Budget Friendly Wood Siding for Your Next Projects

 

 

Are you experiencing a budget crunch on your next wood siding project? Contractors and homeowners are keenly aware of external forces causing siding prices to rise and premium wood siding is no exception. How will you choose a siding material that meets your design and budget needs? Compare these high quality alternatives to help you make the most of your siding investment.

 

Beautiful, natural FSC Certified Machiche siding is a show stopper, and surprisingly affordable.

 

Architects and property owners are looking for alternatives to premium wood siding species that still meet their design goals and are durable. There’s good reasons Ipe and Western Red Cedar are so commonly used. But are they right for your project's budget? Let's breakdown the benefits of  Ipe and Cedar 

• Ipe Wood Preferred for its long-lasting strength and exotic beauty, Ipe hardwood is considered the standard in durability. The lovely olive to deep brown tones and interesting grain patterns make it a classic wood siding choice. While more affordable than Western Red Cedar, Ipe is the highest cost in exotic hardwood siding.

Ipe wood siding is the standard in strength, longevity, and durability for all hardwood siding material options. The quality of Ipe also puts it top of the price range for wood siding. Ipe wood siding is certainly worth the price, but may not be right for every budget.

In an alternative to Ipe, you might be looking for similar high density fiber strength, decay and insect resistance, and rich color, at a lower upfront investment.

• Western Red Cedar Loved for its warm red tones, Cedar wood siding has been iconic for decades and often specified in exterior designs. But the price has increased significantly in recent years and availability is low, especially in a clear vertical grain. 

Cedar's good looks and color are iconic in exterior design. Popular and attractive, but price and availability fluctuate unpredictably. Also, today's Western Red Cedar tends to be knotty with tones from reds to browns, unlike the clear Cedar boards decades past.

In an alternative, you might be looking for a similar reddish brown range and grain pattern, maybe with more tone consistency, that's readily available at a lower upfront cost. 

How can you find a budget-friendly siding alternative without giving up the natural benefits of Ipe wood and Western Red Cedar? First, consider the prices and features of Ipe and Cedar:

 

Garapa vertical wood rainscreen siding wraps a custom home

Wood Siding Alternatives to Ipe and Cedar

If so, two natural wood siding choices to look at are FSC Certified Machiche hardwood or Garapa hardwood. With these two wood species, you can still choose premium hardwood siding and get similar properties and strengths to Ipe hardwood. 

Natural Machiche wood siding with an oil finish has rich, chocolate tones that give it luxurious looks.

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To see award winning projects and get more inspiration,

download a free Ultimate Guide to Wood Rainscreen Siding now:

FSC Machiche rainscreen siding and soffits contrast with stucco and stone for a modern façade

FSC© Certified Machiche Wood Siding

Machiche wood siding has similar coloring to Ipe and the coveted brown tones and figuring of an exotic hardwood. Machiche also has similar high density hardwood benefits to Ipe at a lower upfront cost.

• Forest Stewardship Council certified, perfect for LEED projects

• Beautiful exotic figuring and patterns

• Rich, chocolate-brown tones

• Certified sustainably harvested natural exotic hardwood siding

• Exceptional decay resistance

• Exceptional insect damage resistance

• High stability, won't cup, check or warp easily

• Weathers to a silver patina without losing strengths

The beautiful chocolate-brown tones of Machiche siding look - and perform - beautifully.

Garapa Wood Siding

When you choose Garapa, with its lighter golden tones, you get the wood siding benefits of other hardwood choices, at the most affordable hardwood price point. Though Garapa is the lowest fiber density among exotic hardwoods, you still get the naturally high strength (Garapa is 2 times stronger than oak) of hardwood siding material.

• Beautiful exotic figuring and patterns

• Beautiful golden blonde to medium brown tones

• Exceptional decay resistance

• Very high insect damage resistance

• High stability and won't cup, check or warp easily

• Weathers to a silver patina without losing its natural resistance and strengths

Versatile Garapa was used on this impressive custom soffit detail

For more information on Machiche, Garapa, and other wood rainscreen siding options,

download our Ultimate Guide to Wood Rainscreen here.

Pura Western Red Cedar wood décor has uniform color that raises the impact of architectural elements

Pura NFC by Trespa HPL laminate exterior siding versus natural Ipe or Western Red Cedar wood siding

When Ipe and Western Red Cedar are out just out of budget, but you need a close match in color and looks, Trespa HPL Laminate siding material rides to the rescue.

Why Pura NFC by Trespa over lower end wood look siding alternatives?

• The high strength,.

• Pura siding is incredibly fade and weather resistant and never need refinishing.

• Pura NFC siding is very resistant to damage from high winds; heat and humidity; and punctures and breaks, so rarely need repair.

• Pura is a very low maintenance siding option even lower than real hardwood, just a soap and water cleaning as needed.

• Overall uniformity in color and grain. This is a perfect solution for designs that call for clear boards throughout with consistent color, something that today's natural Western Red Cedar can't offer.

• It can be used with the Climate-Shield Rainscreen siding system made for Pura siding  for a better, faster installation.

• Can be installed vertically or horizontally.

• Has a low lifecycle cost and greater return on investment over its lifetime use.

Pura Ipe wood décor stands out on this commercial façade

For more information and ideas using Pura NFC siding by Trespa,

check out these free Residential and Commercial Project Portfolios. Download now: 

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Pura Ipe Wood Décor looks more like real Ipe wood

Pura Western Red Cedar Wood Décor rivals real Cedar.

 

Don’t try this at home with vinyl or fiber cement! Or any wood-look siding except Pura NFC by Trespa.

Pura NFC siding wood decors are a high value

Since it's possible to keep the low maintenance and high quality of wood siding with Pura NFC, does it makes budget-friendly sense for your project? If it might, you won't need to limit the choice to Ipe and Western Red Cedar wood decors.

Pura NFC siding in Mystic Cedar adds an instant weathered look and keeps its good looks for years.

All of the Pura wood décor colors offer the same great benefits, no matter what color you choose. And with the same pricing for all the colors, Pura wood decors give you a very high value from Oak to Ebony. 

RELATED: Request a sample of Pura NFC siding and see it for yourself

If this article has helped you with siding material alternatives and you want to know more, please contact our team for pricing and next steps. We are here to help.