horizontal, vertical, up, down, i mean, it's everywhere. is that a look? where does it come from? is red, green? why so much? i've seen it places where redwood trees don't even grow. people put it even over stucco with 1/4" to 1/2" gaps. i know it wheaters well and it is 'warm', but hey, it is a bit of a fad now and an expensive one. put some here put some there, place a mitered corner glass on it and you got it. i am gonna get me some used redwood in a couple o years when the designers drop it like a hot potato when the new god arrives.
There aren't many other choices out here in CA if you want something other than stucco or hardi-siding (cement). For siding, it's pine or redwood, and even redwood is getting fairly expensive. Pine doesn't hold up as well and doesn't stain nicely. Cedar is very expensive... and sadly (maybe), people really go for that look. Clients love natural wood... We just built an office for oursleves and used redwood stained dark gray. Wanted to use cedar but too pricey. If it had been for anyone other than ourselves though I am pretty sure once they saw the siding they would have wanted to just clear-coat it. Or they would have gone with painted cement siding given the price difference (it's about 25% of the cost of redwood).
gonna try to bring the post back to life here. I am having a dilema. The client wants the natural look of cedar but doesnt want the patina's grey that occurs over time. Nor do they want to provide the upkeep of the siding to prevent it from naturally weathering. Have any advice on potential alternatives for a wood siding that would keep its color...forever.... or at least more than cedar's 4 years? How long does redwood keep its color? doesnt it just lightin as opposed to change a entirley different color? Thanks
there is an african hardwood called "Okume", it was used on a studio 804 house (http://studio804.com/projects/216alabama.htm). it is supposedly very weather resistant. no idea if it is sustainable, or how expensive it is.
out of luck. tell the client they can't have their cake and eat it too. There is no wood that will not weather over time without treatment. And even then, it will weather.
hey monkey, cedar left to grey looks pretty dull. You can get weathering stains (CABOT) which impart nice colors evenly, but the client will need to restain every 5 to 7 years. Check out their web site and search for cabot weathering stains.
Hardiplank (cementious) smooth lap siding takes paints very well and with the right board exposure (like 4 or 5 in. to weather) can look very nice. Keep away from the fake wood texture one. Looks very fake!
This siding will keep paint and hold up for a long time.
Sorry not to answer the part about the redwood - it also turns quite gray and I personally like weathered cedar better because there is less color variation. Redwood if it is in the shade will hold it's color longer but only for a few years at most, at least in our climate (dry). I didn't mean to be harsh with you monkey, I'm just frustrated by clients who ask for ridiculous things. Houses need maintenance, uunless they want to go with aluminum or vinyl siding. I also prefer stain to paint because it won't flake, but it does fade and just generally dissapear so it has to be reapplied as often as paint, but looks better and you can see the wood through it. We used a Cabot semi-transparent stain over redwood siding to nice effect. they also have transparent and solid, so there are a variety of options. But it may be hard to apply evenly, esp. over certain woods, so if there isn't much in the budget for the siding I would be careful with stain.
Redwood is Cheap and Plentiful.
You can Clad an Entire New Subdivision with the wood from a single 50" Diameter Ancient Redwood. California is Huge And the Northwest Coast should keep up with the Housing boom for another 50 years at least!
perhaps i should have clarified my locale. Ohio, i am pretty sure, may not have such an ample source of redwood. Allthough i have seen it used quite extensively in the area, I am sure that its import carries a heafty price. So the question comes down to this: if the clients insist on wood but do not want the grey patina (which I also kinda like) which fits there yearning for limited maintenance...a stained wood siding or a painted wood siding. I am guessing that over time the painted option will look increasingly more shitty, and if what you say is right Rudolph, the stain will just wear off between coats. So basically, looks aside, what will require coatings more often? I am guessing the stain will. The scary thing is there isnt even a whole lot of this wood siding in the project. It couldnt require that mutch work to refinish it.
Redwood is Soft Like Balsa (practically) and flakes alot along the cuts if you're not using a craftsman familiar with the species. Cedar is a better wood for Ohio's Harsher climate IMO.
In a hott dy climate redwood dries out and becomes stronger, but I've notice it is very dynamic in our humid region and will deform quicker.
But it is a beautiful wood...
monkey, from my experience and what the guys at my local paint shop tell me, paint & stain require about the same amount of re-coating maintenance, though stain looks better if neglected... If you are going to paint it I would definitely consider the hardi-siding, though it has no grain (unless you use the scary wood-grain effect). It's MUCH less expensive, at least out here. You might try finding a good paint store and talking to them about the options - it has been very helpful for us (far more than trying to talk to guys at the lumber supplier). There are probably longer lasting clear coat options that may cost more up front but could be a possibility...
I am in the midst of using a stain product on some hardi-plank siding. I will try and find the web site but it looked pretty good from far I just hope its not far from good. If it works it out it will certain help where the cedar and redwood products fail over time particularly when they have to deal with more extreme climatic issues be it sun , wind, rain etc.
mdler, i think ipe may be a little too expensive for this project but the idea has come up. But since you are reading, do you know where I could find a local suplier of cement fiberboard? I heard TB has it all over his house.
whats with redwood siding?
horizontal, vertical, up, down, i mean, it's everywhere. is that a look? where does it come from? is red, green? why so much? i've seen it places where redwood trees don't even grow. people put it even over stucco with 1/4" to 1/2" gaps. i know it wheaters well and it is 'warm', but hey, it is a bit of a fad now and an expensive one. put some here put some there, place a mitered corner glass on it and you got it. i am gonna get me some used redwood in a couple o years when the designers drop it like a hot potato when the new god arrives.
There aren't many other choices out here in CA if you want something other than stucco or hardi-siding (cement). For siding, it's pine or redwood, and even redwood is getting fairly expensive. Pine doesn't hold up as well and doesn't stain nicely. Cedar is very expensive... and sadly (maybe), people really go for that look. Clients love natural wood... We just built an office for oursleves and used redwood stained dark gray. Wanted to use cedar but too pricey. If it had been for anyone other than ourselves though I am pretty sure once they saw the siding they would have wanted to just clear-coat it. Or they would have gone with painted cement siding given the price difference (it's about 25% of the cost of redwood).
redwood used to be corrugated metal.
cedar here cheap, redwood here expensive.... shipping i guess.
deisel is very very expensive, and costs a lot.
gonna try to bring the post back to life here. I am having a dilema. The client wants the natural look of cedar but doesnt want the patina's grey that occurs over time. Nor do they want to provide the upkeep of the siding to prevent it from naturally weathering. Have any advice on potential alternatives for a wood siding that would keep its color...forever.... or at least more than cedar's 4 years? How long does redwood keep its color? doesnt it just lightin as opposed to change a entirley different color? Thanks
there is an african hardwood called "Okume", it was used on a studio 804 house (http://studio804.com/projects/216alabama.htm). it is supposedly very weather resistant. no idea if it is sustainable, or how expensive it is.
out of luck. tell the client they can't have their cake and eat it too. There is no wood that will not weather over time without treatment. And even then, it will weather.
hey monkey, cedar left to grey looks pretty dull. You can get weathering stains (CABOT) which impart nice colors evenly, but the client will need to restain every 5 to 7 years. Check out their web site and search for cabot weathering stains.
Hardiplank (cementious) smooth lap siding takes paints very well and with the right board exposure (like 4 or 5 in. to weather) can look very nice. Keep away from the fake wood texture one. Looks very fake!
This siding will keep paint and hold up for a long time.
As they say, it's hard to get good wood nowadays.
TELL ME ABOUT IT, THANKS FOR THE ADVICE.
Sorry not to answer the part about the redwood - it also turns quite gray and I personally like weathered cedar better because there is less color variation. Redwood if it is in the shade will hold it's color longer but only for a few years at most, at least in our climate (dry). I didn't mean to be harsh with you monkey, I'm just frustrated by clients who ask for ridiculous things. Houses need maintenance, uunless they want to go with aluminum or vinyl siding. I also prefer stain to paint because it won't flake, but it does fade and just generally dissapear so it has to be reapplied as often as paint, but looks better and you can see the wood through it. We used a Cabot semi-transparent stain over redwood siding to nice effect. they also have transparent and solid, so there are a variety of options. But it may be hard to apply evenly, esp. over certain woods, so if there isn't much in the budget for the siding I would be careful with stain.
Redwood is Cheap and Plentiful.
You can Clad an Entire New Subdivision with the wood from a single 50" Diameter Ancient Redwood. California is Huge And the Northwest Coast should keep up with the Housing boom for another 50 years at least!
perhaps i should have clarified my locale. Ohio, i am pretty sure, may not have such an ample source of redwood. Allthough i have seen it used quite extensively in the area, I am sure that its import carries a heafty price. So the question comes down to this: if the clients insist on wood but do not want the grey patina (which I also kinda like) which fits there yearning for limited maintenance...a stained wood siding or a painted wood siding. I am guessing that over time the painted option will look increasingly more shitty, and if what you say is right Rudolph, the stain will just wear off between coats. So basically, looks aside, what will require coatings more often? I am guessing the stain will. The scary thing is there isnt even a whole lot of this wood siding in the project. It couldnt require that mutch work to refinish it.
Redwood is Soft Like Balsa (practically) and flakes alot along the cuts if you're not using a craftsman familiar with the species. Cedar is a better wood for Ohio's Harsher climate IMO.
In a hott dy climate redwood dries out and becomes stronger, but I've notice it is very dynamic in our humid region and will deform quicker.
But it is a beautiful wood...
monkey, from my experience and what the guys at my local paint shop tell me, paint & stain require about the same amount of re-coating maintenance, though stain looks better if neglected... If you are going to paint it I would definitely consider the hardi-siding, though it has no grain (unless you use the scary wood-grain effect). It's MUCH less expensive, at least out here. You might try finding a good paint store and talking to them about the options - it has been very helpful for us (far more than trying to talk to guys at the lumber supplier). There are probably longer lasting clear coat options that may cost more up front but could be a possibility...
I am in the midst of using a stain product on some hardi-plank siding. I will try and find the web site but it looked pretty good from far I just hope its not far from good. If it works it out it will certain help where the cedar and redwood products fail over time particularly when they have to deal with more extreme climatic issues be it sun , wind, rain etc.
Thaks for all the replies, it has been extremely helpfull. whistler, keep me updated on the results of your experiment.
monkeyboy
I dont know if Ipe comes in siding form, if you are using it for siding. Call Paxton in Maderia
mdler, i think ipe may be a little too expensive for this project but the idea has come up. But since you are reading, do you know where I could find a local suplier of cement fiberboard? I heard TB has it all over his house.
I like redwood siding because it reminds me of streaky bacon, and I love streaky bacon.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.