Engineered Wood Siding: The Smart Choice for Wood Lovers
Many homeowners love the warm, traditional look of wood siding but hesitate because of the demanding maintenance requirements and vulnerability to the Pacific Northwest’s damp climate. Engineered wood siding offers the perfect solution. It delivers the authentic beauty and deep grain textures of real wood, but with advanced technology built in to provide superior durability and protection.
This guide explores engineered wood siding, explaining what it is, its significant advantages over traditional wood, and why it has become a popular and intelligent choice for homeowners throughout the Seattle area.
What is Engineered Wood Siding?
Engineered wood siding is a composite material made from wood strands or fibers that are coated with a mix of waxes and advanced binding resins. This mixture is compressed under high heat and pressure to create a strong, stable, and consistent siding product.
Crucially, during this process, a zinc borate compound is added to the mixture. This proprietary treatment, found in leading brands like LP® SmartSide®, protects the entire board from the inside out, providing powerful, long-term resistance to fungal decay and wood-boring insects like termites.
The Benefits of Engineered Wood
Engineered wood provides a compelling middle ground, capturing the best qualities of other materials.
- Authentic Wood Aesthetic: Because it’s made from real wood fibers, engineered wood offers a deep, convincing wood grain texture that is often considered more authentic than the repeating patterns found on fiber cement.
- Advanced Rot and Pest Resistance: The proprietary treatment process makes engineered wood highly resistant to the fungal decay that plagues untreated wood. It offers a powerful defense against the moisture and pests common in our climate.
- Exceptional Durability and Impact Resistance: The resin-bound boards are incredibly strong and have a higher resistance to impact damage from things like hail or stray baseballs compared to both vinyl and fiber cement.
- Workability and Design Flexibility: Engineered wood is lighter than fiber cement and can be manufactured in longer planks (up to 16 feet). This allows for faster installation with fewer seams, creating a cleaner, more premium look on your home.
- Excellent Long-Term Warranties: Leading manufacturers have so much confidence in their treatment process that they offer outstanding warranties, often featuring 50-year prorated limited warranties for the material and 5-year warranties on the labor and finish.
We offer affordable
Engineered Wood vs. Other Materials
- vs. Natural Cedar: Engineered wood provides a very similar aesthetic but requires significantly less maintenance and offers superior protection against rot and pests for a lower upfront cost.
- vs. Fiber Cement: It is lighter, less brittle, and more resistant to impact damage. While both are highly durable, some homeowners prefer the more authentic wood texture of engineered wood. Learn more about fiber cement siding.
Is Engineered Wood Siding Right for You?
Engineered wood is an ideal choice if:
- You love the classic look of wood siding but want a smarter, lower-maintenance alternative.
- You are looking for a highly durable product that offers a great balance of performance, beauty, and value.
- You want to minimize the number of seams on your walls for a cleaner, more streamlined appearance.
Our expert installation process ensures that your engineered wood siding is installed precisely to manufacturer specifications, validating its warranty and maximizing its lifespan.