Why do we put facades on our buildings? A facade protects the building structure and insulation from the elements. An unprotected building structure is like standing in the rain with no clothes on. You’ll get cold, wet and will only survive for a certain amount of time!

This fact is often overlooked when designing and building new structures — especially in the past with all the leaky homes we have all seen and heard about. It is important that we design and build facades appropriately for the environmental conditions and use suitable materials.

Timber has become a popular cladding material for domestic, commercial and industrial buildings. It is an attractive, natural and environmentally-friendly solution. However, fastening the timber cladding boards to the substructure can be problematic. When using traditional fastening methods like nails and standard countersunk screws, problems can often occur, such as nail and screw heads protruding, and splitting and loosening of the timber boards due to natural movement of the timber. Many buildings have their lifespan considerably reduced due to penetrating moisture.

SPAX has developed another smart solution with the SPAX double-thread facade screw. This SPAX screw is designed to work with the timber rather than against it, allowing the timber boards to expand naturally in wet weather and shrink in hot, dry weather. The SPAX fixing thread under the head clamps the facade to the sub-structure, locking the boards firmly in place, while working with the timber during expansion and contraction, so loose boards, protruding screw heads and premature failures are a thing of the past.

SPAX has a smart fastening solution for all different cladding profiles and materials with this new range of specially designed screws. SPAX facade screws are made of quality stainless steel and come in standard and antique colours. All SPAX screws are manufactured in Germany to the highest standards.

We recommend timber cladding to be sealed before attaching with an appropriate, good quality timber sealer. To protect your client's investment and ensure a healthy home environment, make sure you don’t overlook the importance of a well designed facade and the materials it is made from.