Installation Instructions
Selection, Installation & Finishing
Natural Wood Siding
Solid wood has long been used as a siding material. Its natural beauty is timeless, and the color and textures available are unmatched by other building products. Such properties make wood siding adaptable to a wide variety of regional preferences, architectural styles and climates.
When correctly installed and maintained, natural wood siding will last for decades and sometimes centuries. It is a prestige product that adds value to a home or commercial building, reflecting both quality materials and professional workmanship.
Grades
Building codes usually consider wood siding a non-structural material and place few restrictions on its use. In addition, model codes do not require that it be grade stamped. However, all Western species used for siding are listed under at least one industry-recognized grade rule published by an American Lumber Standard Committee, Inc. – accredited rules-writing agency, such as the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA). Western species of the United States include Douglas Fir and Larch, Hemlock and the True Firs, Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Idaho White Pine, Sugar Pine, Engelmann Spruce, Sitka Spruce, White Spruce, and the Western Cedars.
Cedar’s weather resistance and dimensional stability make it particularly well suited to siding applications, with the added benefit that cedar’s heartwood is naturally durable against decay. Clear Heart and Clear VG Heart grading rules include the heart designation. If heartwood is desired in other grades, and sapwood is to be limited, then it must be so specified through a buyer/seller agreement. Siding products are generally categorized as either premium or knotty grades. Download the whole guides below.
