InspectAPedia®   -   Search InspectApedia

Photograph of - damaged vinyl siding Building Siding Types, Defects, Installation

Photos, descriptions, & properties of
types of building exterior wall siding

Guide to building siding & wall claddings:

This guide to types of building siding includes photos and descriptions of each type of building siding, including photos helpful in recognizing various types of residential building siding materials and building exterior cladding systems.

What's the difference between hardboard siding, fiber cement siding, and asbestos cement siding?

Is hardboard siding the same thing as fiber cement siding? Is steel siding better than aluminum siding? How long will vinyl siding last?

We define these terms and explain the differences here. We include links to detailed information about the installation, inspection, troubleshooting & repair of each siding type and where pertinent, links to health, environmental, and siding or failure warranty claim information about various building siding materials.

Page top photo: damaged, broken asbestos cement shingle siding on a 1920's New York home restored by the author.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Siding, Sheathing on Building Exteriors

Horrible vinyl siding job in New York - many defects cataloged (C) InspectApedia.com Daniel FriedmanThis page lists key articles discussing the installation, inspection, troubleshooting & repair of building siding & sheathing. We include photo guides to help identify various building exterior cladding or covering products.

To find what you need quickly, if you don't want to scroll through this index you are welcome to use the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX to search InspectApedia for specific articles and information.

Photo: defects in a vinyl siding repair job included color mismatch, siding fastening errors, buckled siding, improperly located siding lap joints (leaks), loose siding falling off, and a myriad of other mistakes all indicating that the installer didn't know how to install vinyl siding and some risking expensive leaks and mold damage to the building.

Article Contents

The terrible vinyl siding job shown above is discussed in more detail

at VINYL SIDING INSPECTION & REPAIR.

Aluminum Siding Identification Photos

Buckled siding at ground level indicates sill crushing (C) Daniel Friedman

At above our photo illustrates buckled aluminum siding at the bottom of an older home inspected by the author.

Watch out: buckled siding at the bottom of a wall, especially where the bottom course of siding is buried in backfill, is a red flag warning of hidden insect and rot damage.

Damaged aluminum siding (C) Daniel Friedman

Above is 1960's vintage aluminum siding with surface coating loss.

See SIDING, ALUMINUM

Also see the additional photo and drawing guides to building architectural styles in the links listed at page top or at the MORE READING links at the bottom of this article

Asbestos Cement Siding & Cement Board & Fiber Cement Siding Identification Photos

Photograph of - damaged vinyl siding

Exterior Siding & Roofing Using Asbestos Cement included asbestos cement shingles, asbestos cement siding, corrugated asbestos-cement roofing.

Other fiber cement materials used in construction included

Modern Cement Board & Non-Asbestos-Fiber Cement Products

Cement board is a non-structural building sheathing material which in its contemporary form is made from Portland cement covered with a reinforced fiberglass mesh fabric.

Cement board is used as a tile backer or a backer board for stucco applications on buildings. Current producers include Custom Building Products (WonderBoard™) and US Gypsum (Durock™).

Panels made of a mixture of cement and wood fibers are produced for building siding by James Hardi (Hardi-panel and Cemplank™), and CertainTeed (Weatherboard™).

Details about modern fiber cement siding (not an asbestos product) are organized at

Also see

History & dates in process, contributions invited - CONTACT us

Asphalt Shingle or Sheet Building Siding

Damaged asphalt siding (C) Daniel Friedman

For detailed description and information about asphalt siding and asphalt shingle siding used on buildings see these articles:

Bamboo Exterior Walls & Siding

Bamboo is widely used for simple exterior walls as well as in roofing in tropical climates such as this building in southern Oxaca, Mexico. Typically, using galvanized wire, rope or string, the bamboo is placed vertically and laced to a horizontal beam in a simple framed wall.

Bamboo exterior walls, Oxaca, Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman

Bark (tree bark) Used as Building Siding & Walls: Birchbark structures, Other bark structures & exteriors

Tree bark, both in heavy rigid form and in thinner or peeled-bark form such as birch bark, has been used as a building material probably since pre-historic times

. Use of some barks such as birch bark continue into contemporary time in a wide variety of applications ranging from wall enclosures to canoes to carrying vessels as we illustrate below.

Rough birch bark tipi type structure, High Falls MN (C) Daniel Friedman

[Click to enlarge any image]

Above: a rough tipi type winter structure, incomplete, on display at the Grand Portage State Park, Grand Portage MN near High Falls Minnesota, the state's tallest waterfall offering a visual explanation of why for both native Americans and the voyageurs a portage was necessary in the first place.

Also see FABRIC & ANIMAL SKIN EXTERIORS for other tipi-like structures.

The Grand Portage State Park, managed by the Ojibwe tribe, includes a museum offering both life-sized models and smaller models of Ojibwe structures, canoes, baskets, tools and culture, some of which are included in our photographs below.

Grand Portage birchbark winter structure, Ojibwe, Grand Portage Museum (C) Daniel Friedman

Above: in a rather posh indoor environment, this birch bark sided winter structure is on display in the Ojibwe museum at Grand Portage State Park. A detail of the birch bark structure is given in the photo just below.

Ojibwe winter birch bark structure detail (D) Daniel Friedman

According to interpretive notes provided by the museum, winterers ("North Men" or "hivernants") from the North West Trading Company over-wintered and traded with native Americans who themselves hunted beaver and other furred animals and who prepared the hides for trading.

Below we reproduce one of the Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center Museum's photographs of a much larger winter lodge built of birch bark.

Birch Bark winter lodge, Ojibwe, Grand Portage State Park museum photograph, Grand Portage Minnesota, USA

Back in the Eastern United States, and illustrated below, tree bark is shown as used on some traditional native american structures demonstrated in this shed located in Cooperstown, NY.

Very loose brick veneer wall (C) Daniel Friedman

Brick & Stone Veneer Building Exteriors

Very loose brick veneer wall (C) Daniel Friedman

For detailed description and information about both structural brick walls and brick veneer walls (photo above) used used on buildings see these articles:

EIFS Synthetic Stucco System Building Exteriors

EIFS building exterior inspection (C) Daniel Friedman

For detailed description and information about EIFS & synthetic stucco products used on buildings see these articles:

Fabric & Animal Skin Sided Structures: Tipis

Animal skins and fabrics (canvas, cotton, and other mateirals) have been used for thousands of years to enclose both temporary and longer-term use structures such as tents, tipis and lodges.

Silver Creek Gifts & Gallery Tipi, 1825 Highway 61, Two Harbors MN 218-834-4995

[Click to enlarge any image]

Above, a modern tipi sided with painted canvas, on display at the Silver Creek Gifts and Gallery gift shop near Two Harbors MN. Photo courtesy of owners Amy Church and Mark Klug.

Also see BARK SIDING & EXTERIOR WALLS

Fiber Cement Siding

Gaps at vertical trim joints of HardiePlank siding (C) Daniel Friedman

Photo above: gaps and loose fiber cement HardiePlank siding.

Fiber cement siding is produced from a mixture of cementious bonding material and wood fibers.

Do not confuse this product with hardboard siding (wood fibers bonded by resin adhesive and heat/pressure SIDING HARDBOARD) nor with ASBESTOS CEMENT SIDING

What's the difference between hardboard siding and fiber cement siding?

We've seen that some, even among home inspectors, confuse hardboard siding, asbestos cement siding, and fiber cement siding.

Hardboard Siding Identification Photos

Photograph of deteriorated hardboard siding.

For details about all brands of hardboard siding and siding failure claims information see

and also see

Perma Stone Siding / Exteriors

Cultured stone fauz stone veneer Fountain Place Poughkeepsie NY (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Permastone or "perma stone" exteriors used a synthetic stone (or brick) material adhered to the exterior sheathing, as shown above on this Poughkeepsie NY home.

See details at PERMA-STONE EXTERIORS

Steel Building Siding

Below: corrugated steel siding on a medical center in Oxaca, Mexico. This building, located in the highlands above Pluma de Hidalgo, serves as a medical center.

Corrugated steel siding (C) Daniel Friedman Oxaca

Photos and steel siding specifications wanted (contact us)

Located in a climate of nearly opposite properties to the Oxacan building shown above, this building and the one above both have been in place for at least 30 years.

Below: corrugated steel siding on a commercial storage building in Poughkeepsie, New York.

This building is viewed from the Poughkeepsie Rail Trail near the railroad bridge.

Corrugated steel building, Poughkeepsie NY (C) Daniel Friedman

See SIDING STEEL for additional information.

Vinyl Siding Identification Photos

Algae growth on vinyl siding (C) Daniel Friedman

Above: vinyl siding is not a waterproof building exterior. Leaks like those shown in my photo (from a defective gutter and downspout installation) risk water entry into the building walls. We depend on a vapor permeable but waterproof housewrap to avoid such damage.

For a detailed description of vinyl building siding, its properties, proper installation methods, and effects of vinyl building products on odors or health questions see these articles:

Wood Siding Identification Photos: clapboards, board & batten, plywood, T111

Pier construction, Northern Maine © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Below: this wood shingled building set on piers was photographed in Maine by the author.

For description of all types of wood siding products on building exteriors see

We discuss plywood siding, T111 siding, wood shingle siding, board and batten siding and similar approaches to cladding the building exterior.

 

Index to Key Building Siding Articles

Additional building exterior siding articles are listed here:


...

Continue reading at HOUSEWRAP / SHEATHING WRAP or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

SIDING TYPES, INSTALLATION, DEFECTS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING SIDING

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Search the InspectApedia website

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification
when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.


Comment Form is loading comments...

 

IF above you see "Comment Form is loading comments..." then COMMENT BOX - countable.ca / bawkbox.com IS NOT WORKING.

In any case you are welcome to send an email directly to us at InspectApedia.com at editor@inspectApedia.com

We'll reply to you directly. Please help us help you by noting, in your email, the URL of the InspectApedia page where you wanted to comment.

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

  • Certainteed Weatherboard fiber cement siding and trim products - see certainteed.com/ or see certainteed.com/resources/sidingandtrimspecsheet.pdf
  • Vassar College Architecture, Main Building, James Renwick, Jr., architect, William Harloe, builder, Second Empire style, http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/buildings-grounds/buildings/main-building/
  • Vassar College, Maryann Bruno, Elizabeth A. Daniels, Arcadia 2001 ISBN 0-7385-0454-8
  • Vassar College, The Campus Guide, an Architectural Tour, Karen Van Lengen, Lisa Reilly, Princeton Architectural Press, 2004, ISBN 1-56898-349-2
  • Main to Mudd, and More, Elizabeth A. Daniels Poughkeepsie, NY, 1996.
  • Historical Sketch of Vassar College, Benson Lossing, New York, 1876.
  • A Field Guide to American Houses, Virginia & Lee McAlester (1984) ISBN-10: 0394739698 ISBN-13: 978-0394739694 includes a pictorial key and glossary
  • The American House, Mary Mix Foley, Harper Colophon Books, ISBN-0-060090831-9, ISBN-10: 0060112964 ISBN-13: 978-0060112967 1980, has been a guide we have found useful for recognizing house architectural styles
  • Dutch Houses in the Hudson Valley (NY) Before 1776 (New Paltz area for example), Dover Publications; Re Issue edition (1965) ASIN: B0006BNAD2
  • A Manual of Historic Ornament, Richard Glazier, 4th ed., ASIN: B001MSZHUC (available used)
  • Milton Architecture (MA) (Images of America)(Paperback), Anthony M. Sammarco (Author), Paul Buchanan (Author), Arcadia Publishing (December 2, 2000) ISBN-10: 0738504963 ISBN-13: 978-0738504964 discusses the history of the Suffolk Resolves house and other historic homes in the Milton Massachusetts area
  • Mongolian Cloud Houses, How to Make a Yurt and Live Comfortably, Dan Frank Kuehn, Shelter Publications 2006 ISBN-10: 0936070390 ISBN-13: 978-0936070391
  • Underground Houses, How to Build A Low-Cost Home, Robert L. Roy, Sterling; illustrated edition edition (December 31, 1994), ISBN-10: 0806907282 ISBN-13: 978-0806907284
  • WEATHER RESISTIVE BARRIERS [PDF] U.S. Department of Energy, ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers
  • MASONITE WOODRUF® ROOFING OR MASONITE OMNIWOOD® SIDING LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT NOTICE - [PDF]
  • In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested

    CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.


ADVERTISEMENT