Siding & Sheathing

Siding and sheathing is the skin of your home, and you want it to last. Durability—the ability to hold up under sun, rain and freeze/thaw—is an obvious concern for exterior siding. But durability also means the ability to get wet and dry out without coming apart or supporting mold growth. Roofs, floors and walls do sometimes get wet, through and through, as both liquid and vaporous water get into them no matter how carefully we try to protect them. For that reason you want siding and sheathing that doesn’t so much mind getting damp once in a while.

For protected sheathing such as drywall or protected structural wall, floor and roof sheathing, the sourcing of the material is also important. Is the wood from an FSC source? Does the panel have a significant recycled content?

Also, paneling and siding are like structural materials in that they are generally the heavier and bulkier components of a job— they shouldn’t have to travel very far because of all the associated fuel and exhaust from rail and trucks.