Clapboard Siding Maintenance

Pine and cedar siding.

Clapboard siding maintenance.

Clapboard siding has long been a favorite finish for the outside of a home. Many modern homeowners who are used to low maintenance siding options like vinyl and aluminum may not know how to care for old wood siding. If at any time. Some pros to vinyl siding are its affordability as well as the fact that it doesn t have to be.

A traditional choice with some maintenance requirements photo by webb chappell. Your climate and landscape will determine how often these processes are required. With proper care the siding can last the lifetime of the home. Giving a natural warm appearance and timeless beauty builders often choose wood for premium projects.

If you have an older historic home the original exterior finish is usually clapboard siding wooden shakes bricks or stucco. Power wash every two to four years. Genuine cedar siding is going to require washing and staining sealing or painting on a regular basis. Clapboard siding is a traditional wood siding used in homes for many generations.

During the manufacturing process the materials are bound together using heat and pressure. We used cedar siding to replace the rotted clapboards. Wood siding comes in a variety of styles. Leaving clapboard unfinished is still an option however since proper air circulation and semi hardwoods will help to keep the board from rotting or decaying.

While it used to be known to crack and fade with time technology has advanced making vinyl siding more durable and effective and a good alternative to clapboard. Tannin a resin found in cedar is a natural insect repellent. How to maintain wooden clapboard siding. A mild non phosphate detergent is recommended.

Before the siding can go up 1x4 starter strips of treated lumber should be nailed to the sill where the lower most course of siding will go up image 2. Vinyl siding is an alternative to clapboard and has grown in popularity since the 1950s. Dusty climates will require more frequent washing. Wood siding is one of the most beautiful of all types of siding and one of the most expensive.

The most common styles include board and batten shakes shingles and clapboards. Traditional clapboard is made of wood but today we have vinyl clapboard that mimics the wood siding both in shape and woodgrain but is easy to care for. Hardboard siding referred to interchangeably as pressboard siding is a synthetically constructed home siding product that is made from a mixture of wood fibers glues and resins. The inexpensive manufacturing costs of hardboard siding made it a.

After this washing is the best time to check for paint maintenance issues.