When it comes to choosing new siding for your home, you’ll find many more options available today than just a few years ago. While each material offers different benefits, few options offer as many as traditional wood. Wood siding can provide a traditional and welcoming face for your home, or you can use it to create a more modern look.

Even homeowners who don’t install wood siding tend to choose materials that manufacturers can mold to resemble natural wood grain. However, those materials won’t provide the same advantages that you’ll experience with real wood. Here are a few reasons to consider siding your home with genuine wood.

Boost Your Home’s Aesthetic Appeal

The options for siding your home with wood are virtually limitless. Start by choosing the type of wood that suits your home. Pine, cedar, and ash are just some of the woods that make beautiful siding for homes of all styles.

After you choose the wood type, you can customize the size and shape of the siding. Once the installation is complete, add a clear sealant for a traditional appearance. Alternatively, you can paint the siding to create a modern look for your home.

Don’t Strain Your Pocketbook With Maintenance Costs

While wood does require more consistent maintenance than other types of siding, the upkeep isn’t very expensive. Every few years, your siding will need a fresh coat of sealant to protect it against environmental factors. As long you keep up with this task, you’ll effectively prevent the warping or cracking of the wood panels.

Discover the Cost Difference

The cost of wood siding will fluctuate based on the cost of lumber. Currently, lumber costs are higher than usual, which means you’ll also pay more for house siding made from wood. Even so, wood is cheaper as a siding material than many other options on the market.

Depending on the type of wood you choose, you can expect to pay between $5 and $10 per square foot. In contrast, insulated vinyl siding typically costs between $10.50 and $15 per square foot. Fiber cement siding can reach as high as $17.50 per square foot. Stucco is another high-end material that can cost up to $18.50 per square foot.

Enjoy Long-Term Durability

Along with a modest installation cost, wood siding offers a more cost-effective solution in terms of its longevity. As long as you keep up with its maintenance needs, your siding can last up to 40 years or longer.

This longevity gives you many years to enjoy the beauty and comfort that natural wood provides before you have to think about updating your home’s siding.

Keep Your Home Better Insulated

Wood siding works as a natural insulator, helping reduce your heating and cooling costs throughout the year. Other siding materials, such as vinyl, must have insulation added during the manufacturing process. This extra step increases the upfront costs. That’s not the case with wood.

Although you have insulation in your home, the addition of wood over the exterior of your home will double your protection.

Go Green With This Eco-Friendly Option

There are several ways that wood siding helps you maintain a lower carbon footprint. First, wood siding doesn’t go through a manufacturing process that involves the use of hazardous chemicals. By choosing wood over synthetic siding, you’ll reduce the need for manufacturing that contributes to pollution and consumes limited resources.

Even after you side your home with wood, you’ll remain eco-friendly since wood is a biodegradable and easily renewable material. You can maximize the positive impact this choice has on the environment by looking for siding companies that plant new trees to replace the trees used to create siding.

Get the Look You Want With Wood Siding

As you compare its advantages to other siding options, you’ll find that few alternatives are as beneficial as wood siding. From versatile design options to energy efficiency, wood offers features you won’t find with any other material. Give your home a beautiful new look with real wood.