Wood Siding
When purchasing new wood siding for your home, there are a variety of popular styles from which to choose. From rough-sawn vertical boards and hand-split shakes to traditional smooth-faced clapboards and beveled profiles, there is a style of real wood siding to complement most any type of house. Unlike siding products that are made from vinyl or wood composites, such as HardiePlank, real wood siding has a distinct aesthetic and appeal that is unmatched by other types of exterior siding.
Popular styles and what they cost
- Beveled siding is installed horizontally, with each course of siding overlapping the row directly beneath it, which creates a protective barrier that sheds rain water off the side of your house. Most beveled siding comes from small to medium sized lumber mills, such as Potlatch Cedar Products in Idaho, which sells their 8-inch wide rough textured beveled siding for about $0.90 per lineal foot. A smooth-faced beveled siding, which is manufactured from prime-grade fir, can cost between $0.85 and $1.25 per lineal foot, depending on the width of the product.
- Board and batten siding is installed vertically on your home, consisting of wide boards installed adjacent to one another with narrow wood battens covering the seams between the boards. You can expect to pay about .90 cents per lineal foot for 8-inch wide boards, but the price increases for wider boards. Board and batten siding looks best on rustic styled homes, or when used as an accent with other styles of siding.
- Wood shingles are a traditional siding that can be used on a wide variety of homes. Installed much like rows of beveled siding, the shingles overlap one another to shed rain water and protect your home. Wood shingles are usually manufactured from western red cedar, and several grades are available. The best grade shingles are those with no knots and straight edges, and you can expect them to cost about $200 per square, which can cover about 100 square feet of wall space.
- Log cabin siding, sometimes referred to as half-round lap siding, is an excellent choice for homeowners who want the exterior of their framed house to look like a real log home. Installed horizontally, log cabin siding pieces lock together like traditional ship-lap siding or tongue and grove clapboards. You can expect to pay about $1 per lineal foot for 8-inch half round siding, but you may pay as much as $2 per lineal foot for 12-inch wide boards or those that are hand-hewn, which is a traditional method for shaping wood boards with hand tools.
Protective wood siding finishes
Although some types of wood siding may require annual maintenance to look their best, siding manufactured from cedar, cypress, or redwood can be naturally resistant to insect damage and weather exposure. Some siding is manufactured from pine, fir, or spruce, but these types of wood need to be properly finished with a protective stain or paint for long lasting results.
Siding manufactured from real wood lasts longer when it is finished with a protective coating. If you want the wood grain pattern of your siding to be visible, then you should use a water-repellent clear finish or a transparent stain. Although solid stains and exterior paints may protect your siding better than some transparent finishes, they will obscure most of the natural grain patterns that make wood siding so uniquely beautiful. Most siding finishes will need to be reapplied every 4-6 years, depending on the type of siding and your home's location and construction.
Buying and installing wood siding
When purchasing wood siding, you may find the best selection at your local lumber yard, although some home improvement warehouses, such as Home Depot, stock a limited selection of wood siding. If you use the form on this page to get started, you can get quotes from local siding installers that can discuss with you the details and installation costs of your specific siding project.
