Cladding assembly and method of cladding posts

A cladded post installation, comprising:

• a post having a plurality of outer faces;
• a plurality of polymeric cladding panels installed on the outer faces of the post, each cladding panel having top and bottom edges, a pair of opposite lateral edges and respective catches extending along the length of the lateral edges;
• a plurality of polymeric corner connection elements connecting adjacent cladding panels together at corners of the post, wherein each corner connection element includes a pair of catches mated with the catches of the cladding panels;
• and
• a decorative trim section disposed to finish an end of the cladding assembly,
• wherein a first end portion of each catch of the cladding panels is spaced from the bottom or top edge of the cladding panel, thereby providing space for installation of the decorative trim section at the end of the cladding assembly.

An aesthetic cladding assembly for cladding a post, comprising:

• a plurality of polymeric cladding panels, each cladding panel having top and bottom edges, a pair of opposite lateral edges and respective catches extending along the length of the lateral edges;
• a plurality of polymeric corner connection elements for connecting adjacent cladding panels together in cladding the post, wherein each corner connection element includes a pair of catches for mating with the catches of the cladding panels;
• and
• a decorative trim section for finishing a bottom end of the cladding assembly,
• wherein a first end portion of each catch of the cladding panels is spaced from the bottom edge of the cladding panel, thereby providing space for installation of the decorative trim section at the bottom end of the cladding assembly.