David Domoney: How to Clad Walls. A Step by Step Guide.

11 December 2024

HOW TO CLAD A WALL

Creating low-maintenance, visually appealing hard landscaping is a fantastic way to define distinct areas within your garden for maximum enjoyment. Paved spaces play a key role in this transformation, providing sturdy, weather-resistant foundations for furniture, planters, and year-round use. Beyond their practicality, paved areas add a touch of style while ensuring safe and seamless movement throughout your garden.

 

 

However, paving is not the only way to design in hard landscaping areas that provide structure. Garden walls are another classic method to separate areas of your garden and devise a permanent structure.

You may wonder what wall cladding is? Wall cladding is facing an existing wall with another material, which can protect walls from damage, or even just have a decorative and transformative purpose.

Discover how to design stunning clad walls that elevate your garden in this comprehensive guide.

 

Garden Wall Cladding Ideas

Wall cladding offers a versatile and efficient way to create eye-catching features in your garden, whether it’s a towering feature wall, a walled raised bed, or the risers and edges of steps. With a solid, sturdy base, you can easily apply cladding to achieve a polished, professional finish in no time. This technique is perfect for both new wall construction and revitalising older, tired looking walls, to give them a fresh, modern aesthetic with minimal effort.

Ready to transform your garden?

Discover the endless possibilities of wall cladding and learn how to bring your vision to life in this guide.

 

 

Pavestone boasts an extensive selection of wall cladding options to choose from, catering to a variety of tastes and garden styles. Whether you're aiming for a rustic, weathered charm or a sleek, contemporary look, Pavestone has a cladding to suit your vision. The range goes beyond just style; it includes a diverse palette of colours, offering everything from deep, dramatic shades to light, airy hues, as well as warm, inviting tones that can add a touch of cosiness to any space. This variety allows you to find the perfect match for your garden’s overall aesthetic, ensuring a cohesive and personalised design that reflects your unique style.

With Pavestone’s versatile options, you can effortlessly create standout garden features that combine durability, function, and beauty.

 

 

Perhaps your design requires a modern wall which can act as a blank template to allow your furniture and plants to be the star of the show. Minerali Cladding in the shade Artico is a perfect candidate. A sleek, contemporary cladding, with subtle shade shifts of light grey and cream. This cladding is also available in various shades of grey in Zinco, with a lovely blend of silver tones providing depth.

 

 

For a charming provincial and rustic aesthetic, Pavestone’s Rock Wall cladding is an enduring choice. This timeless option captures the natural beauty of stone with its versatile, colour palette. Featuring a harmonious blend of greys, subtle browns, delicate yellows, and creamy whites, the Rock Wall cladding effortlessly complements a variety of garden styles and spaces. Whether used to accentuate feature walls, enhance raised beds, or add character to steps and borders, this cladding brings warmth and texture to your outdoor haven, making it a perfect fit for any setting.

 

 

If you're seeking a perfect balance between clean, contemporary lines and a naturally aged aesthetic, Pavestone’s Rock Stack Cladding is an ideal choice. This versatile option brings a touch of rustic charm while retaining a sleek, modern feel, making it a great addition to both traditional and contemporary garden designs.

To further customise your look, Rock Stack Cladding is available in four stunning shades: the bold elegance of Black, the crisp brightness of White, the earthy warmth of Rust, and the soft sophistication of Cream.

With this range, you can effortlessly achieve a tailored finish that complements your garden’s unique style and character.

 

How to clad a garden wall

Stage One: Prepping the wall

The first step in any wall cladding project is determining the position of your wall and it's purpose. Whether it's a feature wall in your garden, a statement piece in your lounge, or a stylish upgrade for your bathroom, the possibilities are endless.

The walling condition and base material is important. For outdoor projects, Pavestone recommends brick or concrete block walls to provide a strong and stable foundation to support the cladding. Indoors, cladding can transform existing plastered or brick and block walls, creating a dramatic focal point or a subtle textural enhancement to your space.

No matter where you plan to install it, wall cladding opens up a world of design opportunities, allowing you to bring your vision to life in both functional and decorative ways.

 

 

Once you have established your location, and have a secure wall to clad, priming the wall first is essential. This guarantees optimum adhesion for the cladding. Make sure you choose to do this on a dry day, as your wall needs to be dry before priming. You do this, by applying a slurry to the base structure. Here is the equipment you need to prime your wall:

 

• Large bucket containing 4 litres of clean, cold water
• Drill with paddle mixer attachment
• Plastic sheet (or similar)
• Trowel
• Wide paint brush
• Brush
   

.... and the all-important safety gear

As with any task like this, you’ll need the usual safety gear to keep you protected – safety footwear, gloves, ear and eye protection and a dust mask which must be grade FFP3.

 

First, lay your plastic sheet down where you’re going to prepare and apply your priming slurry. This will keep your other garden surfaces clean, as the priming slurry sets quite quickly and may be quite difficult to remove.

 

 

With your water in your large bucket, slowly add small amounts of slurry at a time, mixing with your drill and paddle attachment at a slow speed. Use your trowel to remove any slurry from the sides, to ensure nothing is missed.

Once it’s all mixed, with no lumps, don’t add any extra water, as you don’t want to disrupt the effectiveness of the slurry.

 

 

Then, make sure your wall is dry, and brush it lightly to remove any dust. Next, using your wide paint brush, apply the slurry generously and evenly over the wall. Finally, leave it to dry for at least one hour.

 

Stage Two: Starting the first course

Before you start the next stage, make sure you have all the right equipment at hand.

 

• Spirit level
• Wooden batons
• Hammer & masonry nails
• Tape measure
• Rubber mallet
• Plastic spacers
• Tiler’s wet saw or electric angle grinder
• Pavestone’s Wall & Cladding Adhesive
• Bucket with 2 litres of clean, cold water
• Drill with a paddle mixer
• Trowel
• Notched trowel
• Damp tiler’s sponge
   

If you don’t have a Tiler’s wet saw and are planning on using a small angle grinder, then make sure you are wearing sturdy safety boots when cutting the tiles. And using the aforementioned goggles, gloves, dust mask and ear defenders.

 

 

The best first step is to know how many cladding units you will need to cover your wall. You don’t want any unnecessary gaps. Measure your wall, and the size of the units, and make sure you cut accordingly to make sure you fill it completely. You can use either a tilers wet saw, or an electric angle grinder.

 

 

Now, apply your wooden batons to the wall. Position it in place, and make sure it is level using your spirit level. Using your masonry nails, secure them into position. Don’t hammer the nails flush with the batons, to make them easier to remove later. These batons are only a temporary resting point for your cladding whilst it sets.

 

 

Stage Three: Applying the cladding

Finally, it’s time to add the cladding. I recommend using Pavestone’s Wall & Cladding Adhesive, it’s quick-setting and non-slip, perfect for indoor and outdoor use. Make sure you’re wearing your gloves, dust mask, and protective goggles.

Using your bucket and drill with a paddle mixer again, slowly add the adhesive powder to your two litres of water, gradually mixing until it’s all combined. Using a trowel, apply adhesive to your dry, primed blockwork. Then, use a notched trowel to create horizontal ribs which will help with cementing the cladding to the wall.

Now, apply your wooden batons to the wall. Position it in place, and make sure it is level using your spirit level. Using your masonry nails, secure them into position. Don’t hammer the nails flush with the batons, to make them easier to remove later. These batons are only a temporary resting point for your cladding whilst it sets

 

 

Next, using your flat trowel again, apply the adhesive evenly to the back of the cladding. Guaranteeing it is even on the back of the cladding will ensure both surfaces bond together well. Plus, even coverage will avoid water settling between any gaps, which could affect the adhesion.

 

 

Press the cladding into the adhesive on the wall, making sure the bottom is flush with the baton. Use a slight twisting motion as you push the cladding on, then gently tap all over with your rubber mallet to make sure the cladding has full contact with the wall.

Take away any excess adhesive from the edges using a trowel, then use a damp tiling sponge to clean the edges and cladding surface. Continue to follow this process until the entire exposed wall is covered.

 

 

Stage Four: Finishing with the last course

Finally, remove the batons, and position your plastic spacers on the floor, at the bottom of the wall. You don’t want the cladding to be completely flush with the floor, the extra gap the spacers leave will enable water runoff for your paved area. Also, it will stop water from rising from the paving below.

Measure from each spacer to the bottom of the first course. Then, cut the tile to size and apply to the wall with the adhesive. When it’s all set, remove all the spacers and give one last wipe down.

Job done!

 

 

Add Style to Your Clad Wall

Now you’ve got a high-quality clad wall to enjoy in your garden. Fill your classy and clad raised beds with peat-free compost and some wonderful seasonal plants.

Perhaps consider some fabulous Alliums like ‘Purple Sensation’ or ‘White Empress’ for summer colour, or some fiery colour from Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ for consistent blooms from summer through to autumn.

Alternatively, you may wish to use your raised bed for productive growing. Consider a fragrant herb garden containing a variety of culinary treats like mint, basil and parsley. Or, depending on the height of your raised beds, perhaps some root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes for some hearty winter dishes.

 

 

 

On the other hand, you could position some striking potted evergreens in front of your structural walls to pop against your chosen cladding colour. I love growing Skimmia in containers, with their berries or buds producing vivid colours to enjoy in the autumn and winter months. Positioning Skimmia next to a wall is ideal for their growing conditions, as they enjoy partial to deep shade. For a daintier colour, Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ produces smaller red buds from late winter, followed by white blooms in spring. Or for a showier display, Skimmia japonica ‘Pabella’ develops hot red berries offering a dazzling performance from autumn and through the winter.

 

 

Adding a chic-clad wall to your garden provides a polished and finished look to a space. And by using Pavestone’s products, applying it yourself is a simple and seamless process, so you can produce a wall to be proud of.

If you would may like to watch in full the latest "How To" video from Pavestone, 'How To Clad A Wall' below:

 

 

We have hundreds of stunning videos, depicting beautifully landscaped gardens, which have used Pavestone landscaping and building materials to realise homeowners 'dream gardens'. Set yourself some time to explore these videos and maybe make some plans for your garden makeover next year?

 

David Domoney, TV gardener, horticultural expert and Pavestone brand ambassador blogs monthly on the Pavestone website on all things landscaping related. We look forward to seeing you back again next month.

 

 

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