After experiencing numerous issues with cedar siding, the design team at Gravity Coffee turned to Fiberon Wildwood composite cladding. With its durability, impressive warranty and extensive color options, the product offered versatile design options that will last for years to come.

CHALLENGE

Since opening its first store in 2016, Gravity Coffee has seen year-over-year rapid expansion. But to keep up with its growing footprint, the drive-thru coffee franchise needed a new cladding material that would stand the test of time—a material that was durable and hassle-free, yet still matched the team’s aesthetic vision. The cedar planks the company had been using repeatedly presented maintenance issues, interrupting the company’s focus on new builds.

“Anything from dripping stain to getting a dirtier, greyer look over time— it’s been nothing but issues with cedar, and we want to keep clear of those problems,” said Tim Martin, Gravity Coffee’s vice president of operations.

“As recently as eight months ago, we were still opening stores with cedar siding. We are constantly looking for better material options, and we’re looking to get away from the wood siding due to durability and warranty concerns.”

That’s when Gravity Coffee’s architect, James Guerrero, introduced two alternatives: aluminum made to look like wood, and Wildwood™ composite cladding from Fiberon. Martin said they’ve tested both alternatives, but only one came out on top: Wildwood.

SOLUTION

Gravity Coffee first installed Wildwood on its Vancouver, Washington, location—and it became an instant hit.

“The wood—even the aluminum made to look like wood—seems more like a mom-and-pop theme, rather than a large chain or a clean-cut professional look,” Martin said. “We love Wildwood. It’s a product that we’re avidly trying to switch all builds to.”

Martin said the Gravity Coffee team is already looking to use Wildwood on three other locations, and the company plans to reface all existing cedar buildings with the composite cladding.

A majority of Gravity Coffee’s leases are 25-year agreements, Martin said, so Fiberon’s 50-year warranty provides “more peace of mind” knowing that the siding is warrantied throughout the lifetime of their leases. Plus, Wildwood comes with far less ongoing maintenance. It’s easier to clean than real wood and will never need to be resealed or stained.

“Once it’s up, that’s it—you’re done. You put your cap piece on, and you walk away. That’s huge,” said Bill Goen, a superintendent for The Andrews Group, which served as the installer for the Vancouver build.

“There’s just so much less maintenance down the road with this. If you get any marks on it or anything, you just hose it off. It cleans up beautifully,” said Goen.

Another feature that appealed to the coffee chain was Wildwood’s extensive color palette, which offers more versatility than traditional wood. For its Vancouver location, Gravity Coffee chose Wenge from the Eden Collection.

“We were playing around with the color palette mainly because we were looking at going out of state, and the wood look isn’t as popular in some of the desert states, which kind of attracted us to the charcoal look,” Martin said. “We think it goes really well with the stone we use.”

Wildwood’s two nature-inspired collections each feature rich colors, realistic textures, and the organic warmth and beauty of real wood. The Eden Collection is inspired by lush, tropical forests and features an array of exotic hues including Mora, Wenge, Meranti, Koa and Tupelo. The Sahara Collection draws inspiration from arid, sandy landscapes and includes rich desert tones like Bamboo, Mulga, Sumac and Palo.

Whereas aluminum alternatives have several “tells” that give away that they are not authentic wood products, Martin said—like small gaps around windows and a shiny finish—Wildwood composite cladding features unique embossing and multi-tonal colors for superior wood emulation.

The end result is a product that looks equally great from far and near.