The use of wood cladding outside

[XPC465]

Hello there to all you good forum members again.
Several months ago, I put a thread on this forum, regarding a very large double gate, which I made from 7" wide wooden planks. The problem with the gates, although well painted, the wood expands and contracts with the temperatures, leaving the gate looking worse for wear, due to the paint cracking seriously in between each length of wood.
As I am trying my best to rectify this problem, in an ettempt to make the gates 7feet x 9feet looking good, I wondered if any of you good joiners out there would advise me on the following.
If I covered the gates in an interlocking thin cladding, would this still expand and contract, leaving the same problem, and, if it would, is there anything I could apply to the cladding, BEFORE fitting it to the gate, which would stop this happening.
Your advice on this matter would be very much appreciated.