 x 12mm), plus around 10% for waste
• Preservative-treated timber battens (sizes below)
• Breather membrane, where needed
• Perforated closures (2.5m, in 40, 50, 70 or 100mm depths)
• Horizontal start profile or vertical start profile (both plain aluminium)
• External corner, internal corner, lintel profile and connection profile as needed
• Click clip and screw set (timber) or clip and rivet set (aluminium)
• Colour-head screws for any visible fixings
• EPDM joint tape such as Walther Strong Cladtape
• Touch-up paint for cut edges

Tools

• Tape measure, pencil, long spirit level or laser level, string line
• Circular saw with a diamond fibre cement blade or a jigsaw with fibre cement jigsaw blades
• Drill driver with a good-quality bit for the screw heads (and a rivet tool for aluminium frames)
• Clean, dry cloth for wiping off dust
• Safety glasses, gloves and a suitable dust mask

All trims and fixings are in our Cedral Click accessories collection.

Installing Cedral Click horizontally

Step 1: Fix the vertical battens

Fix treated battens vertically at a maximum of 600mm centres, closer in high wind areas. Cedral specifies 75 x 38mm battens for standard fixing and 100 x 38mm at joints and corners. If you are fitting a breather membrane, it goes behind the battens. Cedral's guide calls it good practice for solid walls, timber frame and metal stud, and generally not needed for unfilled or partially filled cavity walls.

Step 2: Add EPDM to every batten

For Click, EPDM goes on every batten, not only behind joints, and it must be fitted before any profiles or boards. If the strip will be exposed to light, use a UV-resistant material such as EPDM.

Step 3: Fit perforated closures

Screw or nail perforated closures at the top and bottom of the wall, at cills and at window and door heads, keeping the 10mm continuous air gap. At window and door heads, leave at least 25mm of the closure open to the air.

Step 4: Fix the trims and start profile

Fix the vertical trims (corners and connection profiles), leaving a 3mm gap between the trims and the board ends as shown in Cedral's details. Then fix the horizontal start profile at the base of the wall. It must be perfectly level, because every board above follows it. Use countersunk screws so the screw heads do not stop the first board seating properly. Cedral's base detail shows 150mm between the bottom of the cladding and the ground.

Step 5: Fit the first board

Sit the first board on the start profile and fix it with a clip on every batten. Board ends must butt together over a supporting batten.

Step 6: Continue up the wall

Place the next board onto the one below so the tongue and groove engage, then fix it with clips on every batten. As a rough guide, that works out at around 7 clips per 3.6m board. Cedral's guide says the distance from the edge of a clip to the edge of the board should not exceed 60mm. If the building has movement joints, repeat them in the cladding.

Step 7: Windows and the last board

Window reveals can be finished with the Click external corner profile, and the lintel profile is used at the window head to finish above the window and support the next course. It has drainage holes in the back so water cannot sit in it.

At the top of the wall, a full-width final board can be fixed with clips. If the last board has to be cut down, fix it with coloured screws, driven straight in at 90 degrees to the board face.

Installing Cedral Click vertically

Vertical boards need horizontal battens to fix to, and those battens need counter battens behind them so air can still rise through the cavity.

Step 1: Fix vertical counter battens

Fix vertical counter battens first, at least 50mm wide x 25mm deep, at a maximum of 600mm centres. Cedral says adjustable wall brackets can be used instead. A breather membrane, if used, goes behind the counter battens.

Step 2: Fix horizontal battens

Fix horizontal battens across the counter battens, at least 75mm wide x 38mm deep for Click, at a maximum of 600mm centres. Leave a 5mm gap where batten ends meet. Put EPDM on the front face of every horizontal batten. The horizontal battens can be trapezoidal to help water run off, but Cedral says this is not essential.

Step 3: Fit closures and trims

Fix perforated closures to the top and bottom of the vertical battens, at the top and bottom of the wall, and above and below windows and doors. Leave a minimum 10mm air gap at the top and bottom of every section. Then fix the external corner, connection and internal corner profiles.

Step 4: Fix the vertical start profile

The vertical start profile goes below all Click boards and supports the system. It must be installed absolutely level so the boards stay perfectly vertical. Cedral's guide says vertical start profiles are needed every 3.6m, for every new row of boards. The bottom batten has to be trimmed so the start profile fits, and this is repeated at the joints between rows.

Step 5: Fix the first board

Rest the first board on the vertical start profile. Fix it with Cedral 38mm colour-coded screws up one edge, and with clips on the battens along the other edge.

Step 6: Clip the rest

Slot the next board into the clips you have just fixed, rest it on the start profile, then fit clips along its free edge and fix them. Carry on across the wall. The last board will have visible fixings, again using 38mm colour-coded screws.

Cutting and dust safety

Cedral recommends cutting with a diamond blade (180mm, 4 teeth) or a jigsaw, working from the back of the board for a clean face. Cut in a dry, well-ventilated place, and never cut wet boards because the dust will stick and stain. Wipe dust off with a clean, dry cloth, and seal cut edges with touch-up paint.

Cedral warns that cutting dust can irritate airways and eyes and that long-term exposure can harm health. Cut outdoors with the wind behind you, use dust extraction where you can, and wear eye protection and a properly fitted mask. HSE guidance for similar silica dust tasks recommends FFP3 level protection. The safety data sheet is in the technical section of cedral.world.

Frequently asked questions

How many clips does Cedral Click need?

One clip on every batten each board crosses. At 600mm batten centres, that is around 7 clips per 3.6m board.

Are the Cedral Click start profiles colour matched?

No. Both the horizontal and vertical Click start profiles are plain mill-finish aluminium. The other Click trims are colour matched.

Can I use Cedral Click on a metal frame?

Yes. Use the clip and rivet set instead of the clip and screw set, and follow the frame manufacturer's design for the support structure.

Ready to order?

Browse Cedral Click boards and trims, or order free samples to compare colours and the woodgrain and smooth finishes. Send your measurements through our Cedral quote form and we will list the boards, trims, clips and fixings you need. For more on the air gap behind the boards, read our guide to Cedral ventilation.