AN ARCHITECTURAL MATERIALS JOURNALFOUNDING EDITION EXTERIOR CLADDING
THECLADDING REVIEW.

BEYOND THE SURFACE

Materials.
Details.
Better decisions.

An independent global resource helping the people who design, build, own, manage and maintain buildings discover, compare and evaluate exterior cladding materials.

For architects, contractors, developers, building owners, property managers, HOA and condominium boards, school districts, universities, and government and healthcare facilities teams—as well as homebuilders and homeowners.

Explore the collection ↗

COMMERCIAL & INSTITUTIONAL. RESIDENTIAL. RENOVATION & BUILDING REHABILITATION.

Architectural facade from the Neolith project collection
MATERIAL STUDY / 01

A surface.
A whole new perspective.

ARCHITECTURAL FACADES · NEOLITH

Good design asks more of a material.

How is it made?Where is it made?How will it age?

01 / THE MATERIAL LIBRARY

Find your material.

For new buildings and existing places.
Explore by market, material, budget and origin.

START WITH YOUR PROJECT

Choose a market to begin, or browse the full collection below.

The founding collection: 126 product families. Profiles summarize manufacturer sources; editorial reviews are in progress. Project-type tags are discovery aids, not approval for a particular building.

02 / THE REVIEW STANDARD

Compare within a category.
Understand the order.

Performance. Longevity. Design.
The things a good facade is built on.

Our review framework weighs eight criteria. A product earns a position only after a documented review. Advertising cannot influence rankings or approval marks. No invented ratings.

100
POINT REVIEW FRAMEWORK
Ranked within the same material category

Editorial scores require a documented review. Public suggestions are queued for owner approval; unreviewed products are not lower-quality products.

THE CLADDING REVIEW / OUR MARKS

What our marks mean.

Real conversations. Firsthand visits.
A documented editorial decision.

Our marks tell you how closely we have examined a manufacturer. An interview and a factory visit can each earn their own activity badge. A manufacturer can have both without receiving our Seal of Approval. The Seal of Approval is The Facade Guy’s separate editorial endorsement. Its linked decision record shows the basis, scope, commercial relationship and any incomplete research; visits and interviews remain separate facts.

See the product-card vision ↗

PROGRAM DEFINITIONS · THE MARKS BELOW ARE ILLUSTRATIONS, NOT AWARDS TO A MANUFACTURER

OUR EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENT

Seal of Approval

The Facade Guy has expressly approved the named brand or product within the scope shown in its decision record. The seal communicates his professional endorsement. It does not imply that an interview, factory visit or every verification step has been completed.

How the seal is earned
  1. Editorial decision: The Facade Guy expressly authorizes the endorsement and its scope.
  2. Evidence and experience: the decision record identifies the available basis and any missing written assessment or verification findings.
  3. Separate activities: factory visits and interviews are recorded individually, with unknown details labeled. Neither automatically grants approval.
  4. Disclosure: known representation and commercial relationships appear with the endorsement.

The decision record: named brand or product, authorizer, approval date, scope, stated basis, activity history, known commercial relationship and outstanding documentation.

Applies only to the scope stated in the decision record. This is an editorial endorsement, not independent certification. Technical testing, code compliance and project suitability require their own evidence.

FIRSTHAND OBSERVATION

Factory Visited

Records an in-person visit to a manufacturer’s production facility. Open the activity record to see the visitor, evidence basis and available details. Historical visits reported by The Facade Guy are labeled when dates and facility details are still pending.

How this badge is earned

The visit must be in person. A showroom visit, sales-office meeting, trade-show tour or virtual factory presentation does not qualify.

The visit record: facility name and city/country, visit date, Cladding Review visitor, product lines and processes observed, and areas or activities outside the visit scope. Any sponsored travel or other relevant relationship is disclosed.

One visited facility does not establish that every product or every factory belonging to the brand was reviewed.

Records a physical visit within the scope stated in its activity record. It is independent of the Seal of Approval and does not establish a factory audit or product approval.

DIRECT CONVERSATION

Manufacturer Interviewed

Records an interview with the manufacturer’s representatives. Open the activity record to see the interviewer, evidence basis and available details. Historical interviews reported by The Facade Guy are labeled when dates, participants and topics are still pending.

How this badge is earned

The conversation may be in person, by phone or by video. We identify participants and their roles, cover substantive questions, and retain a written interview record. An unanswered questionnaire or a brochure review does not qualify.

The interview record: date, interviewer, manufacturer participants and roles, product lines discussed, topics covered and outstanding follow-up questions. A distributor-only conversation is identified separately and does not satisfy a manufacturer interview.

Manufacturer statements remain attributed to the manufacturer until corroborated during verification.

Confirms a completed interview. It can be earned independently and does not automatically confer the Seal of Approval.

DESIGN PREVIEW / PRODUCT BADGES

Small marks. Clear meaning.

Activities record the work.
Approval is a separate decision.

Visual examples only. These sample combinations illustrate placement only; they are not actual awards or endorsements. Actual visits and interviews appear in the activity records below.

An interview plus a factory visit does not equal approval. The bronze seal is a separate editorial decision by The Facade Guy. Green and blue badges record completed activities only. Select any example mark to read its definition.

SEAL OF APPROVAL / THE FACADE GUY’S DECISIONS

Editorial endorsements.

These endorsements were expressly authorized by The Facade Guy. The seal reflects his professional judgment; each linked record identifies its basis, scope and incomplete documentation. It does not imply a factory visit or interview where none is recorded.

FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE / RECORDED BY THE FACADE GUY

Visits & interviews.

These historical activities were reported firsthand by The Facade Guy. Exact dates, facility locations, interview participants and product scope are still being added. Each badge opens its current record. Neither activity, alone or together, grants the Seal of Approval.

Every mark has a record.

Activity badges open their supporting record, showing the company, evidence basis and available scope. Missing dates or details are identified explicitly. Every award is reviewed and authorized by The Facade Guy. The seal is reviewed at least annually and when material changes arise; it can be suspended or withdrawn. Historical interviews and visits retain their original dates.

Earned through the work.

Advertising and sponsorship cannot influence product rankings or approval marks. They do not earn a badge or approval. Relevant representation, payment and travel relationships are disclosed. A missing badge means an approved record has not been published here; it is not a negative product rating.

Factory visits, interviews and editorial approvals are recorded independently. Current approvals include named brands and listed FNW-represented lines expressly authorized by The Facade Guy; those relationships are disclosed.

03 / BEHIND THE BRAND

Know where it begins.

Headquarters. Manufacturing. Fabrication.
Three different things. One clearer picture.

Wood-clad architecture from the Kebony collection
THE ORIGIN FILE

A Norwegian brand.
A Belgian factory.

Kebony announced the consolidation of production in Belgium in 2025. A useful reminder to follow the product, not just the address on the brochure.

A MORE TRANSPARENT SPECIFICATION

Who actually
makes it?

01

Identify the producer

Direct factory, group-owned plant, partner manufacturing or private-label supply.

02

Locate the actual factory

Country and city, with product-specific evidence where available.

03

Follow the finishing

Track fabrication, milling and coating separately from the base material.

04 / FIELD NOTES

Look beyond the finish.

THE CLADDING REVIEW JOURNAL

A GROWING REFERENCE. A LONGER VIEW.

Every facade has a story.
Start with the material.

Back to the collection ↗
THE CLADDING REVIEW