Hi, This is my 1st time answering questions in this forum. I hope I can give you a little more knowledge on your siding project. I do have a couple of question to ask. 1. Are you going to be re-siding your whole house? 2. Are you planning to paint or stain the clapboard? 3. Are you planning to do this project yourself or hire a contractor or siding installer? As you probably know clapboards do come in many species of wood. In the New England area red cedar clapboards are traditionally the must popular another choice would be eastern white cedar, and eastern white pine. In my opinion all are a good choice. Allot depends on the look your trying to achieve. The application of clapboard are either smooth side out, if you are going to paint or use a solid stain. Rough side out if you are going to use a semi-transparent stain. With that said you get into sizing and grading of the clapboard. The sizing of clapboard is usually 1/2" x 4", 1/2" x 6", 3/4" x 8" and 1" x 10". The must popular is the 1/2"x6" in New England unless your on Cape Cod, where you will find more 1/2"x4" this size tends to give you more of a old colonial look. The grading of clapboard especially in western red cedar (wrc) 1.(best) clear vertical grain or (cvg) this product is graded on the smooth face for any defects. The application is generally smooth face out. This would be the best product for painting. 2.(better) A&btr or sometime seen as (aye&better). Like the clear vertical grain clapboards it's graded at the mill on the smooth face but now you get clapboard the will have some vertical grain but also flat grain. This product can be applied smooth face out or rough face out can be painted or stained. I have seen some problems with this grade. If applied smooth face out and painted, there is a possibility of the flat grain raising thus requiring paint more often. Used on the rough side it will take a semi-transparent stain well with the exception of some of the hard flat grain areas. 3. (good)This grade is generally referred to as "Rustics". This product is intended for rough side out application and thus is graded that way from the mill. So far I have explained species, sizing, and grading/application of clapboard. Let me touch a little bit on the finish. For the best finish that being how long the paint or stain will last, it is best to back prime the clapboard before installation. When it's being installed it end or the butt of the clapboard should also be primed, but is seldom done because of the extra step the installer takes. But you should insist on this being done as moisture can be drawn into the un-primed joints and resulting in premature failing of the finish. In my opinion the best way to go is with a factory prefinished product. The entire clapboard is primed and a finish coat is then applied. This system generally comes with a warranty. The warranty requirements are struck and must be followed to the tee. The company will provide colored nails as well as the paint or stain to be applied to the butts of the clapboard. The installer needs to make sure to caulk all areas. This is just a sampling of whats available for clapboards. Last but not least if you are hiring a contractor or an installer, get 3 quotes on the job. Put everything in writing and make sure to check references. Do your homework well and you will end up will a fine job. I also added a link which is the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association which has good information as well as links to other articles. Good Luck Greg ps I am not a buisness but was involved in the building material buisness for 25 years before retiring. Here is a link that might be useful: western red cedar lumber association

I lived with cedar for many years and understand how you feel. I suggest you consider HardiePlank or HardieShingle Siding. It's a cement fiber product which is nearly indestructible; it doesn't suffer from things like cracking, rotting, hail damage, or termites; it comes in various colors; and has a 30-50 year warranty depending on the product. I have no connection with the company other than the fact that I've had one of these products on my house for quite a few years and it still looks like day one. Here is a link that might be useful: James Hardie siding

Thanks RES2. I want the elegance of sawn shingles and not the rustic look of split shakes. My neighbors all have sawn shingles. I have ordered five samples, Nantucket grade, which I think is the best grade but I don’t know how it compares to the red/blue grading system. Have you used Malbec shingles on a project? What do you think of the durability of the finish on the factory-stained singles? I posted a photo of the house when its brown shingles, I don’t find it appealing at all. Since we’re biting the bullet and putting in all Bea windows, I think it makes sense to put up all new shingles. I need to know how they’re going to wrap the house for moisture shedding. The devil is on the details, it seems to me.

The nice thing about cedar is that it can be revived with a simple washing using a Cedar Wash. A goo carpenter can replace damaged boards. Never paint cedar. The natural oil in cedar doesn't make it a good candidate for paint. To make things more uniform it can be stained. If you decide to go that route, then select a semi transparent stain like Duckback Stains. I believe available through ACE. https://www.superdeck.com/product/semi-transparent-exterior-stain-sealer/