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Wood siding materials, wood types, grades, moisture content, profile images: this article discusses choices of wood siding materials for buildings: shingles, clapboards, and wood product grades and appearance profiles. This article series discusses best practices construction details for building exteriors, including water and air barriers, building flashing products & installation, wood siding material choices & installation, vinyl siding, stucco exteriors, building trim, exterior caulks and sealants, exterior building adhesives, and choices and application of exterior finishes on buildings: paints, stains. This article series includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Also see WOOD SIDING INSTALLATION and SIDING WOOD, FAILURES OVER FOAM BOARD. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. Guide to Wood Siding Products on buildings: Choices, Installation, MaintenanceAdapted/paraphrased with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction. Steven Bliss.
Examples of Wood Siding Products & Materials - Board & Batten Siding; Clapboard Siding
Above left, traditional board and batten siding (Pleasant Valley, NY) traditionally used on barns. Battens are nailed over gaps between vertical board siding, taking care to nail only on one side to avoid splitting. Above right: wood clapboards installed rough-side out for a more rustic look and one that according to some, may provide better paint adhesion. See
PAINT FALURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION
Hardboard Siding: Abatibi, Boise Cascade, JamesHardie, HardiePlank,
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Above left, Masonite-type wood product siding: hardboard. Above-right HardiePlank wood siding with some peeling stain concerns. Details are at JamesHardie HardiePlank Siding. Also see
SIDING HARDBOARD
Abatibi Siding Claims
Boise Cascade Siding Claims
JamesHardie HardiePlank Siding
Masonite Siding Claims
Wood Shingle Siding Types
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Above left, wood shingle siding, Two Harbors MN. At above right this 1960's ranch home in New York was sided with brushed cedar shingle siding.
Wood Species Choices for Wood Siding: properties of cypress, red cedar, redwood, pine, spruce siding/shingles
Red cedar remains the wood siding material of choice due
to the natural decay resistance of the heartwood and its attractive
appearance when stained or finished clear.
Other decay-resistant woods are popular in the regions where they are produced: for example, redwood on the West Coast and cypress in the Southeast and Gulf Coast.
On projects where premium wood species are not affordable, builders also use a wide variety of softwoods, including pine and spruce, which are not naturally resistant to decay.
While most suppliers of wood siding now recommend back-priming and priming of cut ends, these details are even more critical with the less decay-resistant species.
Our photograph of brushed wood cedar shingle siding (above) on a Canadian home was provided by Carson Dunlop Associates.
Grading Methods for Wood Siding Products
Since wood siding is a nonstructural application, grading is generally for appearance only and is not governed by building codes. Most western species used for siding are graded according to one of the established grading agencies such as the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA). Still, manufacturers are free to name the grades as they choose for marketing purposes. So one company’s “Select” grade may be quite different from another’s. For this reason, it is best to examine the material before specifying or purchasing.
Premium Grades of Wood Siding
Western woods are generally labeled either premium or knotty grades. Premium grades have more heartwood and fewer defects and are typically kiln dried.
The highest grades of cedar are typically
- Clear VG (vertical grain)
- Heart and
- Clear Heart.
Premium grades for other western woods include
- C Select,
- D Select,
- Superior, and
- Prime.
Knotty Grades of Wood Siding
In general, “sound tight knots” or “select tight knots” (STK) indicates that there are no knots that will come loose or affect the performance of the siding.
Other common designations are Select Knotty, Quality Knotty, 2 & Better Common, 3 & Better Common, and NPS (no prior selection).
Since there are no uniform standards for these designations, an inspection of the material is important.
Moisture Content Targets for Wood Siding on buildings
Ideally, the siding should be installed at close to its equilibrium moisture content for the local climate (see Table 1-2 below). In general, unseasoned or green wood is shipped with a moisture content of greater than 19%. Air-dried or kiln-dried siding is shipped with a moisture content of 15 to 19%. In western woods, dry has a different meaning for premium and knotty grades.
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In premium wood siding grades, dry means that the siding has no more than 15% moisture content. In knotty grades, dry means that the moisture content does not exceed 19%. Dry siding stored on the site (stickered if possible) will usually acclimate to local conditions in a week to 10 days. Unseasoned wood may need 30 days or longer to acclimate.
Images of Wood Siding Profiles: Bevel, Rabbeted Bevel, Shiplap, Tongue & Groove, Channel Rustic,Board & Batten
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Because horizontal profiles naturally shed water, they resist water leakage better than vertical profiles. Also vertical wood siding is prone to wick up moisture from the bottoms of the boards, particularly where there is snow buildup or splashback. Diagonal siding is the most prone to leakage since water is conducted down the joints to window headers and other possible entry points. The most common profiles with typical installation details are shown in Figure 1-7 above.
-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
- Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
- John Cranor is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-747-7747 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. - The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. - The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. - The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
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- Paul Galow - technical consultant on networking, LAN design, applications support. Galow Consulting Services, 914-204-1749, email: paulgalow@galowconsulting.com
- John Rudy, Advantage Home Inspections, Flemington N.J. 08822 home inspector, 908-806- 6364, Home, Radon & Termite Inspections, Central & Parts of North New Jersey, email: jonadvantage1@yahoo.com
- Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file
- Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
- The Journal of Light Construction has generously given reprint permission to InspectAPedia.com for this article. All rights and contents are ©Journal of Light Construction and may not be reproduced in any form.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
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The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes
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