The look of genuine timber has long been prized for the warm, luxury feel it brings to a space. Bringing a biophilic aspect to the built environment through the use of wood can also improve the health and wellbeing of those who experience it.
Around the world, different timber species have long been revered for their rarity, colour, texture and grade - being carefully selected, harvested, milled, treated, and in some cases transported great distances, to provide just the right touch to a particular project.
But these factors can be a double-edged sword. It can be difficult to find a sustainable supply of the preferred timber species with the right stain in the right volumes. Similarly, as an organic material, timber can age quickly at the mercy of prevailing climatic conditions wherever it is installed. It can warp, expand, shrink, or split due to changing humidity and temperature. In addition, timber can be problematic when fire rating is a consideration, restricting its applications for use.
The Covet Ever Art Wood® range offers designers a natural aesthetic and texturised feel of real grain timber, while leveraging the benefits of aluminium. A non-combustible alternative to timber, Covet’s architectural aluminium batten and panel cladding possess exterior grade properties making them extremely durable, suitable even in the most aggressive coastal environments and virtually maintenance-free. Yet the realism of the Ever Art Wood® series also provides the luxurious, biophilic feel of genuine timber in interior applications. Available in a range of colours and textures, Ever Art Wood finishes provide faithful recreations of popular timber species from across the globe - right down to the grain and knots, those little imperfections that make timber such an exciting and bespoke material to specify.
Figure: SkyOne Box Hill, VIC
A Natural Timber Aesthetic
The key to Ever Art Wood’s realistic appearance lies in its superior wrapped finish. Many aluminium timber look cladding products are readily available in powder coated finishes or plastics which - from afar - do a reasonable job of creating the illusion of genuine timber. However, powder coated options typically have a higher Light Reflectance Value (LRV), where from a distance the surface sheen or gloss, rather than the matte finish of real timber, exposes the illusion. When observed from a short distance, these alternative wood look cladding options have a way to go to deliver a realistic natural timber aesthetic.
The high-tech wrapped finishes of the Ever Art Wood® timber look aluminium cladding are so realistic that the product is commonly specified for interiors - a rarity for timber look products. Ever Art Wood’s high quality wrapped finishes are imprinted with a realistic woodgrain derived from actual timber species. Some finishes require multi-layered colouring to achieve the depth and richness of the timber colours. In addition to looking true to form, the majority of finishes feature woodgrain textures, contributing further to the organic look of genuine timber. In batten profile, Ever Art Wood® end caps are available in various options to suit project budgets from standard colour coded exterior grade plastic or mill finished aluminium end caps, or can be upgraded to either screen printed or wrapped finish, resulting in a consistent appearance from all angles. The combination of texture and photo imaging along with the matte surface finish means that Ever Art Wood® bears all the appearance-based characteristics of real wood, without the limitations and maintenance that come with the real thing.
A Genuine Recreation
Ever Art Wood® is available in a range of profiles and colours, all based on genuine hardwood species from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Supuringu Oku is based on White Oak, a valuable wood used across the world for furniture, flooring and other high-visibility applications. White Oak is light in colour and mostly straight grained with a medium texture, giving it a great deal of character and creating a warm, luxe, aesthetic.
Figure: Beachfron Property in Manly, NSW
Figure: EAW- Supuringu Oku Figure: White Oak
Ever Art Wood® Kurashikku is based on European Pine species. A popular construction material across the world, pine has long been revered for its colour, texture and material imperfections. These details (including knots and medullary rays) are transposed with precise attention to detail in Ever Art Wood.
Figure: EAW - Kurashikku Figure: European Pine
Burrakku Eboni and Buruan Eboni profiles emulate the treasured Spotted Gum, in light and dark versions. These profiles employ multiple layers of colour to achieve a stunning depth of colour and richness, with an additional layer that makes it look like it has some silvering in the timber colour for an incredibly sophisticated finish.
Figure: Simplot Truganina, VIC
Figure: Burakku Eboni Figure: Spotted Gum
Figure: Residential development, NSW
Figure: Buraun Eboni Figure: Spotted Gum
Weebu Mahogani is based on African Mahogany. With a rich, luxurious, reddish stain of mahogany, the colour brings to mind the decadent grandeur and craftsmanship of the early 20th century. African mahogany species are slow to regenerate in the wild and are thus becoming increasingly rare and valuable. It has a relatively straight, fine and even grain, making it a consistent and refined option for any space.
Figure: SkyOne Box Hill, VIC
Figure: EAW - Weebu Mahagani Figure: African Mahogany
The interlocking grain of European Elm has long made it a valuable timber for a variety of applications and this versatile characteristic is replicated to near perfect detail in Ever Art Wood’s Burakku Erumu colour. This finish interprets the Elm grain with a striking dark stain, providing a contrast to the lighter tones of raw elm wood and giving the colour a contemporary, almost charred feel.
Figure: Residential Facade, VIC
Figure: EAW - Burakku Erumu Figure: European Elm
Across the entire Ever Art Wood® palette, the look of real, rare and luxurious timber species are brought to life – with the additional benefits gained from a modern technology and designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
A Simple Solution
It goes without saying that genuine timber is an incredibly beautiful and versatile material, however it can present physical limitations across its lifespan. These range from the structural- such as twisting, warping and moisture sensitivity, and subject to rot and insect attack; to the visual - such as fading, colour change, mould staining or cracking. As an aluminium timber look product, Ever Art Wood® virtually eliminates these concerns across the lifespan of the product.
As a material, aluminium is strong, lightweight and dimensionally accurate. It is more resistant to the effects of exterior and interior environments. This makes it ideal for cladding applications - both in aggressive conditions outdoors such as coastal environments and high resistance to UV attack, or indoor recreational pool settings with high humidity. It maintains its shape, even when specified in long lengths or widths in batten or panel profiles, is a non-combustible, fire rated cladding product, and can be specified in all areas of residential or commercial spaces.
Visually, Ever Art Wood® will maintain its texture across the lifespan of the product, while the finishes have a high resistance to fading, even after prolonged exposure to extreme sun, coastal, freeze, thaw, wet or dry weather conditions. Unlike real timber, the finishes do not require restaining or ongoing maintenance other than cleaning with a quick hose or wipe down with a microfibre cloth to remove environmental dust and grime.
Ever Art Wood’s high-quality aluminium timber look cladding finishes bring not only the look but the texture of real wood species to life, with less material drawbacks than can occur with real wood. Its authenticity sees the product commonly specified indoors (with an exterior grade pedigree), delivering seamless exterior to interior transitions with a versatile and durable material. With a striking palette that encompasses light to dark timber/wood colours and a variety of grain types, Ever Art Wood® is an ideal choice for designers, specifiers and property owners who are seeking the warm, luxurious, biophilic feel of real timber, with the benefits of sustainability, longevity and durable lightweight properties of non-combustible aluminium.
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