Peter Bracey has received numerous reports of damage to thin vinyl cladding after the severe storms that hit Sydney during April. The East Coast low as it was termed was the equivalent of a category 2-3 cyclone!
Vinyl cladding is not cyclone rated and as a result the unfortunate home owners that have gone for the cheap vinyl cladding option will continue to experience damage to their homes!
Climate change, which we are experiencing in Australia with the rest of the world, will mean an increase in these violent storm cells in the years to come.
Peter has received orders from some of these home owners to remove the damaged vinyl cladding and replace the entire home with Palliside UPVC weatherboards, which is engineered and made in Australia and meets category 3 cyclone rating,as defined in the Wind Loading Code AS 1170.2! Palliside is also an A type building material which can also be fixed directly to the frame in new construction.
Peter did not have any reports of damage to Palliside cladding!
The majority of the vinyl cladding installed in Australia is manufactured overseas in Canada,USA and China and is classed as a decorative covering only. This is the reason it will not stand up to our harsh climatic conditions.
The attached photo shows how the vinyl cladding has been ripped from the gable and all that is left are the timber battens showing the nails protruding from them ,that originally were fitted through the nailing slots of the vinyl weatherboards and a tiny piece of vinyl flapping on the apex of the gable!
