6 Major Siding Styles to Choose From

There are six major siding styles you can choose from. All of the styles will give your home a distinctive look. The different siding styles are a great way to express your personal style and make your home look unique.

Lap siding is a very popular style choice. In this style long boards overlap each other horizontally, creating a clean, traditional look. It is very easy to highlight design features on the exterior of your home with this style. 

Lap Siding can be created with a variety of materials, from wood and vinyl to James Hardie fiber cement. You can also choose between a smooth or a wood grain finish. Lap siding will give your home great curb appeal and a classic look.

The style is also referred to as “shake shingle” style or shingle-style siding. This classic style can be seen on a huge variety of houses, anything from seaside cottages to Colorado homes. The shake shingles are more rustic-looking and are installed staggered. The “perfect” shingles are more clean-looking and are installed straight. Both are great looks, depending on what your preference is.

This style is great as an accent, for example combined with lap-siding. Shake siding can be made out of almost any material, including James Hardie fiber cement. It lends itself very well to highlight architectural elements of your home.

Board & Batten siding gives your home the traditional farm house look. For this classic look wide boards are installed vertically and narrow strips, or battens, are added over the seams. This results in a beautiful, stylish, clean-looking siding.

This style can be used on your whole home or as an accent on parts of your home. It can be combined with lap-style fiber cement siding or other siding of your choice. There are many variations possible with Boards & Batten style siding.

Dutch Lap siding is similar to the traditional lap siding. The notch creates a shadow on the course below, which gives this style a distinct look.

The Dutch Lap siding style can be achieved with a number of different materials, including vinyl and fiber cement. This classic style is very versatile and comes in a variety of colors and will give your home a beautiful, traditional look.

Beaded siding is another style with horizontal boards. What makes this style different is the shadow line that is created between the face of the panel and the rounded bead. A shadow line runs along the bottom of the panel, which is often called a ‘V’ groove. 

This style has a long history of use and has been popular for many years. That is why most manufactures make this style of siding. It can be made in different thicknesses, textures and colors.

T1-11 siding is made out of compressed engineered wood, such as plywood. This wood is installed in vertical sheets to create a siding. This style was very popular between the 1960’s and 80’s and is still frequently used today. 

It is a versatile building material that has some advantages, like its transformability. However, other siding options are longer-lasting and easier to maintain. T1-11 fails more easily than other siding materials, is prone to water damage and requires a lot of maintenance, since it is wood.