Wood siding cost

Wood siding costs $700 to $2,500 a square installed, typically around $1,300. On a 2,000 square foot house that is $14,000 to $50,000, and the range is wide because "wood siding" covers cedar shingles at one end and pine lap boards at the other.

It is the most beautiful cladding and the most demanding. Everything about the price follows from the fact that it needs refinishing every five to ten years, forever.

What it costs

The maintenance is the real cost

A wood-clad house needs refinishing. That is not a flaw; it is the deal.

Over thirty years, a painted wood house costs $16,000 to $48,000 in repainting on top of the installation. Vinyl over the same period costs nothing beyond washing. That is the honest comparison and it is why wood is a choice rather than a default.

The exception is cedar or redwood left to weather. Both have natural decay resistance and both silver attractively. It is the lowest-maintenance version of wood and the one people either love or cannot live with.

Factory finished, every time

Wood siding finished before it arrives, on all six sides including the cut ends, lasts dramatically longer than wood painted on the wall after installation.

The reason is the back. Unsealed rear faces absorb moisture from the wall cavity, which pushes the paint off the front from behind. That is what causes the peeling people blame on the paint.

Factory finishing adds $150 to $400 a square and it is the single best money in a wood siding job. If it is being field-finished, insist that every cut end is primed before it is nailed up, and expect the crew to find that tedious.

The rainscreen question

A rainscreen is a gap between the siding and the house wrap, created by vertical furring strips, that lets the back of the siding dry and lets any water that gets behind run out.

It adds $100 to $250 a square. On a wood-clad house in a wet climate it roughly doubles the life of the finish and largely eliminates the rot that ends wood siding early.

If the budget is tight and you are choosing between a nicer wood and a rainscreen, choose the rainscreen.

Frequently asked questions

How long does wood siding last?

Twenty to forty years for pine, forty to eighty for cedar and redwood, and the variable is entirely maintenance. Wood that is kept finished and can dry outlasts almost anything. Wood that is neglected fails in fifteen.

Is engineered wood a reasonable substitute?

Yes, and it is the sensible compromise for most people. It is wood fiber and resin, comes factory primed, holds paint well, costs less than cedar and needs repainting on roughly the same cycle. It does not weather naturally and it does not look like real cedar close up.

Can I put wood siding over existing siding?

Not sensibly. Wood needs a proper drainage plane and a flat nailing surface, and it needs to dry. Over old siding it does neither.

What is the lowest-maintenance wood option?

Cedar shingles left to weather, in a climate that suits them, over a rainscreen. Nothing to repaint, sixty years of life, and a look that improves. The trade is that you do not get to choose the color.

Does it insulate?

Barely. Wood siding is about R-1. Insulation belongs in the wall, and a re-side is the natural moment to add exterior rigid foam if the budget allows.