By Tim Carter
©1993-2009 Tim Carter

Summary: Wood siding has been used on houses for hundreds of years. Engineered wood siding is an improvement on traditional siding as it allows us to make the most of our natural resources. If you want the best exterior wood siding, look for wood that contains natural preservatives and has vertical grain. Western cedar is a great wood siding species.

DEAR TIM: The house I grew up in had traditional wood lap siding. It seemed to wear like iron and it has a fantastic traditional look and feel. I would like to install some on a new home and wonder if it is still available and what is the best way to install it. Perhaps the biggest question is how do I make sure that paint will never peel or blister on this new wood siding? Phoebe H., Palo Alto, CA

DEAR PHOEBE: You know what they say don’t you? Imitation is the highest form of flattery. It seems like all of the non-wood siding products for years have copied the lap wood siding look. Aluminum, fiber cement and vinyl siding have had imitation lap sidings for years. This tells you that not only is the wood siding a timeless material, the lap siding look is perhaps the most popular. My wife and I love the real lap wood siding on our own home.

Lap wood siding is still available but you have to be sure you buy the right one. I prefer wood products that include preservatives injected by Mother Nature. Cedar and redwood are two such sidings. Both of these wood species have a considerable amount of natural preservatives. You may find other soft or hardwood siding materials, but only buy them if you can be sure they have been treated against wood rot.

 

Installing wood siding takes time and is not hard to do. Note the painted ends of the pieces behind my head. Each end is painted before the siding is nailed to the wall. PHOTO BY: Kathy Carter

Be sure to discuss wood grain orientation with the siding salesperson. The best wood siding has vertical grain. Less expensive wood sidings will sport flat grain. You can easily tell a vertical grain wood siding if you look at a freshly cut end. If you see ten, twenty or even 50 of the dark tree rings on the cut edge, the siding is indeed vertical grain. Flat grain wood siding may only have one, two or three dark tree rings visible on the end of a piece of siding. The vertical grain wood siding is more stable and the grain will not raise on the flat surface that you see once it is installed. 

Before you even think of nailing up your first piece of siding, there is a critical step you must follow. The wood siding needs to be primed on both sides and all edges before it is installed. Furthermore, each time you cut a piece of siding and are sure it is the correct length, those exposed cut ends must be painted before the siding is nailed to the wall. These critical painting steps help ensure the finish coat of paint will never peel or blister. I feel the best finish paint to use is one that is a blend of acrylic and urethane resins.

If the back and edges of the wood siding are not painted and water soaks into the wood, paint failure is an almost certainty. The water in the wood wants to get back into the atmosphere and it works its way to the front surface of the siding. Once there, warmth, wind and direct sunlight cause the water in the siding to form a vapor which can actually create a real blister in the finish paint. If you paint the back and edges of the siding, water can’t get into the wood in the first place.

The sides of the house must also be covered with a water barrier such as traditional asphalt-saturated felt paper or some of the modern synthetic fiber woven water and air barriers. You must use metal flashings and special drip caps moldings above horizontal trim boards, windows, doors and any other dissimilar material other than the siding. The flashings and drip caps help direct water away from the siding and prevent water from getting behind the siding or any trim boards used with the siding.

Be sure the first piece of wood siding or the lowest wood trim board laps over your foundation at least one inch. Water is your worst enemy and you want to ensure that water gets away from the siding and foundation of your home as quickly as possible. Follow all building codes with respect to the height above grade where the siding must start. Not all codes are the same, but I would not have the wood siding any closer to the soil than six inches. The greater the distance between the soil and the first piece of wood the better. If you can adjust your foundation height so there is a ten or twelve-inch space between wood and soil, do so.

 

Here is the finished product. Isn’t this a handsome garden shed? The wood siding and all trim details match my house perfectly. PHOTO BY: Tim Carter

The nails you use for wood siding are very important. The best nails are specific siding nails which have very blunt points and are made from stainless steel. These nails also have stacked rings on the shank of the nail for extra gripping power. Siding nails often have smaller heads as well so they are not that obvious if you install them flush with the surface of the wood siding. On painted siding, I always countersink the nail and fill the resulting hole with exterior spackling compound. 

To make sure the wood siding does not fall off the wall over time, be sure the nails used are long enough. The nail must pass through the siding, then pass through any sheathing such as plywood, foam board or oriented strand board and finally into a wood wall stud. The nail needs to penetrate the wood stud at least one and one-quarter inch. Do the math and you will discover it is best to use a nail that is 2.5 inches long.

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Environmental Benefits

• Green by Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood
• Addressing Negative Perceptions and Campaigns
• Build with Wood and Help Protect the Environment
• Selecting Environmentally Friendly Flooring
• Build that New Fence with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

Green by Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood

The ATHENA™ Sustainable Materials Institute’s ultimate goal is to encourage the selection of material mixes that will minimize the environmental impact of a building over its life-cycle. The ATHENA computer model was used to compare alternative wood, steel and concrete structural designs for a three-story office building. The ATHENA findings are the result of a five-year research program involving architects, environmentalists, economists, engineers, and representatives from the steel, concrete and wood industries. ATHENA™’s life-cycle research found that wood building products have the lowest environmental impact when compared to other major building materials, based on raw materials and energy use, emissions to air, water and land.

What are the facts?

• Total energy use: The wood building used the least energy. The concrete option required 1.7 times the energy for wood. The steel option required 2.4 times the energy. Wood simply does not require much energy to manufacture.
• Greenhouse gases: The wood building had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. The steel building generated 1.45 times and the concrete building generated 1.81 times the greenhouse gases for wood.
• Air pollution: The wood design had the lowest air pollution index. The steel building produced 1.42 times and the concrete building produced 1.67 times the air pollution index.
• Solid waste: The wood design had the lowest solid waste. This takes into account both manufacturing and on-site construction waste. Steel produced 1.36 times and the concrete produced 1.96 times the solid waste. This means there is virtually no waste during the manufacturing process and the use of engineered wood products has radically reduced the on-site construction waste.
• Ecological Resource Use: The wood design had the lowest ecological resource use index. Steel was 1.16 times and concrete was 1.97 times the index for wood. This factor compares the long-term effects of resource extraction. Although forestry affects a large area, reforestation means the effects are short term. Sustainable forest management practices help ensure that disruption is minimized.
• Conclusion: The office building built with wood had lower environmental impact for energy use, greenhouse gases, air and water pollution and ecological resource extraction than the steel or concrete building. A similar case study of residential buildings (comparing wood, steel and concrete construction) produced similar findings in terms of wood’s superior environmental performance.

These facts and others based on the ATHENA life-cycle findings can be found in a new primer put out by the Canadian Wood Council & the Forest Products Association of Canada have put out a primer, “Green by Design”.

“Green By Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood.” Canadian Wood Council & Forest Products Association of Canada. (CWC & FPAC)

A primer on the environmental comparisons of wood and other materials in home and building construction.

This brochure explains why asking for Canadian wood products is the best environmental choice. It shows how taking a life cycle approach to building design will result in wood being the winner over competing products such as steel and concrete.

Addressing Negative Perceptions and Campaigns

According to the Wood Promotion Network, the last five years have witnessed mounting efforts by competing industries and environmental groups to reduce the market for wood. Their recent studies show that between 1997 and 2000 lumber alone lost 2.5% of the residential market for floors, walls and roofs. Significant environmental campaigns have been aimed at putting pressure on major corporate buyers of wood products. As a result, the public has been led to believe that forest are diminishing, that industry practices are not sustainable, and that the world needs to use less rather than more wood.

The Wood Promotion Network is N. America’s largest ever coalition of wood product and allied industry companies and related associations, representing more than two-thirds of N. American wood production. These companies have joined together to educate builders, DIYers and homeowners throughout North America on the benefits of wood building materials and the abundance of today’s North American forests.

Thus, the WPN goals are to secure and expand wood markets in N. America and to increase confidence about forest abundance and sustainability. While the goals may seem ambitious, the hard facts show that wood is the best environmental choice, hence it is not surprising that their campaigns to date have resulted in major achievements in terms of improving building and consumer perceptions of wood.

What are some of the messages that the Wood Promotion Network gets across:

• N.America’s forests are abundant and growing, based on satellite imagery.
• Wood is the best insulator against heat and cold, which makes it the most energy efficient material that can help keep home energy bills in check.
• Regardless of market volatility, wood is the most affordable building material you can use. Framing an average 3-bedroom home can cost up to 30% less with wood versus other framing materials.
• New innovations in engineered wood products and pre-made panels and trusses help builders and homeowners keep framing costs down. (WPN AR2001).
• The production and use of wood is easier on the environment than any other building material. It takes less non-renewable fossil fuels and less energy to produce wood framing materials than alternative framing materials. (WPN AR2001).
• Wood is the world’s only 100% renewable building material and is manufactured with the organic power of solar energy. (WPN AR2001).
• Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Canada’s sustainably managed forests ensure that there is an ample supply. New manufacturing technology allows every part of the tree to be used so that nothing is wasted. Advanced engineered wood products make use of fast growing species to produce high strength products without requiring large dimension timbers to meet building needs. (WPN AR2001).

Build with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

Over 80% of Canadians believe that sustaining the environment is a major priority. Many of us do our part, by recycling newspapers, refusing or reusing shopping bags, and composting waste.

But we may not realize that we make a much bigger impact on the environment through our choice of building materials.

Due to sustainable forestry practices, the volume of wood in Canada’s productive forests increased by 35% between 1976 to 1991. Last year alone, over 700 million seedlings were planted. That’s about 25 trees planted for each Canadian.

But how do we replace the thousands of tons of ore that went into steel beams or aluminum siding, or the millions of litres of petroleum that went into making plastic components?

The answer is – we can’t. Those resources are finite. Once we consume them, they are gone forever.

A study by the Canadian Research Alliance examined the relative environmental impacts of various building materials. The results clearly demonstrate not only that wood is a renewable resource, but also that the manufacture of wood products is cleaner, less wasteful, and consumes less energy than the alternatives.

Life-cycle analysis shows that a steel wall requires 3 to 6 times more energy to extract, manufacture and construct than a wood wall. The steel wall also uses 25 times more water in its manufacture, and releases 3 to 6 times more carbon dioxide emissions.

The manufacture of concrete produces 2 to 3 times more carbon dioxide than wood, and results in 5 times more solid waste.

The production of aluminum generates 8 times more polluting emissions in the air and 300 times more in the water, than the manufacture of wood. The manufacture of aluminum siding requires 5 times more energy than wood.

Construction is a $25 billion a year industry in Canada. That’s the equivalent of almost $900 for each Canadian, much of it spent on building materials.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/

Selecting Environmentally Friendly Flooring

Thinking of replacing that worn flooring in the front hallway?

By shopping around, you can get information about the price, style, and maintenance of commonly-used flooring products.

It is much harder to learn about the hidden impact of these products on the environment. To make an informed choice, consumers also want to know about the composition and manufacture of various flooring materials.

Synthetic sheet flooring, such as cushion flooring, is made from non-renewable petroleum resources. Because it is non-biodegradable, scraps cannot be recycled. The manufacturing process is energy-intensive, depleting the supply of fossil fuels.

Ceramic tiles are made by firing clay, a plentiful resource. However, the kilns used to fire the clay consume large quantities of energy. Ceramic tiles are not recyclable.

Linoleum is made with renewable ingredients (linseed oil, cork, wood dust and dyes) that have been heat-cured and sealed, but it is not recyclable. Various chemicals are used for manufacturing, although less than are required for synthetic floor materials.

So what can you select that is environmentally friendly as well as being durable, easy-to-care-for, beautiful and affordable?

The answer is wood. Oak and maple hardwood flooring – solid plank, pre-finished wood flooring systems, parquet tiles and veneer – comes from wood, a renewable resource. Part of the energy used in the manufacturing process comes from wood waste materials.

Veneer flooring is comprised of a surface of high quality hardwood laminated to a plywood or particle board backing, and packaged as tiles. Wood fibre waste from low grade wood is used in the backing, and high-grade wood is used in the surface veneer.

When you’re shopping around, ask your retailer or contractor for more information from the flooring manufacturer. That way you can select a product that is attractive to the environment AND to your home.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/

Build that New Fence with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

When you shop for materials to build your new fence or deck, you probably think about things like appearance, ease of installation, and cost. But what about the cost to the environment of the building materials that we buy?

Over 80% of Canadians believe that sustaining the environment is a major priority. Many of us do our part by recycling newspapers, adding extra insulation in our homes, and walking to the video store at the corner instead of driving. But we also make a major impact on the environment when we choose building materials, often without realizing it.

Wood is a popular and attractive choice for many outdoor landscaping projects. Due to sustainable forestry practices, the volume of wood in Canada’s productive forests increased by 35% over the last 20 years. Last year alone, about 700 million seedlings were planted. That’s over 20 trees planted for each Canadian.

But what about that chain-link fence, those concrete patios stones or that vinyl lounge chair? How do we replace the thousands of tons of ore that went into the manufacture of steel, or the millions of litres of petroleum that went into making plastic components?

The answer is – we can’t. Those resources are finite. Once we consume them, they are gone forever. And the manufacturing process has added to the world’s pollution problems.

A study by the Canadian Research Alliance examined the relative environmental impacts of various building materials. The results clearly demonstrate that the manufacture of wood products is cleaner, less wasteful, and consumes less energy than the alternatives.

Life-cycle analysis shows that a steel wall requires 3 to 6 times more energy to extract, manufacture and construct than a wood wall. The steel wall also uses 25 times more water in its manufacture, and releases 3 to 6 times more carbon dioxide emissions.

The manufacture of concrete produces 2 to 3 times more carbon dioxide than wood, and results in 5 times more solid waste.

The production of aluminum generates 8 times more polluting emissions in the air and 300 times more in the water, than the manufacture of lumber. The manufacture of aluminum siding requires 5 times more energy than lumber.

So when you go to buy the materials for that new fence or deck, consider the alternatives – and make an informed choice.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/
Click here for more green facts on trusses, building basements, whole buildings and more!

Size
About half of Canada’s land mass is covered by forest, that is approximately 417 million hectares. Only ¼ of Canada’s forests are dedicated to forest management (119 million hectares), the remainder, for example, is either protected from harvesting, is of a non-commercial quality, or is commercial but not yet accessed or allocated.

Ownership
94% percent of Canada’s forests are publicly owned, while the remaining 6% is private property belonging to more than 425,000 landowners.

Harvest Levels
Canada harvests less than ½ of 1% of its commercial forest area each year, or ¼ of 1% of its total forest area. Moreover, it grows twice as much timber as it harvests. About ½ of the Canadian forest will NEVER be harvested. That never-to-be-logged Canadian forest is larger than California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana combined.

Fire, Insects & Disease
Did you know that Canada harvests less of its commercial forest each year (0.4%) than is taken by fire, insects and disease (0.5%).

Regeneration
By law all forests harvested on Canada’s public lands must be replaced. . More than half of the area harvested in Canada is left to regenerate naturally. Many tree species can reestablish themselves on a site without planting or seeding. These natural mechanisms include seeding from the adjacent forest, suckering of stumps and roots, and growth of young trees remaining on the harvested area. In summary, regeneration is accomplished by natural regeneration (53%), planting (43%), and aerial seeding (4%).
An Abundant and Growing Forest
The area of trees growing in Canada is growing not shrinking. In fact, during the 5 year period, 1990-1995, the United Nations FAO estimated a net increase of 4% in the area of trees growing in Canada’s commercial forests.
Helping Our Climate
Trees are living plants that ‘breathe’ to help them grow. As they breathe, they remove unwanted carbon dioxide from the air – a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming – and replace it with life sustaining oxygen.
Park System
Canada is the world leader in terms of area dedicated to its national and provincial park system for the use and enjoyment of Canadians and citizens around the world. Its national and provincial parks alone occupy some 56.8 million hectares. Compare that to the area of forests managed primarily for wood production in Canada – 119 million hectares – and one can quickly see that Canada’s forests are maintained for a variety of values and uses.
Original Forest Cover
Almost half of the Earth’s original forest cover is gone, much of it destroyed within the past three decades. In contrast, Canada has maintained over 90% of its forest cover and it has done so while being one of the world’s largest producers of high-quality forest products.
Forest Certification
Certification provides proof that forests are being managed by an independent 3rd party audit. Currently, if including CSA, SFI, FSC and ISO 14001 certifications, Canada has certifications covering some 115 million hectares of forest land- the largest certified forest area in the world! If however, one considers only those certifications to forestry-specific standards such as CSA, SFI, FSC, Canada has over 25 million hectares of forest land certified – of which 1 million is certified to FSC (see next bullet). However, the area of certifications to forestry-specific standards (CSA, SFI, FSC) is scheduled to grow considerably by 2006 given a new commitment by the Board of FPAC. It is also important to remember that the vast majority of wood coming from Canada’s forests are well-managed, certified or not. For more information on the forestry specific standards noted above or on forest management certification status in Canada, visit www.CertificationCanada.org.

FSC Forest Certification
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is not practical for small 10-100 acre parcels of land which are the primary source of high value hardwood in Canada. Costs to implement and maintain an FSC certification would be higher than the value of product derived. To be brief, FSC on small private lands managed for timber is conceptually unworkable in Canada. This point is made given that many environmental organizations lobby purchasers of Canadian forest products to specify FSC certified wood – this is an unrealistic demand for most small private woodlots in Canada. It should also be noted that even large scale commercial forestry operations in Canada for the most part are not pursuing FSC certifications for a variety of reasons. To date, 1 million of 25 million hectares of certified forest land in Canada is certified to the FSC Principles.

Key Facts on Sustainable Forest Products in Canada

What are the ATHENA™ Sustainable Materials Institute’s Life Cycle Facts in Support of Wood over Competing Products?

Total energy use: The wood building used the least energy. The concrete option required 1.7 times the energy for wood. The steel option required 2.4 times the energy. Wood simply does not require much energy to manufacture.

Greenhouse gases: The wood building had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. The steel building generated 1.45 times and the concrete building generated 1.81 times the greenhouse gases for wood.

Air pollution: The wood design had the lowest air pollution index. The steel building produced 1.42 times and the concrete building produced 1.67 times the air pollution index.

Solid waste: The wood design had the lowest solid waste. This takes into account both manufacturing and on-site construction waste. Steel produced 1.36 times and the concrete produced 1.96 times the solid waste. This means there is virtually no waste during the manufacturing process and the use of engineered wood products has radically reduced the on-site construction waste.

Ecological Resource Use: The wood design had the lowest ecological resource use index. Steel was 1.16 times and concrete was 1.97 times the index for wood. This factor compares the long-term effects of resource extraction. Although forestry affects a large area, reforestation means the effects are short term. Sustainable forest management practices help ensure that disruption is minimized.

Conclusion: The office building built with wood had lower environmental impact for energy use, greenhouse gases, air and water pollution and ecological resource extraction than the steel or concrete building. A similar case study of residential buildings (comparing wood, steel and concrete construction) produced similar findings in terms of wood’s superior environmental performance.

What are some of the key sustainable wood product messages that the Wood Promotion Network?

N. America’s forests are abundant and growing, based on satellite imagery.

Wood is the best insulator against heat and cold, which makes it the most energy efficient material that can help keep home energy bills in check.

Regardless of market volatility, wood is the most affordable building material you can use. Framing an average 3-bedroom home can cost up to 30% less with wood versus other framing materials.

New innovations in engineered wood products and pre-made panels and trusses help builders and homeowners keep framing costs down.

The production and use of wood is easier on the environment than any other building material. It takes less non-renewable fossil fuels and less energy to produce wood framing materials than alternative framing materials.

Wood is the world’s only 100% renewable building material and is manufactured with the organic power of solar energy.

Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Canada’s sustainably managed forests ensure that there is an ample supply. New manufacturing technology allows every part of the tree to be used so that nothing is wasted. Advanced engineered wood products make use of fast growing species to produce high strength products without requiring large dimension timbers to meet building needs.

Surface Textures
Saw Textured The saw textured surface, obtained during the milling process which uses either circular or band saws, is present on all four sides.

Rougher Headed The lumber receives its texture from a milling process which uses roughened planer knives. The rough texture is clearly visible on all four sides.

Surfaced Four Sides (S4S) The smooth surface on all four sides presents a uniformly sized product with a high quality appearance. Sizes from 2×4 (51mm x 102mm) up to 6×6 in. (152mm x 152mm) are generally available. Larger sizes are produced on special orders.

Grade	Description
No. 2 and Better Clear
	This grade should be specified when the finest quality rough lumber is desired. The lumber is sound and well manufactured. Its natural characteristics do not detract from the woods fine appearance. Grading Rule Paragraph Export R List 401
D and Better Clear
	This grade consists of D Clear, C Clear, and B Clear. The C and Better Clear grade offers good appearance in high quality, well manufactured lumber. Suitable for high quality landscape structures and as exposed posts and beams in heavy timber construction. WRCEA members produce this grade without cut-outs. In most cases, this grade is sold with a specified allowance of D grade. D Clear grade permits larger and more numerous natural characteristics which are widely accepted in the construction of outdoor structures. Some pieces of D Clear may require trimming to yield clear lengths for the intended use. Available surfaced or rough textured.
Appearance Knotty
	A non structural product manufactured to meet the appearance requirements of quality projects. This material has highly restricted wane allowances to give well defined corners. Contains no holes or other characteristics. Represents good value for appearance end uses. Available rough sawn or rougher headed in nominal 2″ (51mm) and thicker sizes. Note: Upon request, Appearance Knotty timbers are available with structural grading. Be certain to specify Appearance Knotty structural lumber when strength characteristics are required. Grading Rule Paragraph Proprietary
No. 2 and Better Structural
	Material of this grade is evaluated for structural strength characteristics. The classification includes pieces meeting the grades of Select Structural, No. 1 Structural, and No. 2 Structural. Lumber of this grade is intended for engineered applications where strength is more important than appearance. Available surfaced or rough textured.

Exterior wood products:
Materials should be stored under a roof until used. They should be stacked on 2×4’s on top of concrete. If that is not possible, stack on 4×4’s that are placed on top of a tarp, tar paper or plastic.

Cover all sides with a tarp. If a tarp is not available, black plastic can be used instead.

When choosing your exterior finish, keep in mind that the darker the stain, the more protection it will offer against ultraviolet rays. There are many different brands of stain but we prefer the Sikkens products. 
Interior Wood Products:
Materials should be stored under a roof until used.

Lumber for interior use has been kiln dried differently than lumber for exterior use and MUST BE KEPT DRY.

Pine doors that are not installed immediately must be sealed on all sides and stored in a warm, dry place.

If you purchase quarter or half log for interior use, we recommend storing it inside your home for two weeks to let is acclimate. Lumber is kiln dried differently for interior and exterior use.

If you want the natural look for your interior wood, we suggest using a non-yellowing finish. Keep in mind that ultraviolet rays will affect the color.

For the best results when finished, lightly sand the wood in between coast of finish.

It is very important to use a humidifier after you have installed wood products in your home. The best type is one installed on your furnace if forced air is used. If not, a portable humidifier is an acceptable option.

Using these guidelines will minimize any shrinking or swelling of the wood and will result in less maintenance.