plywood.

This was discussed recently in another thread, I think... as far as I know if you actually want wood (for staining), the plywood option mentioned above is the only cheap thing out there. They have smooth & rough versions & various sizes of exposure, but the grain pattern doesn't look like true wood siding. If you're going with paint, there are cement board and pressed board options. James Hardie has sheet products - the ones with wood grain are out of scale though because they are meant to look like wood from far away (for large condo complexes & the like.)
Other than that, out here in CA the options from cheap to expensive are pine/spruce, redwood & cedar. Depends on the grade, thickness, shape, etc. We recently had custom cedar siding made for a project we're working on and it came out to be the same price as redwood, just depends on what is available. But it is rather expensive. Pine is less expensive than cedar or redwood but doesn't stain as nicely and doesn't have the insect resistant etc. properties that the others have. There is also the product known as "captain's cabin" which is for use on interior wainscotting, soffits etc. It's thin and comes in different grades, wood types as well.

The inexpensive plywood is patterned (sort of board and batten looking but not really...) and referred to as T-111.

be careful with plywood as exterior siding. it is very vulnarable the moisture and in time plys will bubble and split. in 80's gehry used it in several projects such as, loyola law shchool chapel and some venice condos. it looked really bad in a short time even though they sealed the shit out of it. it is almost impossible the stop water penetration at the edges.

Hardie makes 4x8 of cement board it's pretty durable stuff. Forget T1-11 it just looks bad. Hardie siding does come in a simulated board and batten design, Althought. you could go with the plain design and add battens every 12 or 16 inches.

Does it have to be wood? galvinzed corrgated metal is dirt cheap and rquires no paint if you want . Theres also FRP corragated panels.
Dwell mag always shows someone using the stuff creatively

Thanks. I may have posted something like this a while ago, was just hoping to get more info.

I've got the info on the Hardie panels and that looks like the most common way to go. I've yet to see it in person, though. Ugly, eh? That's just not good. I'll have to look into the cement board.

I don't want to use plywood, for the durability. I've looked into marine grade ply, but it's either too expensive (around $80-100 for a 4x8) or wouldn't work.


I know there is some other options out there, I just can't find them. A veneer would work and I've seen some lofts using something like this.

I personally don't care for the corrugated metal, with the exception of Cor-Ten (that is prohibitively expensive, with the increase in steel prices), just looks too cheap/industrial to me.
Other metals would be an option, but I think they'd be too expensive.

What are you building?

It'll be for residential purposes

I've seen people use cement board panels that they stained different colors. looked like they cut the 4x8 sheet in half for 4x4 squares. exposed fasteners and all the panels were butt jointed. the only draw back that I saw was that all those butt joints needed to be caulked. maybe you could come up with a better metal flashing detail.

also what about MDF...is there a way to seal this stuff for exterior use?

Any veneeer product that will work for exterior use will be expensive - it's plywood... and needs to be resin impregnated or properly sealed to hold up. I don't think the cement board looks bad but it's definitely a certain look and if you're thinking of wood it's not at all similar. I agree on the corrogated metal, esp. galvanized, can't stand it. Square profiled heavy duty painted corrugated is something else, but it's expensive. There really is so secret to finding something cheap that looks good too. You're most likely to have luck by going to local suppliers, find out what's coomon in your area and spend some time thinking about how to use it creatively. But be careful with untested installation methods - you don't want something that's going to leak and cause problems down the line for the sake of being creative.
If it's your own house, it's different... if you're willing to take a risk.

sorry, meant no secret. i've had clients ask me - isn't there something cool and cheaper out there? referring to cheaper than stucco... like there's some magic cladding product out there that's just waiting in the aisles of home depot, or there's a secret "cheap designers warehouse" that we don't tell anyone about because we're hoarding the knowledge. drives me crazy

me too.
I've seem creative use of 3-tab asphalt shingles on the side of a house (in moderation)

I have been wanting to do a project with "board and batting" to see how cheap I can mke it happen. With modern house wrap and insulation underneath, spacers to lett air in behind the boards, and using that rough sawn wood direct from a lumber mill.

Make that "board and batten," doh.