Cladding Installation in Melbourne.
ALTUA installs external cladding across Melbourne for new construction, extensions and building upgrades, with the scope planned around the selected system and building details.
Start with the building, then plan the cladding around it.
A good cladding installation depends on more than the visible finish. The substrate, layout, junctions, penetrations, flashings and surrounding building details all influence how the installation should be planned.
Get the details clear before installation begins.
Assess
Review the building, substrate, drawings or site information and the requirements of the proposed cladding system.
Set out
Plan the layout, interfaces, openings and finishing details needed for the installation scope.
Install
Complete the agreed cladding work with attention to junctions, penetrations, flashings and the finished appearance.
Cladding for new work, extensions and exterior upgrades.
Installation can be scoped for new building work, additions and façade upgrades. Where an existing cladding system first needs removal, replacement or rectification, that work is treated as a separate scope rather than simply as new installation.
Cladding Replacement & RectificationChoose the system that suits the project.
ALTUA installs external wall cladding systems including fibre cement, James Hardie products, metal and aluminium cladding, and weatherboard where it suits the project. Product selection, detailing and installation requirements vary by system and building design.
Cladding installation — common questions
What goes behind new cladding on a wall?+
Most lightweight cladding walls have a wall wrap or pliable membrane. In Victoria it must meet current building requirements and suit the climate: in Melbourne the membrane needs to let moisture vapour escape from the wall. Whether a membrane or a drained cavity is used depends on the selected wall and cladding system, so follow the manufacturer's guidance for that system.
Is a cavity needed behind cladding?+
Not always. Some timber and fibre cement sheet cladding is fixed directly to the frame, while a ventilated cavity on battens is usually specified by the cladding maker where it is needed. The manufacturer's installation instructions decide the method for the chosen product.
How are windows, doors and penetrations flashed?+
Each opening needs head, sill and jamb flashings lapped so water sheds outward, and penetrations are sealed and flashed to the wall membrane. Leaks in new cladding most often start at these details rather than at the boards.
How do cladding materials differ in upkeep?+
Painted fibre cement and weatherboards need repainting on a cycle that depends on exposure. Factory-coated metal needs washing, with BlueScope advising six-monthly washing where rain does not reach, and three-monthly near the sea.
What should be checked before cladding installation starts?+
Substrate and frame condition, dimensions, interfaces with roof and windows, penetrations, flashing details, access and the chosen product's installation requirements. Resolving these first avoids changes once boards are on the wall.