Have you also considered a product like HardiPlank?

We're going through this right now. I would love cedar shake/shingles, but they are so pricey. So cedar clapboard is in the running, but for ease of maintenance we will also be pricing out Hardiplank or similar clapboard.

I know there are new vinyl products that use normal-looking cornerboards and aren't so chintzy, but I just can't get past a shudder at wrapping my house in petrochemical/plastic. That said, I am willing to consider it and we'll look at it.

What are your parameters as far as decision-making? Is this your forever house? or will you be selling soon? If so, what type of siding is most popular in your market/neighborhood? I have found that in some communities, vinyl is a plus for resale, but in others it is a big negative.

Obviously anything you have to paint every I'll be interested to hear what others have to say about this!

Cedar isn't high-maintenance, but it will develop a differentiated appearance over time, as exposed areas weather at a different rate than sheltered ones. Most folks use a transparent of semi-transparent stain which gives a close to natural appearance but slows the weathering process. The standard treatment used to be the oil-based Flood (brand) CWF (Clear wood finish), which is no longer made. It was sort of a carcinogen (OOPS!).
Casey

Cedar is obviously more expensive but also looks much better and adds character to the home. It's also more maintenance because it does need to be stained every 5 or 6 year, sometimes less depending on the stain quality.

I would never paint over cedar, with stain versus paint you won't have cracks and peeling. Stain is much easier all in all and looks great. The main thing is letting the cedar weather before staining or you could get a little peeling but it should be minimal if it's a good quality dry wood.

Hi Pretzel - We're replacing the side of our house with new cedar shingles. Then we will paint the entire exterior of the home with a solid stain. How long does the cedar need to weather? The house will be painted right after the new shingles are up. Our painters have a 3 yr guarantee against peeling. Do you think that the peeling will happen within 3 years if the shingles aren't properly weathered?

Wendypf - Good luck with your shingle decision. My husband would love to put up vinyl siding, but we live in CT and vinyl would depreciate our home.

Thanks.

Oh gawd.

Vinyl is vinyl. It it what it is, and what it isn't is cedar. While it does have its cons, it does have its pros, too.

On my own home (in CT by the away) I have cedar claps. I'd never ever paint cedar claps. I recommend a stain. If you want the look of paint, then use solid-body stain. If you want more grain to show through, then use a more transparent stain.

On my beach house I have "vinyl cedar shingles". Looks good. Not great. It is what it is, and for vinyl, it looks pretty good. But I wouldn't want it on my primary home.

I built my house in '95, back then I gave the cedar claps a coating of oil-based primer (including backpriming), then two coats of solid-body stain.

The color still looks good "as-is", though the color has faded very slightly. It is ready for restaining.

Several houses around here on the coast have their vinyl unzip during heavy winds. Panels can either unzip but still hang on the wall, or they can be pulled right off the wall. It's the same 3 or 4 houses, so it's probably a combination of their location, material used, and installation method.

So there are plusses and minuses to both materials. I think vinyls have gotten better over the years. But my personal opinion is that vinyl is still an aesthetic comporomise. It is to me, at least.

I'll chime in.

We put up clear vertical grain cedar, one or two sides of the house per year, with hand driven stainless nails and taped seams tyvek backing. We also had blown insulation added. The combination cut down on draftiness, and the place is much more comfortable.

As another poster, we used an oil primer with a solid color stain. Was sad to cover it, but it's appropriate for the house.

Three years since completion and it still looks great!

I think you're making a good decision. One caveat, we used stainless ring shank nails and some batches had useless rings while others were well cut. Small thing just to check for.

EXCELLENT follow-up by walrus regarding stainless. I always use stainless with cedar.

One more vote for cedar shingles. Especially in your area.

We are remodeling our house and we chose Maibec solid stain cedar shingles. Because the shingles are 2 coat pre-stained all sides they have a pretty good warranty on the finish. I think 15 years before they may need to be restained. Of course they may need to be washed every few years to look their best but so does vinyl. I've seen too many vinyl houses dirty and mildew. It isn't a good look on any house. I also like knowing I can change the color in 15yr if I desire.

Stain and Solid stain products have improved greatly.

As far as cost my GC explained it like this... cedar shingles cost less per square for materials but labor is more to install. Really nice looking cedar impression vinyl is more expensive per square but cheaper and faster to install.

Our GC does 90% cedar. His work is amazing. When you are standing up close to a house with cedar siding it is a warm and inviting feeling, there's no comparison. We are also doing all our trim with Azek which is a white (man made) molded wood product that does not absorb moisture will not rot or warp and because we are keeping it white it doesn't ever need to be painted which does keep the maitenance down. Although, if you wanted to paint it a different color I would use one of the new 20yr paints from BM or SW and that should last the same as the siding before you may want to freshen it up.

As far as siding guys in your area, I would ask neighbors for recomendations, ask your local builders supply or call a cedar shake manufacturer like Maibec maybe they have a list of people they supply to and then they can give you names of local people.

I hope you choose cedar.