ᐅ Counter battens and support battens for wood cladding

Hello,

can anyone advise if there is a general recommendation for the material used for counter battens and support battens for a timber facade?

Currently planned:
Counter battens vertical 40x60 mm (1.6x2.4 inches)
Support battens horizontal 30x50 mm (1.2x2 inches)
Open timber cladding vertical 100x20 mm (4x0.8 inches), Siberian larch, about 10 mm (0.4 inches) gap

What I’m unsure about:
rough sawn or planed?
battens made of spruce or more weather-resistant wood like Douglas fir/larch?
should the support battens be painted black or left untreated?

Best regards
Jens

Barnhouse schrieb:

rough-sawn or planed?
Battens made of spruce or more weather-resistant wood like Douglas fir/larch
Should the support battens be painted black or not?

The finish is a matter of personal preference.
Spruce is sufficient if it stays dry.
Color choice is also a matter of taste – I would avoid black since it shouldn’t be visible anyway.

I used rough-sawn larch and untreated spruce/fir for the substructure. I fastened the larch with stainless steel screws. The substructure (for me, partly beams) was secured with galvanized screws, the heads of which I painted with spray paint to prevent rust. After 14 years, I am still satisfied and would do it the same way again.

Do you have a similar picture of your project?
I prefer rough-sawn boards; you should paint the battens the same way as the membrane behind them, at least on the open joints, I think.
Our plan is similar, with open, gray cladding. But so far, it’s only a rough idea in my mind.

Here are some photos of my floor-to-ceiling formwork at the gable (about 16 years old, constructed by my cousin / carpenter).

and here is the overlapping cladding (self-made about 14 years ago with the help of my nephew, who was then training as a carpenter)