Shiplap vs Vinyl Siding

[VTShadeTree]

I am in the process of planning and permitting a 28x32 garage/work shop. I need some help from random strangers on whether to go with sheathing and vinyl siding to match the house or furring strips and shiplap siding that will be painted to match the house. I think I've calculated about $2.5k more if I sheath and use vinyl siding vs furring strips and shiplap, but I need a sanity check. I will be doing all the work myself so the labor aspect is not a concern, it's just about materials. Thanks in advance!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Remember that you have to sand, scrape, caulk, n paint shiplap forever. Get the vinyl, unless you're looking for another project.

 

[yeldogt]

Is this a pole building .... ? You mention furring with the ship and sheathing with the vinyl.

I'm not a fan of vinyl lap siding -- but ..you have it on the house. Most times a pole building is not going to match the style of the house -- so the siding can look odd if matched.

pole has more of a utility look and board and batt can be nice and you can make it out of different materials.

 

[TractorJeff]

What Kay says!
As much as I LOVE a Wood sided house, I look at the realities of maintenance and my time!
As much as Vinyl siding can look cheesy, it is so much easier to maintain!
No one wants to spend a summer painting by hand their house nor do they want to pay someone else to do it!

 

[Bert_]

Vinyl starts looking tired in 20 years so it's not like it's forever. Gets brittle and cracks if hit.

I'm surprised shiplap is cheaper. Maintenance really isn't much. Paint should last 10 years maybe 15.

I'm not a vinyl fan.

 

[Jackfre]

I’ve used it only for fire resistance here, but I did Hardi board and batten on parts of my shop and all of the well house. It cuts easily with the hardi circ saw blade. Wear a good respirator. It takes and holds paint really well. I used to live in MA and anything wood was a giant pitn.

 

[dcg9381]

Wood? I'll never use wood. If you want maintenace free - look at James Hardie panels. You can do shiplap 4x8 panels, tons of options.. Install it and never mess with it again.

 

[CraigStu]

Vinyl comes in a ton of grades and styles. The stuff on most houses is the bottom of the line. At the very least get the extra thick version. I agree w/ Kay, I wouldn't even think of anything that needs paint. Not only do you have to apply it, have you bought paint lately? It is expensive.

 

[Model A Fan]

I have vinyl on my house. I did not put it there and I would not have used it to begin with. It looks tacky up close. From a distance, it is wooden-looking, but it is not a style I would use. The previous owners must have chipped up a few rocks with their lawnmower into the siding as there are holes where the rocks hit. I plan on replacing it at some point with Hardie Plank as vinyl looks cheap, and if I want to sell in the future, Hardie Plank is a net positive because of the lifespan and quality. Vinyl is a net detractor. It is a thin layer of makeup.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Kinda funny asking the internet how to side your garage!

 

[yeldogt]

I’ve used it only for fire resistance here, but I did Hardi board and batten on parts of my shop and all of the well house. It cuts easily with the hardi circ saw blade. Wear a good respirator. It takes and holds paint really well. I used to live in MA and anything wood was a giant pitn.

I use Hardi often -- Mostly the pre-painted Timberbark .. but, I did use an almost black on two projects (think discontinued)

usually doing rehabs of stone or other masonry so the Hardi smooth painted is nice and you can get wide exposure.

 

[tstaude]

I am looking at doing the vertical siding (Board and Batten) with LP Smartside on my new shop. This material appears to weather great, they do make the specific setup for B&B to make your shop look perfect.

 

[reader2580]

I suspect shiplap is cheaper because of the no sheathing thing. This is especially true with the price of OSB and plywood today.

Personally, I would never install siding without sheathing underneath, but that is just me. Shiplap might not be the most air tight if you care about that.

 

[roc_on_the_rocks]

Remember that you have to sand, scrape, caulk, n paint shiplap forever. Get the vinyl, unless you're looking for another project.

What she said!

 

[yeldogt]

Remember that you have to sand, scrape, caulk, n paint shiplap forever. Get the vinyl, unless you're looking for another project.

Unless you do pre-painted ... you still have to paint.

Paint today holds up a long time ...... the key with painting is to get to it before failure. Once you let it go -- the problems start

 

[R6 Racer]

I'll throw out a minor hiccup. It might spark an idea for ya.

Google "shou sugi ban" (if that's not exact its close) I have known it as burnt wood siding. But I guess its making "a bold new statement"(lol) Apparently its cool?

Basically it is burning wood siding on all sides then wire brushing off the heavy carbon. From there, install & forget. It is recommended to treat with linseed oil or something similar. The outside would need a reapplication 15 or so years later. But you will find lots of places stating its not necessary at all. If I was to use it I think I would do the oil. Pay someone to do it in 15 & I doubt I'll be around for the next one. That's pretty low maintenance IMO.

Hay, food for thought...

Steve

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Kay is correct. Wood is good, but vinyl is final...

Tommy

 

[rockcrawler]

Check out these guys.

https://www.qualityedge.com/

We used their Vesta in Autumn Thistle on our house and it looks fantastic. We also used it for the ceiling of the back patio.

Vesta is shiplap and they offer lap siding with their other products. The Vesta product is smooth and their lap siding is textured to feel like wood.

Limited Lifetime Warranty
Warp-/Shrink-Resistant
Moisture-Resistant
Heat-Resistant
Fire-Rated
Weather-Resistant
100% Recyclable
Zero Associated Health Risks
Lifetime Paint/Color System
Real Woodgrain Look

Will cost more, but it will last forever with zero maintenance.

 

[Bert_]

I'd wouldn't call vinyl "final". There's nothing to maintain but in 30 years it's brittle and faded. You have to replace it all.

 

[Vtor]

Like wood, there many grades to vinyl siding from paper thin stuff in box box stores to foam backed version of variety of suppliers.

We used that - house version is now 15 years old, looks as good as months old stuff on the garage. It's tough and with mild wash, looks as good as new... good stuff is NOT cheap.

This is royal building products, Crane D7 (double 7). Sheets are almost 13 ft long, 14" inch tall.. goes up pretty fast.

 

[Glemon]

I did the shiplap thing on my attached garage build because it matched the existing structure. It took longer to put up than I expected for a variety of reasons. Not terrible, but thought I would mention that since you said you were DIYing it. I have never put up vinyl, but have talked to people that did, and they said it was easy DIY.

I would go with vinyl to match the house.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

How about tin? Vinyl is the last thing I would consider.

 

[MushCreek]

If you do shiplap without sheathing under it, you will have to add bracing to prevent racking. On most buildings these days, sheathing is structural.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I'd wouldn't call vinyl "final". There's nothing to maintain but in 30 years it's brittle and faded. You have to replace it all.

The old stuff (or current cheap brands) was like that. The new formulations are not. My old stuff was 27 years old and wasn't brittle. It did fade, but it was a known factory defect which is why it was replaced. The new stuff has a lifetime gaurantee...

Tommy

 

[jack stand]

I am looking at doing the vertical siding (Board and Batten) with LP Smartside on my new shop. This material appears to weather great, they do make the specific setup for B&B to make your shop look perfect.

Great choice and a much better product the cement.

 

[nadogail]

I recently built walls around a patio, 6' tall. I chose Hardie Plank.

With Gecko Clamps and a pneumatic nail gun it went up quick and looks like new, three or 4 years later.

 

[jives]

Our house is 11 years old with mid-grade vinyl. A few problems with some cracking do to being struck, but replaceable. But we would be looking to repaint at this time if it was wood. Probably a $10K job at least. No way. My 10 year old small barn was stained with high quality Sherwin Williams solid stain. South side is largely gone, the rest is going quick. It need re-doing.

In a couple of years we hope to add on some porches and re-do in B&B vertical cement board. In the meantime, the vinyl is holding true.

 

[Firebrick43]

The old stuff (or current cheap brands) was like that. The new formulations are not. My old stuff was 27 years old and wasn't brittle. It did fade, but it was a known factory defect which is why it was replaced. The new stuff has a lifetime gaurantee...

Tommy

There is no way to make PVC that wont get brittle with age. Add in accelerated oxidation from being exposed to the elements and it will get brittle. You can slow it down with formulations or covering it but its still going to get brittle.

The church down the road was sided 1988, white in color. It looked good up until 2 years ago and then holes started appearing everywhere. You could easily push through it with your finger especially on the east and south sides. Pieces in the store room kept for repairs were still in good shape.

As far as the lifetime warrantee, most have a clause that it is only good for the original owner, and the average time spent in a dwelling in the USA is only 7 years. They know very few will stay in their house 30 years and even fewer will be able to find the documentation.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I doubt you would ever regret matching your house. It is a good investment.

I used solid body stain on my garage, which is wood. I had to repaint it after 10 years, but no scraping, which makes it easier. But it still has to be done.

 

[jabelding]

I did my 28x36 in shiplap used a Sherwin Williams stain on it hopefully won't have to touch it again in 15 years no sheathing under it I wanted it to breathe. Added Simpson steel tshaped bracing on each corner just cut slots in the studs and nail them in at a 45.

Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk

 

[yeldogt]

I did my 28x36 in shiplap used a Sherwin Williams stain on it hopefully won't have to touch it again in 15 years no sheathing under it I wanted it to breathe. Added Simpson steel tshaped bracing on each corner just cut slots in the studs and nail them in at a 45.

Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk

What did you use on the inside?

Shiplap breaths regardless of application -- nickel gap is a T&G product (less breathing)

Stain on rough pine/cedar can last 20 years w/o much worry. Paint on smooth requires a recoat earlier.

 

[jabelding]

Under the shiplap is typar fully taped and sealed as much as you can. 2x6 framing 16oc mineral wool insulation 6mil vb then 1/2 cdx on the inside walls. More info in my signature.

 

[Jackfre]

I recently built walls around a patio, 6' tall. I chose Hardie Plank.

With Gecko Clamps and a pneumatic nail gun it went up quick and looks like new, three or 4 years later.

I did the shed in hardi plank and used the Gecko Gauges. Bostwich Coil Nailer and it was a one man project. The GG’s made it easy. Very cool not having to enlist a “pair of hands” to do this.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

There is no way to make PVC that wont get brittle with age. Add in accelerated oxidation from being exposed to the elements and it will get brittle. You can slow it down with formulations or covering it but its still going to get brittle.

As far as the lifetime warrantee, most have a clause that it is only good for the original owner, and the average time spent in a dwelling in the USA is only 7 years. They know very few will stay in their house 30 years and even fewer will be able to find the documentation.

My siding is not PVC for one thing, it's polypropylene polymer. My warranty is 100% lifetime and is transferrable, but the subsequent owner gets prorated coverage. That's not a surprise for any type of warranty.

IDK where that 7 year fgure came from. Everyone on my street has been here at least 15 years, many for their entire adult life. Most of the members of our lake club moved into their own house after college and have been there ever since. Some are in their grandparent's or parent's house.

Any siding companies that rely on people moving before the warranty runs out sounds like the type of cheepo contractor I would be able to sniff out right away and wouldn't give a wooden nickel to anyway.

Tommy

 

[LS6 Tommy]

There is no way to make PVC that wont get brittle with age. Add in accelerated oxidation from being exposed to the elements and it will get brittle. You can slow it down with formulations or covering it but its still going to get brittle.

The church down the road was sided 1988, white in color. It looked good up until 2 years ago and then holes started appearing everywhere. You could easily push through it with your finger especially on the east and south sides. Pieces in the store room kept for repairs were still in good shape.

As far as the lifetime warrantee, most have a clause that it is only good for the original owner, and the average time spent in a dwelling in the USA is only 7 years. They know very few will stay in their house 30 years and even fewer will be able to find the documentation.

My siding is not PVC for one thing, it's a polymer. My warranty is 100% lifetime and is transferrable, but the subsequent owner gets prorated coverage. That's not a surprise for any type of warranty.

Churches are so widely known for always buying the most expsenive stuff.
Sounds like they went rock bottom with 80's tech low grade siding. I wouldn't have expected any type of longevity.

IDK where that 7 year figure came from. Everyone on my street has been here at least 15 years, many for their entire adult life and are 60 or older. Most of the members of our lake club moved back to the community into their own house after college and have been there ever since. Some are in their grandparent's or parent's house. I'd estimate the majority of residents in my town have are way beyond the 7 year mark, probably by about double. Most of the vacancies we have are from people aging out to a retirement home or dying. There's not a lot of turnover at all.

Any siding companies that rely on people moving before the warranty runs out sound like the type of sleazeball cheepo contractors I would be able to sniff out immediately and wouldn't get a wooden nickel from me anyway.

Tommy