Wood & Cedar Siding "...if wood were just being discovered today, it would be heralded as a miracle product. It takes a wide variety of finishes well, offers some insulation value, is easy to repair and install, and is available prestained, primed or unfinished in many styles." — Joe Provey, "How to change the skin — and appearance — on your home," Popular Mechanics.

Wood & Cedar Siding - History [the] Following building methods developed in Norway and Sweden, board-&-batten siding was often utilized to protect log structures from weathering. It was used only on squared log structures with dovetailed corner joints, or in Canada, on log piece sur piece buildings such as those constructed by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). This siding type was later used for balloon- or western-framed structures. It was applied directly to the structure on ancillary urban buildings and on agricultural structures. On buildings intended for human occupation, a layer of building paper was usually attached to the frame before this siding was attached, or there may have been an additional layer of rough sheathing such as boards or shiplap.

Lap Siding & Bevelled Lap Siding Among the earliest types of finish siding, lap sidings were usually 1" x 6" or 1" x 8" boards. These were nailed along the top edge so that the nails were concealed by the overlap of the board above. Exposed face-nailing in vertical rows, however, is often evidence that lap siding has been nailed directly to the studs, and the spacing of the studs can thus be determined. The slope of the boards was achieved by blocking out the bottom board and using spacing blocks for the attachment of successive boards. The exposed face and edges were usually planed. Where more sophisticated milling tools were available, the type of bevelled and rabbeted siding shown at the top of the illustration became common.

Rusticated Lap Siding Meant to replicate the rustic appearance of logs sawn into rough boards, this siding, which was called "Hide-a-Scroll," was actually milled with a slightly chamfered edge. It was very popular in the 1960s. Drop Siding This form of milled siding became generally popular all over North America during the nineteenth century. If wider than 6', a face nail was used, as well as a nail concealed in the rabbet, to avoid "cupping" of the board as it seasoned.

Bevelled Lap Siding with V-Groove (V-Joint) Usually milled from a 1" x 6". Each board was rabbeted on reverse edges at top and bottom, with V-grooves on the face. When attached, the lap protects the board below from water penetration, and the groove defines the joint. An intermediate "false" V-groove was usually milled in the centre of the board (also called "double-bevelled" siding). With time, the boards shrank, and the "false" and real joints became distinguishable as the latter became wider. The example illustrated has a "bead" milled between two V-grooves at each joint. This siding was usually face-nailed. Sawn Shingles Sawn shingles were milled with a taper and have always varied in grade and quality. In BC, the wood utilized was first-growth red cedar. Attachment and staggering was done the same way as with shakes. Some of the patterns were: • Common Coursing The width of the course or "weather" varied with the length of the shingle. •Shadow-Line Coursing This is achieved by doubling each course, setting the outside shingle below the inside shingle, to create the shadow. This pattern, which was common during the 1920s and 1930s, also often employed shingles milled with vertical grooves.

• Unequal Coursing Commonly associated with the North American Arts and Crafts style, this pattern was achieved by alternating a narrow and a wide course.

Sawn Shingle Patterns & Hand-Split Shakes Sawn Shingles These utilize shingles cut at the bottom, either in a semi-circle or a 45-degree V, and could produce fish-scale or diamond patterns, either used independently or combined... •Hand-Split Shakes Shakes were split by hand from red cedar or spruce blocks with a mallet and froe, and sometimes tapered with a draw-knife. Vertical joints were staggered, and the nails were usually covered by the lap of the next course of shakes. When used on roofs, courses of shakes were often doubled. — www.islandnet.com

Why the use of 'J' Channel causes siding leaks...

It is imperative that you engage the services of seasoned craftsmen that know their trade.

Vinyl Siding In recent years, vinyl has become the siding market leader. It's made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the same stuff that serves so ably in plumbing drain lines. Certainly its primary appeal is that it doesn't have to be painted. If properly installed, the upkeep is minimal. But, its popularity continues to grow because of new product offerings and features such as wood-like textures, shingle- and shake-style panels, more appealing trim components and deeper colors. According to the Vinyl Siding Institute, shipments have more than tripled since 1986. Vinyl's biggest selling point remains its low maintenance. It usually can be washed clean with a garden hose. Material and installation costs are relatively low too. — Joe Provey, "How to change the skin — and appearance — on your home," Popular Mechanics.

History of Vinyl Siding PVC was first produced in a laboratory in 1872. In the 1930s, vinyl siding began to be produced commercially. Techniques for mixing it with plasticizers became known and PVC emerged as a substitute for rubber. During World War II, German scientists developed PVC pipe for water supply systems when material shortages limited conventional pipe supplies... ...Today the North American PVC market is dominated by about a dozen large manufacturers. A few of these, such as Occidental Petroleum, Inc., operate facilities for all phases of the process, from chlorine and ethylene production to end products. Most, however, purchase some of the refined materials from other producers. Dow Chemical Company produces large quantities of vinyl chloride for sale to other companies but produces no PVC itself. Vinyl siding was introduced in the early 1960s, but did not gain much attention until the 70s. Since 1986, its use has doubled, reaching 2.2 billion square feet in 1992. Siding is the second largest market for PVC resin, with 1 billion pounds used in 1992 by about about 20 manufacturers. While vinyl siding was initially sold almost exclusively for remodeling, today more than a third of vinyl siding is used in new construction. Vinyl siding is manufactured by coextrusion: two layers of PVC are laid down in a continuous extrusion process. The top layer (weatherable capstock), includes about 10% titanium dioxide, which is a pigment and provides resistance to breakdown from UV light. The lower layer (substrate) is typically about 15% calcium carbonate, which balances the titanium dioxide to keep both extrusion streams equally fluid during manufacturing. A small quantity of tin mercaptan or butadiene (less than 1%) is added as a stabilizer to chemically tie up any hydrochloric acid that is released into the PVC material as the siding ages. Lubricants are also added to aid in the manufacturing process. — Nadav Malin, Alex Wilson, www.buildinggreen.com