Siding for Coastal Rhode Island / New England - A quick Oyster Works review and evaluation based on our experience with the Coastal Cottage.
The first thing to think about when selecting siding is to decide what’s most important for your project - appearance, cost, availability, durability, maintenance, ease of installation, etc.
The Look We Wanted
We wanted to use siding we all associate with New England, but we wanted to have fun and do something a little different. We thought that by mixing shingles and clapboards we would be able to play with the rhythm and texture of traditional materials. The question became what material to use to get the look we wanted.
What’s Important
We wanted a siding that would look good up close and wear well over the years. Cost, of course, is a factor - both the immediate costs of materials and installation and the long term cost of maintenance.
Different Siding Choices
There are a lot of choices and a lot of brands. We looked at materials that are readily available and commonly used. Where applicable we have noted the brand names.
White Cedar Shingles - The classic coastal New England look.
Pre Stained (Dipped) White Cedar Shingles (Maibec and SBC)
Red Cedar Shingles
Red Cedar Clapboards (Bevel in a Box)
Cement Siding (Hardie Siding)
Vinyl Siding (Cedar Impressions)
White Cedar
When we think of the classic coastal New England look we invariably think of weathered white cedar shingles. They have a yellowish color when first put on (see New White Cedar), but within a few years turn grey and exhibit some checking and curling ( see Old White Cedar ). White Cedar shingles also tend to mildew and to weather unevenly. To protect the shingles they can be painted with bleaching oil or stained.
White cedar can also be purchased pre-dipped with a penetrating stain (see Dipped White Cedar) . One obvious advantage to this is that the back and sides of the shingles are also protected. Dipped shingles weather much more evenly and are warranted against chipping and cracking. Both Maibec and SBC make very good products. We recommend that you consult their color charts.
Red Cedar
Red Cedar has more tannic acid and is better able to resist decay than white cedar (see Red Cedar Shingles). However, Red cedar can tend to turn black and blotchy when exposed to the harsh coastal climate (See Older Red Cedar Shingles). Like white cedar, red cedar shingles can be stained or painted with bleaching oil, but red cedar is not generally sold pre-dipped. Cedar clapboards do come primed. Bevel in a Box makes a very good product.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is comparatively less expensive and comes with a finish that will last for years. It is also easy and fast to install. Vinyl siding uses a special trim with channels that the siding slips behind. The trim is installed around all the windows, doors, inside and outside corners (see Vinyl Shingles and Trim and Vinyl Clapboards).
Fiber Cement Siding
Just beginning to catch on in the Northeast is siding made out of cement. James Hardie makes the most commonly used product. The advantage of cement siding is that it will last a long time and comes pre-finished. It also can be used with conventional trim or with its own brand of cement trim (see Cement Shingles and Cement Clapboards).
Our Choice
We decided to go with pre-stained “dipped” white cedar shingles and pre-primed red cedar clapboards and trim. We wanted the look and texture of real wood, and when all is said and done, nothing else came close.
The shingles are graded Clear which means that there are no knots in the bottom six inches of each shingle. For more money you can get shingles graded Extra which means no knots at all. We chose shingles that had been dipped once - again for more money you can get shingles that have been dipped twice. Twice dipped shingles have a longer warranty, but we felt that it is probably best just to stain all the siding every five to six years to keep it looking fresh.
We chose clapboards and trim that is clear, finger jointed and pre-primed. Finger jointed means that each board is made from several different pieces of wood that have been joined together. Finger jointed wood is much less expensive than clear whole boards, but it must be painted or stained on a regular basis or the joints may come apart.
If you have any questions or want more information please feel free to Contact Us.
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