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Siding · Materials

Siding materials

The main residential siding materials are vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood, cedar, aluminum, stucco, and brick or stone veneer. Installed cost runs from about $6 per square foot for vinyl to $20 for brick veneer, per This Old House. Brick, vinyl, engineered wood, stone, and fiber cement are all listed with lifetime life expectancies in the NAHB study; stucco is listed at 50 to 100 years.

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Published lifespans are optimistic because they assume correct installation and no water behind the wall. The NAHB study lists vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood, brick, and stone as lasting the life of the house; This Old House's field-oriented guide puts vinyl and cedar at 20 to 40 years and fiber cement at 50-plus. Treat the shorter numbers as what to plan around.

Material choice is mostly a trade between upfront cost, maintenance, and how the material handles your specific weather. Cedar looks the best and demands the most: it needs recoating forever. Fiber cement resists fire, insects, and rot and holds paint well, but it is heavy and unforgiving of sloppy installation. Vinyl is cheap, needs almost nothing, and is the most vulnerable to impact — laboratory testing has fractured vinyl panels with hail as small as 1.25 inches.

One thing no material fixes: bad flashing. A $20-per-square-foot brick veneer over a wall with no kickout flashing at the roof-wall intersection will rot just like a $6 vinyl one. Spend attention on the details behind the siding before you spend money on the siding itself.

How to choose

Vinyl
About $6 per square foot installed. Near-zero maintenance, no repainting, panels are cheap to swap. Weakest on impact resistance and color match after fading.
Fiber cement
About $9 per square foot installed and 50-plus years of service, per This Old House. Best all-round pick in fire-prone and humid regions. Needs a crew that has actually hung it before.
Engineered wood
Listed with a lifetime life expectancy by NAHB. Lighter and easier to cut than fiber cement, wood-grain look. Cut edges must be sealed exactly per the manufacturer's instructions.
Cedar
About $11.70 per square foot installed, 20 to 40 years. Only choose it if you accept a recoating cycle for the life of the house.
Stucco
About $9.66 per square foot installed, 50 to 100 years per NAHB. Excellent in dry climates; in wet climates it depends completely on a correctly built drainage plane behind it.
Aluminum
About $7.32 per square foot installed, 20 to 40 years. Won't burn or rot; dents easily and chalks with age.
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All siding materials

Vinyl Siding

Fiber Cement

Engineered Wood

Wood Clapboard

Metal Siding

Stucco

Brick Veneer

Stone Veneer

FAQ

Siding materials — common questions

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Masonry. NAHB lists brick, stone, and manufactured stone as lasting the life of the house, and This Old House puts brick and stone veneer at 100-plus years. They are also the most expensive, at roughly $14 to $20 per square foot installed.
Not vinyl. It has been fractured in testing by 1.25-inch hail. Fiber cement, engineered wood, and masonry hold up better. Check with your insurer too — some carriers price roof and siding materials differently.
It adds some R-value, but attic insulation and air sealing deliver far more. EPA estimates air sealing plus insulating attics, crawlspace floors, and accessible basements saves an average of 15% on heating and cooling.
Yes, and it is common — fiber cement on the main walls with stone veneer on a gable or foundation skirt. Every transition between materials is a joint that needs flashing, so keep the number of transitions low.
Sources

Where these figures come from

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