Wood siding for new barn or something else?

[trackman23]

I am getting ready to build a small barn for my tractor and other items and want it to look as much like an old barn as possible. I would like to use wooden lap siding but having trouble finding it for a good price. Fiber cement is an option but isn't my favorite to work with and metal is out given the aesthetic that we are going for.

There are tons of old tobacco barns in my area that have stood the test of time but I don't know what wood type they used. My local sawyer can cut me board and batten siding out of southern yellow pine but I'm not sure how long it will last.

Any thoughts on what wood type will actually last as barn siding? Should I give fiber cement or another composite siding a closer look?

Thx

 

[imnukensc]

Cedar or cypress will pretty much outlast anything, but they ain't cheap.

 

[RCW]

Don’t know availability in NC, but I think eastern hemlock is often used for barns in the northeast.

Amish are more likely to mill it here.

 

[Tughill Tom]

Go with the board & batten , EZ to install. Just use a good stain/preservative before you put it up, so as to get in all nooks and cranny's.

 

[chim]

I've done a few projects using stained wood. Works well to prestain all sides. I kept a small bottle of stain with a dauber in my nail apron to coat cut ends as I went.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I am getting ready to build a small barn for my tractor and other items and want it to look as much like an old barn as possible. I would like to use wooden lap siding but having trouble finding it for a good price. Fiber cement is an option but isn't my favorite to work with and metal is out given the aesthetic that we are going for.

There are tons of old tobacco barns in my area that have stood the test of time but I don't know what wood type they used. My local sawyer can cut me board and batten siding out of southern yellow pine but I'm not sure how long it will last.

Any thoughts on what wood type will actually last as barn siding? Should I give fiber cement or another composite siding a closer look?

Thx

I'd avoid the SYP. I've seen old barns and houses around here that were never painted that lasted amazingly. I've often wondered what kind of wood it was, maybe poplar?, it wasn't cypress.

There are metal sidings that resemble board and batten.

I'm aware of LP sidings, I'm sure there are others. LP has pre-primed and pre-finished OSB products in panel and board form. Their lap siding comes in several widths 16' long. I used their grooved panels that mimic T111. You can also use flat panels and nail strips over it for a board-and-batten look.

Edit: regardless of what product you use, seal any cut edges and keep the bottom 6" above ground contact.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Do 'batten and board', you'll save 2 trips around the barn to put up strapping and NOT have to buy the
strapping.
If possible, prestain / prepaint all the boards before install, saves time and better finish.

 

[mikester]

Board & Batten Wood Grain Steel Siding - Modern Materials

Board & Batten Wood Grain Steel Siding. 24 gauge steel with 30-year warrantable Kynar finish.Competitive installation cost, zero maintenance.

modern-materials.com

 

[Mark_BX25D]

There is metal roofing that looks like wood, in a variety of finishes. Shake, shingle, etc. Lots of old barns were shingled.

For me, I'd go with something non-flammable, like the steel products or cement fiber.

 

[JimmyJazz]

I am in the process of having the southern facing and deteriorated side of my large barn refurbished as I type this. The very experienced contractor whom I have used before was very particular about sourcing the proper "beautiful Hemlock". Procuring the wood has taken several months. He sourced it from Indiana County Pennsylvania. Fun fact- Indiana once was known for being the Christmas tree capital of America. $4,850 and that includes rebuilding the large sliding doors one of which fell off 3 years ago. My advice to anyone with an old barn that has no practical use for it is to bulldoze or burn it down. They become real money pits.

 

[RCW]

I am in the process of having the southern facing and deteriorated side of my large barn refurbished as I type this. The very experienced contractor whom I have used before was very particular about sourcing the proper "beautiful Hemlock". Procuring the wood has taken several months. He sourced it from Indiana County Pennsylvania. Fun fact- Indiana once was known for being the Christmas tree capital of America. $4,850 and that includes rebuilding the large sliding doors one of which fell off 3 years ago. My advice to anyone with an old barn that has no practical use for it is to bulldoze or burn it down. They become real money pits.

@JimmyJazz - I was sure about barns and hemlock; just wasn’t 100% sure about siding.

Thanks for the confirmation I was thinking correctly.

I’m guessing your contractor wants the siding was treated/sealed/painted properly?

Hemlock is soft like cedar but doesn’t have the rot resistance cedar does. It was used in barns for years, because it was what we had around here.

Hemlock is not a high-value species here. Commercial mills aren’t attracted as it barely pays its own way out of the woods. Amish will get it and mill at home.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

There is a HUGE difference in eastern and western Hemlock.
Here hemlock is very HIGH value tree and they are BIG, up to 200 foot tall big.
Hemlock lumber is twice as expensive.
It does not make good siding or exterior trim to soft and absorbs too much moisture.
Hemlock is the #1 choice for fine trim and doors.
All of my doors, casing, trim is done in hemlock.
Really nice wood to work with.

Cedar is the #1 real wood exterior siding or if you want to really break the bank go with redwood!

LP make 2 kinds of siding, pressed OSB and cement.
The cement will hold up to any weather, critters, bugs, and birds but it's heavy and tough to work with.
It's very tough, but it does not hold up to impacts like a tractor hitting it... don't even ask!

LP smart siding (OSB) is cheap to install But I'm not a fan of the cheap final look of it.
It hold up ok if painted and caulked, but falls apart in nothing flat if it get wet.

I managed to buy 100+ sheets of Cedar plywood siding (you can get it in grooved and smooth) I picked the smooth for a killer price and it finishes out really nice!

 

[Tarmy]

Go with the board & batten , EZ to install. Just use a good stain/preservative before you put it up, so as to get in all nooks and cranny's.

We have woodpeckers around here that tear that style up…for whatever reason. Dark colors get attacked to. I hate woodpeckers and thieves.

 

[mikester]

I like wood but I like zero maintenance finishes better. Wood requires regular maintenance if you want it to last.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

There is no question that a wood barn is beautiful and only looks better as it ages.

That being said, I have an annual feud with wood boring bees on wood surfaces, especially around the sophets.

The barn we built a few years ago we did all metal and everything flashed in…not cheap but glad I did it. I have piles of wood sitting close to the barn, but Even so those damn bees hover around the sophet and I get great joy when I hear them try to bore into the metal…I think I can hear them swearing actually. I suspect it’s the same joy I get as to watching someone push a pull door or maybe watching the cat run into the sliding glass door.

I live in a cabin and if we were to ever build another it would have concrete logs.

Anyway if you have boring pests, maintenance is certainly something to think about IMO.

 

[pigdoc]

Someone said:
>My advice to anyone with an old barn that has no practical use for it is to bulldoze or burn it down.

...and, therein, is a possible source of used siding. Around here (southeast PA), it is easy to find used barn-building materials for sale, because a lot of these old wood sheds are being removed or replaced.

For wood siding, of course, the concern is decay. If you're NOT in a desert environment, and your barn is going to be in full shade, wood siding is probably a Bad Idea. Because it will stay wet, mildew, grow moss, especially on the North side. After a couple of years, it will be perpetually green and furry, regardless of the finish on it.

-Paul

 

[JimmyJazz]

@JimmyJazz - I was sure about barns and hemlock; just wasn’t 100% sure about siding.

Thanks for the confirmation I was thinking correctly.

I’m guessing your contractor wants the siding was treated/sealed/painted properly?

Hemlock is soft like cedar but doesn’t have the rot resistance cedar does. It was used in barns for years, because it was what we had around here.

Hemlock is not a high-value species here. Commercial mills aren’t attracted as it barely pays its own way out of the woods. Amish will get it and mill at home.

We don't paint it or treat it at all. Leave it naked so to speak.

 

[BAP]

@JimmyJazz - I was sure about barns and hemlock; just wasn’t 100% sure about siding.

Thanks for the confirmation I was thinking correctly.

I’m guessing your contractor wants the siding was treated/sealed/painted properly?

Hemlock is soft like cedar but doesn’t have the rot resistance cedar does. It was used in barns for years, because it was what we had around here.

Hemlock is not a high-value species here. Commercial mills aren’t attracted as it barely pays its own way out of the woods. Amish will get it and mill at home.

Must be NY Hemlock is different than New England Hemlock because around here, lots of Hemlock is harvested and used. Hemlock and White Pine are a big component in the lumber industry and used a lot in building. Many of the old barns built in the 17, 18 and early 1900’s in New England were sided with White Pine or Hemlock board and battens. Many were never painted and still stand today. Unless you plan on living for another 100 years, the barn will probably outlive you whatever you do

 

[Speed25]

Being in tobacco country in NC as well, I'd avoid cedar. We've had plenty of issues with bees boring holes, woodpeckers, and in the past 5-10 years, the damn squirrels have found it wonderful to gnaw on to keep their teeth sharp, really tearing it up.
If the budget allows, I'd consider EverLog siding as it'll give the right look with no maintenance. Not an easy install though. https://www.everlogs.com/

 

[InTheWoods]

...Any thoughts on what wood type will actually last as barn siding?...

I'd stop in at a mom and pop sawmill or two and ask.

Around here (Indiana), tulip poplar (aka yellow poplar) is the go-to species for barn siding. I used 1x8 rough-sawn as board and batton on an outbuilding 35 years ago. It's holding up very well, despite:

• Never having been treated or painted
• Located in a heavily-wooded area
• Located in an area with wood-boring bees

The wood bees seem to focus on soffit areas, ignoring vertical siding. The building has nice overhangs all around, keeping most of the rain off it. The building has gutters, keeping ground-splashed rain water away.

It does get 'powder post beetles' in it. But, they drill tiny enough holes that it won't be an issue in my lifetime...

I like the look, especially as it's weathered to a brown/grey color.

But from what I see around here 99% of similar buildings just use painted metal.