Siding Materials and Styles
There are several different siding styles and materials that can be used to protect a home’s walls. Most of these options get their name from the material used or how the siding panels are installed. Because the style and material will dictate how your home’s walls will look like after the project, you need to learn more about these terms so you can tell your siding professionals exactly what you want.
Materials
Stucco – A common material used in walls, stucco is a mixture of sand, cement, and water. Some walls use stucco to form a smooth, flat surface on the wall, but the material is prone to developing cracks.
Shingles – Uniform pieces of wood, asphalt, or PVC. Shingles are often associated with roofs, but shingles are occasionally used for siding, particularly in homes that are going for a more rustic or classic feel.
PVC – Stands for Polyvinyl Chloride. PVC is the most common material used for making siding panels. This type of material is more commonly known as Vinyl.
Board and Batten – A type of siding style that features vertical panels (the board part) sealed with batten (batten part). Commonly used in structures to give the illusion of extra height.
Clapboard – A type of siding style that features horizontal panels laid out in rows and marked by bold lines at the seams.
Lap – Also known as lap siding, this siding style features panels that are overlapped instead of directly side by side (or on top of each other). Also known as lap siding.
Double Wall Siding – Siding style that features two layers of siding
Tongue and Groove – Type of siding where the bottom edge of a panel fits into a groove on the top edge of the panel directly below it
Shiplap siding – Type of siding where the bottom edge of a siding panel goes underneath the top edge of the panel (which is notched at the top edge) directly below it, creating a tighter seam.
That’s about it for the different materials and styles used for siding. In Part 3 of Sidingspeak: Knowing the Language of Siding, coming soon, we’ll wrap up the series with various siding terms used during the installation process.
