The price of an exterior cladding panel is the sum of many factors, the most important of which you will learn from this article. You will also learn how to identify an exterior cladding panel that is affordable, durable and easy to maintain.
A big challenge in buying exterior cladding panels is that consumers are confused by the fact that the prices of the panels vary widely in the shops. One panel may be twice as expensive as another. Why is this? And is one panel ultimately twice as expensive as the other? The short answer is that it is not.
The price you see in the shop is almost never the final price, but you should also take into account other costs, such as painting. Some panels have other costs of €0 and others the same as the price per metre of the panel itself. So how can you identify a panel with other costs close to €0?
How is the price of an exterior cladding panel calculated?
Exterior cladding panels can be roughly divided into three different categories.
- Primed exterior cladding panels
- Pre-painted exterior cladding panels
- Top-coated finished exterior cladding panels
Of these, the primed is the least processed and the pre-painted is so processed that it only needs to be installed in place, with no painting at all on site.
If you are building a detached house, primed exterior cladding panels will cost around €1 800. Pre-painted cladding panels cost around €3 600. But... Many people are surprised to find that the final price difference between the panels is very small and sometimes not at all.
The price per metre displayed on the shelf of a hardware store does not include other costs that are included in the panel depending on its processing stage.
The price per metre of a primed panel is the lowest of all. However, the panel in question has to be painted twice, the scaffolding rental has to be paid twice and it takes a whole summer holiday to paint it.
A painted exterior cladding panel is slightly more expensive than a primed panel. In addition, the price per metre of this panel must include the cost of paints and the long scaffolding costs for fixing and painting.
Pre-painted cladding panels have the highest price per metre, but other costs are minimal compared to the previous two. Although the metre price of a pre-painted panel in a hardware store is double that of a primed one, the total price of a primed one is only €0-600 cheaper for a detached house. So a potential saving of €600 is not worth the cost of spending two weeks painting.
Reading tip: 6 reasons to choose a pre-painted exterior cladding panel
It can therefore be said that the total price of exterior cladding panels is made up of these four elements.
- Wood and its planing
- Surface treatments such as UV and moisture protection
- Painting (on site or in the factory)
- Renting a bogie on the construction site
The same steps are included in each panel. The more expensive the panel is at the time of purchase, the more work has already been done on it and the less work you have to do.
Price of exterior cladding panels for a detached house at total cost (incl. painting and scaffolding rental)
- Primed exterior cladding panels ≈ 3 000-4 800 €
- Painted exterior cladding panels ≈ 3 000-4 800 €
- Pre-painted exterior cladding panels ≈ 3 600-4 000 €
As you can see from the figures, the pre-painted cladding panel is in exactly the same price range as the other two panels. The only difference is that the primed and intermediate one has a big painting job, while the pre-painted one just needs to be installed. If you don't want to buy yourself a painter's summer job for €0-600, we recommend using pre-painted exterior cladding panels, such as TOPCOAT or GOLD PRO exterior cladding panels.
Price of pre-painted exterior cladding panel
The price structure is easy to understand when we go through how a pre-painted cladding panel is made. The very first step is to plane the pre-painted cladding panel, which will turn the raw wood into a beautiful panel. Immediately after this, the wood's surface is the most open of all, so the first coat of primer is applied within 60 minutes of planing at the latest. Primer application soon after planing prevents the panel from blue staining and moulding. The backlap is also painted.
After priming, we apply the final top coat, which gives the panel a beautiful colour and protects it from moisture, sun and UV rays. Everything is always done under dry, certified and standardised factory conditions. This means that the quality of the panels is consistently high, unlike on site in the throes of variable weather conditions and changing humidity levels.
In the case of pre-painted panels, it is also good to understand that they have a better paint finish than a professional painter could achieve on site. In addition, the cost per square metre of painting is half that of a professional painter. If a professional painter paints the exterior cladding of a detached house, the price is around €3 000, or €19-26 per square metre. A factory-painted topcoat, on the other hand, costs only €12-14 per square metre, so the price and total cost of the cladding panels, all costs included, is usually around €3,600.
The roof is the main protection for your home, then comes the cladding
Exterior cladding is one of the most important parts of your home, along with the roof. The importance of the roof has been well understood for a long time, but the importance of the cladding has not yet received the same attention. Poor paint finishes and exposed nail heads compromise the weatherproofing of your home and the moisture resistance of the panels.
With pre-painted cladding panels, these problems do not exist because the paint surface is fully finished and highly durable. There are also no visible nail holes, as the panels are fixed with a concealed fixing point.
When you invest in quality exterior cladding, you're investing in the durability and carefree living of your home.
