Timber battens are often specified by designers as cladding for the stylish and luxurious aesthetic they deliver to the building’s facade. A highly preferred cladding material amongst designers, genuine timber battens also have certain drawbacks in terms of design flexibility and high maintenance. Timber look aluminium battens, which address these shortcomings without compromising the natural wood aesthetic, are increasingly being used in building cladding applications.

However, not all timber look aluminium battens would qualify for a cladding application where the design demands streamlined, uninterrupted lines as well as a sleek profile.

Covet’s Ever Art Wood Kabebari concealed fix system

One of Covet’s most specified products, Kabebari timber look aluminium battens from the Ever Art Wood series are manufactured in Japan and feature an innovative concealed fix system. The name ‘Kabebari’ is derived from the Japanese characters, 壁 for ‘wall’ and 貼 meaning ‘to attach’ or ‘to install’.

Kabebari’s concealed fix system, which is based on advanced technology, simplifies and speeds up installation while allowing designers to achieve a sleek, uninterrupted linear effect without any visible rails or fixtures.

The two-part design of the batten includes a backing plate that is screwed directly onto the substrate, and a cover piece that clips directly over the top, eliminating the need for visible cross rails running behind the battens while keeping the attaching screws hidden from view. Designers can, therefore, highlight the clean lines of the battens and install them vertically, horizontally and even diagonally.

With no visible cross rails to mar the streamlined design, designers can raise the quality of their designs by mixing and matching various batten profiles, and also create striking looks by employing different sequences. Kabebari timber look aluminium battens strike the perfect balance between the superior durability of an exterior-grade product and the stunning looks of an interior statement piece. By combining the versatile material properties of aluminium with high quality, photorealistic wood finishes and textures, this timber look batten cladding creates a premium offering.

Diversity of profiles and colours

Kabebari timber look aluminium battens are available in a broad range of profiles, dimensions and colours that add to their application versatility – the battens can be easily incorporated into any indoor or outdoor design to achieve complex effects.

Kabebari timber look battens in plank profiles or deeper rectangular shapes (available in depths up to 150mm), which can provide clean defined edges such as the recently released Rectangle 50 x 150mm profile, are recommended for simple designs.

For bolder designs, the Oki 100mm x 100mm square profile is perfect while the Plank profile measuring 100mm width x 12mm depth is ideal for more traditional cladding designs.

When the brief calls for a more contemporary look, the designer can pick from a number of less traditional shapes including waves, curves, ellipses and trapezoidal forms. The newly released Achi is a great example of the curved batten shape while the Nami Plank with a gentle wave form is ideal for creating rippled textures.

The Kabebari line also includes the semi-circular Round profile in both single and double mountings, which can be used to artistic effect or just as a means of cutting down on installation time. Both single and double profiles come with end sections for use on exposed edges to create a finished, refined batten look.

Kabebari battens come with an end cap that is colour matched exterior grade ABS plastic, screen printed or film-wrapped to ensure an uninterrupted aesthetic with the main profile. The Kabebari range also enhances flexibility for the designer by offering a choice of standard lengths of 4m or 6m, typically cut to length on-site, or custom lengths manufactured specifically for large scale projects to minimise wastage and cost. These long lengths are particularly useful for external facade applications across large surface areas where the battens may be required to span multiple storeys at a time to achieve the linear, uninterrupted look.

Fire rated battens combining visual appeal with safety

Apart from enabling designers to achieve the desired visual outcomes and ensuring ease of installation, the Kabebari range is also fire rated, making the battens safe for use in a wide variety of applications.

Ever Art Wood meets the Building Code of Australia deemed-to-satisfy provisions. The battens are compliant with AS/NZS 1530.3:1999 (R2016) - Methods for fire tests on building materials, components and structures, achieving the minimum spread of flame index of 0. Similarly, when tested to AS/NZS 3837:1998 - Method of test for heat and smoke release rates for materials and products using an oxygen consumption calorimeter, the battens achieve a Group 1 classification, placing them amongst the most fire-resistant materials used in construction.

Design freedom with broad range of choices

Highly versatile in application, Kabebari timber look battens can be used in interior or exterior installations on walls, ceilings, screens and partitions as well as for decorative detailing, allowing designers the freedom and flexibility to create striking and streamlined looks in their projects. The Kabebari range is highly preferred by designers for its light weight, simple maintenance and fade resistance.

Similar to the rest of the Ever Art Wood series, the Kabebari range is available in a rich palette of colours, textures and finishes, enabling designers to bring the stunning beauty of real timber to their designs. The real wood texture and broad palette have been developed using actual timber species in Japan, complete with rich tones and a matte, low LRV finish, allowing designers to introduce the authentic timber aesthetic without the performance and maintenance issues associated with real timber.

Architecture & Design Team

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