Service · Timber Cladding

Timber cladding and feature walls.

Timber that lifts a space — feature walls, slatted acoustic systems, veneer and engineered panels, set out and installed so the finish reads as one piece, not a collection of boards.

Work with us

Overview

What this scope covers.

Timber is a finish that shows every shortcut. A misaligned joint, a panel that bows off the wall, a grain that does not run through — all of it reads from across the room, and none of it is forgivable in a hotel lobby or a boardroom. Timber cladding is as much about setting out and substrate as it is about the timber itself, and that is where the work holds together or falls apart.

EDM Holdings installs interior timber cladding and feature systems: solid and veneered panels, slatted and acoustic timber, engineered and pre-finished boards, and decorative feature walls built to the architect's detail. We start with the substrate and the setting-out — a flat, plumb, correctly fixed background and a panel layout worked back from the room — so the visible finish has something true to land on.

The scope sits alongside our drywall and joinery work, which means the wall behind the timber and the junctions around it are ours too. Movement, fixing method, acclimatisation and fire performance are dealt with before installation, not discovered during it. Where a system has to meet a fire or acoustic rating, we install it to hold that rating and finish it to the standard the space is specified to.

This is hospitality and commercial work in the main — lobbies, restaurants, reception spaces, boardrooms and feature areas across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain — where the timber is the thing the client and their guests actually notice. External timber features are delivered where the design calls for them and the system suits the climate.

Designers and main contractors come to us for timber because the finish is set up properly — substrate, setting-out, acclimatisation and protection — rather than rushed at the end of a programme. On a feature the client stands in front of every day, that preparation is the difference between a wall that looks made and one that looks merely fitted.

Our capability

How we run the work.

The visible finish is only as good as what sits behind it, so we control the substrate as well as the timber — flat, plumb backgrounds, correct fixings and a panel layout set out from the room rather than the corner.

Timber is acclimatised before it goes up, movement and junctions are planned, and panels are sequenced so grain and joints run as the designer intended. The people who price the package run it on site, finished surfaces are protected until handover, and the interfaces with ceilings, glazing and joinery are coordinated so the timber meets them cleanly. Where fire performance matters, we install treated or rated systems and keep the evidence for inspection.

Solutions we deliver

The scope, in detail.

Interior timber cladding

Wall and column cladding in solid, veneered and pre-finished timber, set out from the room.

Feature walls

Statement timber walls built to the architect's detail, with joints and grain running true.

Decorative timber systems

Profiled, layered and patterned timber finishes for reception and hospitality spaces.

Acoustic timber solutions

Slatted and perforated timber that meets the acoustic performance specified for the space.

Veneer finishes

Matched and sequenced veneer panels installed so the grain reads as one piece.

Engineered timber systems

Stable, pre-finished engineered boards suited to the UAE's interior conditions.

Hospitality applications

Lobby, restaurant and guest-area timber finished to a guest-facing standard.

Commercial fit-outs

Boardroom, reception and feature timber within office cat-B programmes.

External timber features

Treated external timber features where the design calls for them and the system suits the climate.

Industries we serve

Built for the sector.

Commercial offices

Cat-A and cat-B programmes — cellular and open-plan space delivered around the wider fit-out.

Healthcare

Clinical and ward environments delivered in live buildings, with the hygiene and rating the brief demands.

Education

Classrooms, halls and labs sequenced around term dates and occupied campuses.

Hospitality

Guest-facing finishes and back-of-house, built to a standard the guest will judge.

Retail

Store and mall works delivered to trading deadlines, often handed over overnight.

Government

Secure public buildings delivered to programme and to the standard they are held to.

Industrial

Office, amenity and fire-separation works within warehouse and logistics shells.

Mixed-use developments

Coordinated packages across residential, retail and commercial within one build.

Project delivery approach

From drawings to defects, one process.

01

Consultation

We start with your drawings, specification and programme — and give you a clear read on scope, sequence and the questions that need answering before anyone prices a rate.

02

Design coordination

We resolve the interfaces — services, structure, the trades either side of us — and check the build-up against the fire, acoustic and finish schedules before work begins.

03

Procurement

Materials and rated components are ordered against the specification, with lead times planned into the programme so the floor is never waiting on a delivery.

04

Site mobilisation

We set up to the main contractor's site rules, agree access and storage, and put the RAMS and permits in place so work starts cleanly.

05

Installation

The people who priced the job run it on site, working to line and level and checking the work as it goes in rather than after.

06

Quality assurance

Line, level, rating and finish are checked as the work proceeds and recorded, so the system stands up at inspection.

07

Handover

We hand over in sections, finished and ready for the following trade — clean, not nearly there.

08

Defects management

We close out snags quickly and stand behind the work after handover, because the relationship matters more than the single job.

Why clients work with us

What you actually get.

Programme certainty

Give us a date and we build to it. Our part of the job does not blow out the programme, and head contractors plan around that.

Commercial awareness

We price what is on the drawings and flag what is not. Variations are raised early and clearly, not saved for the final account.

Coordination capability

We run our work around the trades sharing the floor and the services overhead, so interfaces are resolved before they become delays.

Quality control

Checks happen as the work proceeds — line, level, rating, finish — so the standard is built in, not inspected in at the end.

Safety

We work to the main contractor's permit and RAMS regime, keep the area clean, and sequence around the people still using the building.

Responsiveness

A real person answers, prices come back quickly, and problems on site get a decision the same day.

Technical knowledge

We understand the systems we install — fire, acoustic, finish — and build them to perform, not just to look right.

Delivery experience

A delivered record across hospitals, government, hospitality and retail since 2010, on jobs that do not forgive a missed date.

Questions

Common questions, answered.

How do you stop timber moving or warping in the UAE climate?
We use engineered and pre-finished systems where stability matters, acclimatise the timber to the conditioned interior before installation, and detail for movement at the junctions. Most movement problems come from fixing un-acclimatised timber to a damp or uncontrolled background, which we plan out.
Can you match veneer across a large feature wall?
Yes. We sequence and book-match veneer panels so the grain runs as one piece across the wall, and we set out the layout from the room so joints fall where the design wants them, not where the boards happen to end.
Do you provide fire-rated or fire-treated timber where it is required?
Where the fire strategy calls for it, we install treated or rated timber systems to the tested detail and keep the certification and product data for inspection. We will tell you early where a timber finish needs a treated substrate to comply.
Can you install acoustic slatted timber that actually performs?
Yes. Acoustic timber works with the backing and the cavity behind it, not on its own, so we install the specified backing and absorber and detail the system to meet the acoustic figure, rather than fixing slats to a hard wall and hoping.
Do you build the wall behind the timber as well?
Usually, yes — drywall is our core trade, so we can build a true, plumb, correctly fixed background and the timber finish as one coordinated package, which is where most cladding problems are avoided.
What timber species and finishes can you work with?
Solid, veneered, laminated and pre-finished engineered timber across the usual species and stains. We agree the species, finish and edge detail with you and the designer before manufacture so there are no surprises on site.
How do you protect finished timber until handover?
Finished surfaces are covered and protected from the moment they are installed until handover, and we sequence timber late in the programme where we can so it is not damaged by following trades.
Can you deliver to a hotel or restaurant opening date?
Yes. Hospitality is the core of this work, and we plan the procurement and installation back from the opening date so the feature areas are finished and protected in time.
Do you handle the lighting and services integrated into timber features?
We coordinate with the electrical and services trades so reveals, shadow gaps and integrated lighting are set out correctly and the timber meets the services cleanly.
Can you install external timber features?
Where the design calls for external timber and the system suits the exposure and climate, yes. We will advise where a species or system is not suited to external use in this region.
What areas do you cover?
Across the UAE — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates — and into the wider GCC for clients taking us with them.
How do you set out a feature wall so it looks right?
We work the panel layout back from the room — centring the pattern, balancing the margins and aligning joints with openings and reveals — rather than starting from one corner and finishing with an awkward strip at the other.
Do you provide shop drawings for timber features?
Yes, for bespoke and feature work we produce setting-out and shop drawings so what is made and installed matches the design intent and the real site dimensions.
Can you repair or extend existing timber cladding?
Yes. We can match and extend existing timber where the species and finish allow, and we will be honest where an exact match is not achievable.
How do you price timber cladding?
From the drawings, the specified system and a site measure where it affects the rate. You get a clear scope, the system we have allowed for, and the assumptions behind the price.

Related services

The rest of the interior package.

Service

Drywall, Partitions & Ceilings

Service

Aluminium & Glazing

Service

Painting & Decorative Finishes

Service

Joinery & Bespoke Carpentry

Have a package coming up?

Send us the drawings and the programme — a real person replies the same working day.

Work with us